Julius Randle had 41 points and the Minnesota Timberwolves beat Portland 133-109 on Wednesday night to end the Trail Blazers’ winning streak at three.
Randall, who also had seven rebounds, capped his night with a windmill dunk that put the crowd at the Target Center on its feet. Jaden McDaniels added 21 points for the Timberwolves, playing their final game before the All-Star break.
Jrue Holiday scored 23 points for the Trail Blazers, who trailed by 28 points and were hurt by 25 turnovers. Scoot Henderson, playing just his third game back since missing the first half of the season because of a hamstring injury, finished with 18 points.
Minnesota scoring leader Anthony Edwards was listed as questionable going into the game because of an illness but he started and finished with 14 points.
Minnesota was coming off a 138-116 win at home over Atlanta that stopped a two-game skid.
McDaniels’ floating jumper pushed Minnesota’s lead to 50-38 midway through the second quarter. McDaniels had 15 points in the opening half and the Timberwolves led 61-51 at the break.
Edwards and Julius Randle hit back-to-back 3-pointers to go up 73-59 in the third quarter. Rudy Gobert dunked to cap a 16-2 run and gave the Timberwolves a 79-59 lead.
Portland ended the third quarter on a 10-3 run to close to 96-82 but couldn’t find a rally down the stretch. All-Star Deni Avdija struggled with 11 points.
The Blazers were without Shaedon Sharpe, who missed the third straight game with a left calf strain.
Before Wednesday’s game, the NBA fined Timberwolves big man Naz Reid and Atlanta Hawks forward Mouhamed Gueye $35,000 apiece for their roles in a jersey-grabbing tussle.
TWIN LAKES, Iowa (AP) — A community college bus carrying the school’s baseball team crashed and overturned in a ditch in rural Iowa on Wednesday, authorities and media reports said, killing one person and injuring all the other 32 occupants.
The 11 a.m. crash involved the Iowa Lakes Community College bus and no other vehicles, the Iowa State Patrol said in a statement. It occurred on a highway near Twin Lakes, about 110 miles (180 kilometers) northwest of Des Moines.
Three people were airlifted to trauma hospitals in Des Moines, said Bruce Musgrave, director of Calhoun County emergency services, and others were taken by ambulance to four hospitals in the area.
KTIV reported that the college’s baseball team was on board.
The Iowa State Patrol is investigating.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — The Los Angeles Clippers’ days as the biggest losers in professional sports are long gone, and this NBA All-Star weekend was supposed to be a time to celebrate it.
The team that spent its first four decades of existence as a punch line and a purgatory has now had 14 consecutive winning seasons with a succession of basketball greats wearing its uniform. After decades of playing in dingy gyms from Buffalo to San Diego to downtown Los Angeles, the Clippers now hold court in a lavish, futuristic new arena built by the richest owner in professional sports, Steve Ballmer.
Yet perhaps it’s cosmically appropriate for this crowning All-Star moment to arrive in the middle of a profoundly chaotic season for the Clippers, whose newer fans have been getting a taste of the bad old days from a team that once spent almost every year mired in some kind of mess.
“We’ve dealt with a lot this year,” Clippers guard Kris Dunn said last week. “Our whole mentality throughout the year has just been to try to find a way. It’s been tough.”
The season began under the cloud of an NBA investigation into a suspicious endorsement deal for superstar Kawhi Leonard which might have been a way for the team to circumvent the salary cap — and which infuriated front offices around the sport, no matter what the league eventually decides. Leonard, Ballmer and president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank all deny wrongdoing, but the Clippers could face penalties if the league disagrees.
The Clippers then got off to a shambolic 6-21 start during which they shockingly kicked franchise icon Chris Paul off the team just six weeks into the 40-year-old point guard’s much-anticipated farewell season.
A couple of weeks after Paul’s banishment, coach Tyronn Lue’s Clips improbably started winning again, with James Harden and longtime center Ivica Zubac stepping up alongside Leonard to lead a 16-3 surge back into the playoff race.
But then Frank blew up his roster last week, trading Harden to Cleveland and Zubac to Indiana. The moves likely improved the long-term outlook for a team that began the season with the NBA’s oldest roster, but they might have ended an era.
“As hard as these moves are, we’re extremely excited about where we’re going,” Frank said. “We want to win now. We believe we are going to win now, and we’re going to do it by getting younger.”
The Clippers’ current streak of 14 winning seasons was pretty much unthinkable only 15 years ago, when this franchise had managed only six winning seasons in 40 years. They’ve made the playoffs 12 times and won their first three Pacific Division titles in this stretch.
But the Clippers’ past five months have contained enough drama for a decade around many clubs, and the All-Star weekend will be a welcome opportunity for the team and its fans to catch their breath.
This is the first All-Star weekend hosted solely by the Clippers, who shared the honor three times previously with their eternal older brothers, the 17-time champion Los Angeles Lakers. The Clippers once had to cover up the Lakers’ banners when they both played at the former Staples Center, but they don’t have those problems in their new $2 billion palace that puts the Lakers’ aging arena to shame.
And at least Clippers fans won’t have the bittersweet experience of watching Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who is injured and won’t play in Inglewood. The reigning league MVP and NBA Finals MVP began his career with the Clippers in 2018, only to be traded to Oklahoma City a year later along with a jaw-dropping bounty of draft picks for Paul George.
The Clippers acquired Leonard and George together that summer, but both stars struggled to stay healthy. Although they made the Western Conference finals in 2021, the Clippers are still the oldest team in North American pro sports never to reach its league’s championship game or title series.
The Clippers added Harden, Russell Westbrook and Bradley Beal in attempts to push them over the top, but it never quite worked. Just two players are now left on the roster from the end of the 2023-24 season: Leonard and backup guard Jordan Miller.
Leonard has been healthy and outstanding in recent weeks, and he will be the Clippers’ only All-Star in their hometown game. He said the trade of Zubac “was like losing a brother,” but he understands why the moves “make sense.”
The Clippers’ fundamental change of course actually began well before last week: They allowed George to walk in the summer of 2024 instead of locking themselves into another massive contract extension. They traded dependable scorer Norman Powell last summer despite his excellent play, and they also declined to give more guaranteed money to Harden, effectively encouraging his departure.
While the trades of Harden and Zubac were painful, Frank believes they took the Clippers out of second-tier contender status — good enough to win, but not good enough to win it all — and replenished their stock of draft capital.
What that means for Leonard is unclear, but Frank said he can see a future with the two-time NBA champion beyond this season, if Leonard wants it. Leonard said he isn’t thinking beyond this season.
The entire future beyond All-Star weekend is murky for the Clippers, between the looming investigation and uncertainty across the roster. But after the league marvels at the wonders of Intuit Dome, Frank and the respected Lue will continue working to keep the good times going.
“Yes, this is where I want to be,” Lue said. “Having an owner like Mr. Ballmer, who’s unbelievable, it does so many things for me. I trust everything we do, everything we decide to do. It’s a partnership. I want to be here.”
SCOTTSDALE — Bryce Eldridge used two different gloves on the backfield at Scottsdale Stadium on Tuesday morning. One belonged to him; the other belonged to Jung Hoo Lee.
Eldridge dedicated the early part of his morning to working on infield defense, beaming with joy as he described his first fielding session with new infield coach Ron Washington. Then, as the first position player groups took batting practice, Eldridge grabbed Lee’s glove and headed out to left field to shag fly balls alongside outfielder Drew Gilbert.
To be clear, Eldridge isn’t changing positions anytime soon. He is a first baseman, and barring the unforeseen, he will continue to be a first baseman. But his presence in the outfield might be a common sight this spring.
Eldridge told reporters on Tuesday afternoon that manager Tony Vitello wants him to shag fly balls just in case a need suddenly arises. The Giants’ top prospect added that he will just be shagging and he won’t be taking reps with the team’s actual outfielders.
“My mom’s shipping my outfield glove that I’ve never used because I haven’t played outfield in the last two years,” Eldridge said.
Eldridge, 21, isn’t completely unfamiliar with the outfield. In 2023, Eldridge played 26 minor-league games in right field after the Giants selected him in that year’s draft. The following year, San Francisco moved Eldridge to first base, the only defensive position he has played the last two seasons.
“I never really got a chance to get comfortable out there. I never played out there in high school, so for what it’s worth, I felt comfortable enough,” Eldridge said. “Obviously, it probably wasn’t pretty. You can ask the Low-A (San Jose) coaches if it was pretty or not. I felt like I did a good job.”
Eldridge, in all likelihood, won’t be anything more than an emergency outfielder in the same way that teams have an emergency catcher.
The Giants will always carry at least one, if not two, outfielders on the bench, and utility players Tyler Fitzgerald and Christian Koss have professional experience in the outfield. Even new second baseman Luis Arráez has played 48 games in left field, though he hasn’t played the position since 2021. For Eldridge to see time in the outfield, multiple things would have had to go off the rails.
Still, as Eldridge put it, you “never know.”
“Me and Gilbert are really tight, so he … was giving me some tips on how to prep and approach the ball when it’s on the ground and how to go about it,” Eldridge said. “I was kind of just running around there. I would run for one, then I saw another one in the air and go sprint. He’s like, ‘Dude, just take a rep, take it seriously, go reset.’ I’m kind of out there doing cardio.”
While Eldridge’s attitude regarding his outfield duties is more of the laissez-faire variety, his approach to improving as a defender at first base is anything but.
Eldridge, who is full go after undergoing left wrist surgery in October, has been in Arizona since January and has been taking grounders for over a month. After completing fielding drills with Washington and Jolbert Cabrera, the fundamentals coach for Triple-A Sacramento, Eldridge listened intently to Washington’s defensive guidance for several minutes.
If Eldridge has a good spring, he and Washington may both be standing on Oracle Park’s third-base line on Opening Night.
Eldridge will be one of the biggest storylines to monitor over the next six weeks. The Giants’ top prospect isn’t guaranteed a spot on the Opening Day roster, and it’s possible he starts the season with Sacramento despite making his debut last September.
“I knew coming into (camp) last year that I didn’t really have a chance to make it, so it’s definitely different,” Eldridge said. “It makes it easier to relax and have fun. We heard a good message from Willy (Adames) and (Matt) Chapman in a camp the other week, saying everyone just has to be themselves and don’t try to impress (anybody). I feel like being myself is what got me here, so I’m just going keep being myself.”
There are valid arguments on both sides of the aisle regarding Eldridge. He has an .872 OPS in his minor-league career and made lots of loud contact during his brief time in the majors last season, but he’s also played just 74 games in Triple-A. When president of baseball operations Buster Posey was asked on Monday what boxes he wants to see Eldridge check, Posey responded, “it’s really just the all-encompassing playing well.”
“It’s defense, it’s baserunning, it’s obviously the offensive side of it,” Posey said. “To me, somebody that has the potential, the ceiling that he has, you’re hoping to see little strides forward in every part of his game.”
“It’s amazing that he was able to accomplish what he did last year,” Vitello said. “But for right now I think he’s just got to mature as a player. He’s incredibly mature as a kid, but repetitions and conversations and maturing so that he’s a complete player is the key to him becoming the best version of himself.”
Worth noting
Vitello said it’s “more than likely” that Logan Webb will be the team’s Opening Day starter. If Webb gets the nod, it will be his fifth straight time starting the Giants’ first game of the season, tying Madison Bumgarner for the second-most since the team moved to San Francisco.
MANCHESTER, England — Manchester City closed the gap on Premier League leader Arsenal to three points with a 3-0 win against Fulham on Tuesday.
Antoine Semenyo, Nico O’Reilly and Erling Haaland all struck in the first half at the Etihad as City issued another statement of intent in the race for the title.
Arsenal has a game in hand on Pep Guardiola’s team, but will be feeling the pressure ahead of its visit to Brentford on Thursday.
Second-place City followed up Sunday’s dramatic late win against Liverpool with a routine victory that was effectively wrapped up before halftime.
Semenyo scored for the fifth time in eight games since his $87 million move from Bournemouth last month and his signing could be pivotal if City goes on to pip Arsenal to the title.
He opened the scoring in the 24th minute and City scored two more in quick succession — through O’Reilly in the 30th and Haaland in the 39th.
Successive wins for City have changed the complexion of the standings after Arsenal opened up a nine-point lead at the top on Saturday. With the top two still to play each other at the Etihad, the title race looks far from over.
Third-place Aston Villa also picked up a much-needed victory after a run of one win in five in the league.
Jack Hinshelwood’s own goal in the 86th sealed a 1-0 home win against Brighton. Villa is six points behind Arsenal and moved five clear of Manchester United in fourth.
Second to last Burnley came back from 2-0 down at Crystal Palace to win 3-2.
Palace’s record signing Jorgen Strand Larsen scored twice on his home debut, but his celebrations turned to disappointment as Burnley rallied late in the first half.
Hannibal Mejbri sparked the fightback in the 40th and four minutes later the game was level Jaidon Anthony equalized.
Burnley’s winner came before the break through an own goal from Jefferson Lerma in the second minute of first half added time.
Nottingham Forest is just three points above the relegation zone after a goalless draw with last-place Wolves.
CINCINNATI — FC Cincinnati’s newest kits pays ode to the city’s history.
What You Need To Know
The team unveiled “The Seven Hills” kit on Wednesday just before the Major League Soccer season starts in 10 days
The term “Seven Hills” goes far back in the city’s history, going all the way back to the 1800s
The kit replaces the Canvas Kit from the past two seasons
The team unveiled “The Seven Hills” kit on Wednesday just before the Major League Soccer season starts in 10 days.
The term “Seven Hills” goes far back in the city’s history, going all the way back to the 1800s. At the time, the city recognized the seven hills as:
Mount Adams
Walnut Hills
Mount Auburn
Vine Street hill
College Hill
Fairmount
Price Hill (formerly known as Mount Harrison)
“The popular origin of Cincinnati’s ‘seven hills’ stems from the 1881 book “History of Cincinnati, Ohio” by Henry A. Ford, A.M. and Mrs. Kate B. Ford, who reflected that the hills of Cincinnati formed naturally beautiful amphitheaters and created a ‘splendid panorama of the city below,’ which nowhere else in the nation could rival in beauty,” wrote Carter Chapley for FC Cincinnati. “The official interpretation of the names of the seven hills have been debated over the years, but the sentiment remains the same – the communities that make up the city’s peaks and valleys are as much part of Cincinnati as the geology they are founded on.”
The kit replaces the Canvas Kit from the past two seasons. It’ll be worn as the secondary uniform along with the primary Orange and Blue Legacy Kit, which was worn last season.
“The Seven Hills” kit is unique, as the white and orange combination is a first for the team.
It’ll be worn during the season opener at TQL Stadium on Saturday, Feb. 21 against Atlanta United. “The Seven Hills” kit is also available to buy on FCCGo.com and at the FCC Team Stores.
Fans can purchase their Seven Hills Kit online at FCCGo.com or by visiting the Over-The-Rhine Team Store (1433 Vine Street) and the TQL Stadium Team Store (NE corner of the stadium; 1501 Central Parkway) which will be open for special hours Wednesday through Saturday.
PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — Pitchers and catchers are back, signaling another Opening Day is not too far ahead.
But first comes the state’s annual rite of spring, Major League Baseball’s Spring Training and the Grapefruit League across Florida.
The Tampa Bay Rays, who return to Tropicana Field this year for the regular season after spending last season outdoors at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, welcome players to camp on Feb. 11 with the first full squad workouts set for Feb. 17. The Rays will play their first spring training game on Feb. 21 against the Atlanta Braves in Port Charlotte.
With new ownership and a revamped roster, the new-look Rays are saying hello to a lot of new faces and will spend camp filling in lineup spots, establishing depth and finalizing their pitching staff, particularly among their relievers.
Meanwhile, 14 other teams are opening camp in the coming days across the state of Florida. (See map below). Cactus League Information
When the players are back on the field, a big focus this spring will be robotic umpires and the World Baseball Classic.
ABS was tested in 13 spring training ballparks last year, and teams won 52.2% of 1,182 challenges, which averaged 13.8 seconds. Major League Baseball’s 11-man competition committee voted in September to approve regular-season use for 2026.
🧢WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC 🧢
The World Baseball Classic is back in 2026.
Japan will try for its fourth title and second straight when players leave their clubs for the sixth edition of the tournament, to be played from March 5-17 in Houston; Miami; San Juan; Puerto Rico; and Tokyo.
Rosters on the 20 national teams include 306 players under major league and minor league contracts, including 78 All-Stars.
The tournament will begin on March 5 at the Tokyo Dome (March 4 at 10 p.m. ET in the U.S.) with Chinese Taipei and Australia playing in the first game. The other pools — located at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico; Daikin Park in Houston; and LoanDepot Park in Miami — will begin play on March 6.
Here are the Tampa Bay Rays players taking part in the tournament:
AUBURNDALE, Fla. — Ayden Carmichael’s favorite parts of racing are in the thick of the competition.
“To be honest, it has to be like the actual race, and I really like passing people,” Carmichael said.
What You Need To Know
Ayden Carmichael is a young racer from Cocoa
He won his first U.S. Legend race at the Showdown Series this weekend
Carmichael was named the reserve champion for 2025 Legends Division points standings at Auburndale Speedway
At the Summer Shootout Series in Charlotte, N.C., he worked with his favorite NASCAR driver, Bubba Wallace
The track is his domain. It’s been that way since he was 4 years old.
When he’s in race mode, it’s like he’s on the hunt, just like a shark.
“My grandma, me and her used to always read shark books,” Carmichael said, explaining how he got his nickname, “The Shark.”
“Every time I pass somebody, it was just my driving style. I would come up on you, push you out the way, and my uncle said, ‘just like a shark’.”
Ayden Carmichael, 12, is nicknamed ‘The Shark’ for the way he chases down other racers. (Spectrum Sports/Brandon Green)
Carmichael started by driving go-karts. Since then, he has graduated and is now driving a U.S. Legend car, which goes around 120 mph.
The Cocoa native comes from three generations of racers. Granddad Bill; his uncle, Nate; and Carmichael work on the car together.
“It means a lot that they would spend their time [here], instead of with other parts of the family, just relaxing and helping me do this. It means a lot,” Carmichael said.
At just 12 years old, Carmichael earned the reserve champion honor for 2025 Legends Division points standings at Auburndale Speedway. He’s the youngest driver to accomplish the feat.
“It means a lot to be the youngest driver, especially beating the big dogs,” Carmichael said.
“We got second overall last year, adults and children. They don’t separate them at the local tracks,” said Nate Carmichael, his uncle and crew chief.
Nate Carmichael has been coaching Ayden since he started racing.
Nate Carmichael, Ayden’s uncle, has been coaching the young racer since he was young. (Spectrum Sports/Brandon Green)
“It was a lot of hard work, some bad words, a lot of sleepless nights,” Nate Carmichael said. “A couple bent frames, it’s just very rewarding to come together as a team.”
Carmichael’s motivation to be the best comes from knowing it’s possible.
Last year, he participated in the Summer Shootout Series in Charlotte, N.C., and went to work alongside and learned from the NASCAR driver who he said is his favorite, Bubba Wallace.
“It was really great. He’s a good, down-to-earth guy. He really helped me with my line over at Charlotte,” Carmichael said.
This past weekend at Auburndale Speedway, Carmichael added to his trophy case by winning the Showdown Series. It was his first win in a U.S. Legend car.
Mac Jones I’m Not Buzzing Over Substation Conspiracy
Published
TMZSports.com
Mac Jones isn’t exactly buying into the 49ers’ viral practice facility conspiracy … but he’s not completely brushing it off either!
The San Francisco backup QB talked with TMZ Sportsabout the chatter tying the team’s nearby electrical substation to their injury history … a theory that’s picked up steam online and even sparked quiet locker room curiosity over the years.
Some have speculated electromagnetic fields from the power station by Levi’s Stadium could be messing with players’ bodies, but there’s been zero scientific proof backing it.
Jones kept things pretty chill when asked about it … saying he hasn’t personally noticed anything strange since joining the team.
“I haven’t been there long enough,” Jones said, “but I think there’s something to studying it and at least finding out if it’s good or bad, but I don’t feel any different.”
He even poked fun at one of the conspiracy’s more out-there claims — that players can supposedly hear electrical buzzing near the facility.
“I can’t hear the buzz,” he said. “Maybe some of the guys who have been there for a minute, but not me.”
For those who may be drinking the tea … neither of the Super Bowl teams is practicing at the Niners’ facility.
Jones also made it clear he’s not exactly a tin-foil-hat kinda guy when it comes to conspiracy theories in general.
“Honestly, no,” he said. “I’ll entertain them, but I don’t believe any weird ones.”
While speculation continues to swirl around the Niners — fueled in part by the team’s recent injury stretches — Jones sounds locked in on football, not power grids.
“I’m happy where I’m at,” he added. “I love the 49ers and I want to keep winning and having fun.”
Safe to say Mac’s focused on reading defenses … not radiation levels.
A newcomer to the sports betting scene has jumped into the limelight right before the year’s biggest game. Kalshi, a small-time player next to big-name sportsbooks, saw a big jump in people downloading its mobile app in January. It was ahead of well-known brands like DraftKings and FanDuel as the Super Bowl got closer.
Kalshi Outpaces Sportsbook Giants in January Download Race
Based on numbers from Apptopia, an app analytics company, Kalshi’s app saw over 3 million downloads in the US last month. This number tops the combined January downloads of DraftKings and FanDuel, reaching a growth level neither traditional sportsbook has ever hit in one month. Just a few months before, when the NFL season kicked off in August, Kalshi’s downloads were much lower than those of its rivals, reported Bloomberg.
The surge’s timing stands out. Sports betting interest hits its peak during football season, with the Super Bowl as the main event. Industry projections indicate that traditional sportsbooks will handle a record $1.76 billion in bets on this year’s championship game between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots. Prediction markets, though, are growing even quicker. H2 Gambling Capital experts expect platforms like Kalshi to draw about $630 million in Super Bowl-related trading, making up most of the year-over-year growth linked to the event.
Kalshi’s Exchange-Style Betting Tests the Boundaries of US Gambling Rules
Kalshi’s quick rise has a strong connection to its regulatory position. Unlike sportsbooks, which must deal with different gambling laws in each state, Kalshi works under federal supervision from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). Its contracts are seen as financial tools instead of bets, letting the platform offer sports-related markets across the country, even in states where you cannot bet on sports on your phone. However, Apptopia data shows the app is popular in all states, which means users pick it because they like how it works, not just to get around local rules.
The platform works differently from sportsbooks. Rather than betting against users, Kalshi pairs them up and takes a cut of each transaction. This marketplace approach has allowed it to expand into non-sports areas like elections and economic data, though sports markets have seen the most action since football kicked off.
The company’s growth has hit some snags. A number of state regulators have tried to limit Kalshi’s sports offerings, with legal battles still going on in places like Massachusetts. Meanwhile, the NFL has stoppedprediction market firmsfrom running ads during the Super Bowl, pointing to worries about fair play and partnership rules.Big betting companies are paying attention. DraftKings and FanDuel have rolled out their own apps for making predictions in some states, but so far, not many people have downloaded them.
Though he’s never compromised his native Spanish, Bad Bunny framed the halftime language barrier that so triggered MAGA (“in America, we speak English!”) not as an exclusion, but an invitation (body language is universal, babes). “They don’t even have to learn Spanish,” he said of viewers in his preshow press conference. “Better they learn to dance.” In his rich baritone, Bad Bunny rapped and sang entirely in his native tongue—the only English-singing came from Gaga—but what he chose to say in which language mattered, especially as President Trump predictably blasted Martínez’s performance on Truth Social, claiming, “nobody understands a word this guy is saying.” Bad Bunny chose English for his stirring closing salvo, “God bless America,” a stunning rebuke to anyone (Kid Rock) suggesting he doesn’t love the U.S., before launching into a roll call of Latino countries, plus the U.S. and Canada. They’re lands linked through language, culture and diaspora, the places from which immigrants under attack in America might hail. Bad Bunny named them all, their flags whipping behind him, with a sense of collective pride.
When I interviewed him in Puerto Rico for a Vanity Fair cover story in 2023, Martínez was working on his English, and understood me perfectly when I spoke it. For years, he seldom spoke English in public, but Bad Bunny is notably speaking a bit more English now—maybe he’s sharpened his skills and maybe because, in responding to the current ICE crisis, it’s important to address the Trump administration in words they can understand.
At last week’s Grammys, he chose solemn English to assert the humanity of the Latino community: “We’re not savage, we’re not animals, we’re not aliens and we are Americans,” he Bunny said in a powerful acceptance speech for best música urbana album. He slipped into Spanish later, however, with a direct appeal to hype his homeland: “Believe me when I tell you that we are much bigger than just 100 by 35,” he said, referencing the area of Puerto Rico, “and there is nothing that we cannot achieve.”
Bad Bunny is an artist born of a perilous political moment that he’s never shied away from responding to, both as an artist and a young, proud Puerto Rican. His rise has coincided, almost exactly, with that of Donald Trump and his hostility and aggression toward the Latino community, set against the backdrop of Hurricanes Maria and Irma and, now, the brutality of ICE. Bad Bunny’s political statements are evolving with his stardom, but he couldn’t bring his full self to the Super Bowl and not include “El Apagón,” a searing protest anthem from his smash 2022 album, Un Verano Sin Tí, which took aim at repeated power outages after the privatization of the Puerto Rican power grid was sold to LUMA Energy, a Canadian-and-Texan conglomerate, in 2021. “Fuck LUMA,” Bad Bunny declared in no uncertain terms at a San Juan concert in 2023. His sentiment manifested with a new streak of positivity on Sunday night, as he scaled a set of power lines, asserted Puerto Rico’s greatness, then cut through the darkness and restored the lights.
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The Super Bowl lasted all of 13 minutes for many Puerto Ricans in San Juan and beyond.
People turned their backs to TV screens as food, music and chatter filled the first half of the game until a hush fell across the island. The halftime show was starting.
“He appeared at the right moment in the history of Latin America,” said Marielys Rojas, 39, who is originally from Venezuela but has lived the last 22 years in Puerto Rico.
She was among the hundreds who gathered by a grassy knoll near a beach in Puerto Rico’s capital to watch the halftime show on a huge screen as waves crashed behind them and the sounds of coquís, an endemic frog, filled the salty air.
Amarilys Reyes, 55, arrived at the seaside watch party with her 22-year-old daughter.
She had never watched a Super Bowl and didn’t know who was playing, but it didn’t matter. Like many others, she was only there for Bad Bunny.
“It’s the biggest show of his life,” Reyes said.
Energy, nerves and excitement had been building across Puerto Rico ever since the NFL, Apple Music and Roc Nation announced that Benito Antonio Ocasio Martínez would headline the Super Bowl XL Halftime Show.
Watch parties were quickly organized across the U.S. mainland and the island. Some dubbed it “Super Bori Sunday,” a shortened nod to “Boricua,” which refers to someone with Puerto Rican ancestry, while others referred to it “The Benito Bowl: Morcilla, Sancocho, Mofongo, Reggaetón and a little bit of Football.”
One woman wrote on social media that she would watch the halftime show with her 87-year-old mother in Puerto Rico so they could dance together, while another person posted that they had prepared a PowerPoint presentation for their American friends dubbed “Bad Bunny 101.”
Creativity flowed as Feb. 8 approached: One bar in Puerto Rico posted a promo featuring the quarterbacks from the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots sitting on the iconic white plastic lawn chairs that grace the cover of Bad Bunny’s newest album.
Even the Teletubbies got in on the excitement, shaking their colorful rumps to Bad Bunny ’s “Baile Inolvidable” a day before the show.
Wonder Woman also lent her support, with Lynda Carter noting on social media that she was a “huge fan” of Bad Bunny, whom she noted was an American citizen: “Make no mistake.”
But criticism of the first all-Spanish NFL halftime show spiked as the first half ended.
Jake Paul, a YouTuber-turned-boxer who has property in Puerto Rico and has posted about life on the island, wrote on X: “Turn off this halftime. A fake American citizen performing who publicly hates America. I cannot support that.”
Puerto Ricans quickly responded.
“Don’t you live where he’s from?” wrote one person while many others noted that Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens.
Luke Lavanway, a 35-year-old who lives in New York but was vacationing in Puerto Rico to escape the ongoing cold snap, said he had no problem with a halftime show in Spanish.
“That’s part of us,” he said. “That’s what makes us great, and we should just enjoy it.”
The crowd that had gathered for the halftime show began streaming out of the watch party as soon as the second half started, smiling as they reflected on what they had just witnessed.
“I thought it was phenomenal that Bad Bunny brought all Latinos together in one place and represented them all equally,” said Carlos Ayala, 36, of San Juan. “It’s an important moment for Latino culture.”
He also thought it fantastic that Ricky Martin sang Bad Bunny’s, “Lo que le pasó a Hawaii,” which laments gentrification in Puerto Rico, a worsening issue for many on an island with a more than 40% poverty rate.
“Transmitting that message is extremely important in these times,” he said, adding that he also appreciated the light posts and exploding transformers featured during the show, a nod to Puerto Rico’s chronic outages “so the world can see what we live through.”
Among those beaming after the show was Juliana Santiago, 35, who said her heart swelled with pride on Sunday night.
She said Bad Bunny proved that “you can accomplish things, that the American dream truly is real.”
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Defense won this championship.
Devon Witherspoon, Derick Hall, Byron Murphy and the rest of Mike Macdonald’s ferocious unit pummeled Drake Maye, and the Seattle Seahawks beat the New England Patriots 29-13 on Sunday to win the franchise’s second Super Bowl.
Sam Darnold threw a touchdown pass to AJ Barner, Kenneth Walker III ran for 135 yards and Jason Myers set a super Bowl record by making all five of his field-goal tries.
Uchenna Nwosu punctuated a punishing defensive performance by snagging Maye’s pass in the air after Witherspoon hit his arm and ran it back 45 yards for a pick-6.
Seattle’s “Dark Side” defense helped Darnold become the first quarterback in the 2018 draft class to win a Super Bowl, ahead of Josh Allen, Baker Mayfield and Lamar Jackson.
Labeled a bust, dumped by two teams and considered expendable by two others, Darnold proved his doubters wrong while helping the Seahawks go 17-3.
After leading the NFL with 20 turnovers in the regular season, Darnold didn’t have any in three playoff games. He wasn’t particularly sharp against a solid Patriots defense but protected the ball and made enough plays, finishing 19 of 38 for 202 yards.
The Seahawks sacked Maye six times, including two apiece by Hall and Murphy. Hall’s strip-sack late in the third quarter set up a short field and Darnold connected with Barner on 16-yard scoring toss to make it 19-0.
Julian Love’s interception set up another field goal that made it 22-7 with 5:35 left.
The Patriots (17-4) punted on the first eight drives, excluding a kneel-down to end the first half.
Down 19-0, Maye and the New England offense finally got going. He hit Mack Hollins over the middle in traffic for 24 yards and then lofted a perfect 35-yard TD pass to Hollins down the left side to cut the deficit to 19-7.
Tom Brady once led Bill Belichick’s Patriots to the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history, when New England rallied from a 28-3 deficit against Atlanta for a 34-28 overtime victory.
But Maye, who was runner-up to Matthew Stafford for the AP NFL MVP award in the closest race in two decades, didn’t come close. He had a chance to get it closer, but his ill-advised pass into triple coverage was picked by Love and the Patriots trailed by 15 when they got the ball back with 5:35 left.
Then came Nwosu’s touchdown, a fitting way to cap an overwhelming effort by the NFL’s stingiest defense.
Maye’s 7-yard TD pass to Rhamondre Stevenson late in the game only made the margin smaller.
The Seahawks took a 3-0 lead on Myers’ 33-yard field goal on the game’s opening drive. Myers connected from 39 and 41 yards to extend the lead to 9-0 at halftime. He was good from 41 on Seattle’s first drive of the third quarter to make it 12-0.
Patriots player of the game
Cornerback Christian Gonzalez made two outstanding plays to prevent potential touchdowns in the second quarter. He raced back and leaped in the air to slap away a deep pass to Rasheed Shahid that could have been a 76-yard TD.
On Seattle’s last drive in the first half, Gonzalez knocked down a pass to All-Pro wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba that would have been a 23-yard TD.
Mills gets a two-for-one sack
Rylie Mills pushed left guard Jared Wilson into Maye and took both of them down on one of Seattle’s sacks.
Bad Bunny shines at halftime
Bad Bunny headlined a visually stunning halftime performance that also featured appearances by Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin. The Grammy-winning Puerto Rican artist entirely in Spanish.
Patriots denied a record 7th title
The Patriots failed to win the franchise’s seventh Super Bowl, which would have set an NFL record. They’re tied with the Steelers with six championships.
AP NFL Coach of the Year Mike Vrabel was aiming to become the fifth person to win a Super Bowl as a player and head coach and the first to do both with the same team.
The 23-year-old Maye was trying to become the youngest QB to win a Lombardi Trophy. Ben Roethlisberger still holds that mark.
Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (11) makes a catch during the second half of the NFL Super Bowl 60 football game against the New England Patriots, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026, in Santa Clara, Calif. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
During Bad Bunny’s No Me Quiero Ir de Aquí residency in Puerto Rico and Mexico City shows, his set included La Casita, a model that resembled a typical suburban Puerto Rican home—and served as a VIP hangout. At the Super Bowl, La Casita was part of the show, as were Cardi, Alix Earle, Dave Grutman, KAROL G, Jessica Alba, Pedro Pascal, Ronald Acuña Jr., and Young Miko, who danced along to Bad Bunny’s set from its porch.
Fellow Puerto Rican musician Ricky Martin made a surprise appearance singing Bad Bunny’s “LO QUE LE PASÓ A HAWAii,” and Lady Gaga performed an arrangement of “Die With a Smile” alongside Los Sobrinos.
David “Diggy” Coit scored 20 of his 28 in the final 13-plus minutes, including the game’s final seven points, to help Maryland beat Minnesota 67-62 on Sunday.
Coit made 9 of 13 from the field, 4 of 7 from 3-point range, and hit 7 of 7 from the free-throw line. The 5-foot-11 senior outscored the Golden Gophers 13-9 after Langston Reynolds made back-to-back layups to give them a 53-47 lead with 9:43 left in the game.
Cade Tyson hit two free throws to give Minnesota a two-point lead with 53 seconds left, but Coit answered 27 seconds later with a 3-pointer and then made four free throws in the final 11 seconds to cap the scoring.
Andre Mills scored 12 points for Maryland (9-14, 2-10 Big Ten) and Darius Adams 11. Solomon Washington had 10 rebounds, nine points and three steals.
Isaac Asuma hit a career-high six 3-pointers and finished with 18 points for the Golden Gophers. Tyson scored 12 points and Reynolds added 11. Minnesota (11-13, 4-9), which beat No. 10 Michigan State 76-73 on Wednesday to snap a seven-game skid, has lost eight of nine.
Asuma made 4 of 5 from 3-point range and scored 12 first-half points to help the Golden Gophers take a one-point lead into the break. Bobby Durkin hit a 3-pointer that gave them a seven-point lead — tied for the biggest lead to that point by either team — with 1:34 left in the first half but Coit answered with a 3 and then converted a three-point play that trimmed Maryland’s deficit to 33-32.
The Buffs’ Jade Masogayo makes a shot and draws a foul from TCU’s Kennedy Basham on Sunday in Boulder. (AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)
Fast break
Why the Buffs won: They had one of their most efficient offensive performances of the season, hitting 49.2% of their shots from the field, 88.9% from the free throw line and committing just eight turnovers.
Three stars:
1. CU’s Jade Masogayo: Scored a season-high 23 points while hitting 9-of-10 free throws. Also had three rebounds and two assists.
2. TCU’s Olivia Miles: Tied her season high with 31 points, and also had five rebounds and two steals.
3. CU’s Logyn Greer: The freshman had one of her best games, with 17 points and five rebounds.
Up next: The Buffs will play at Houston on Wednesday (5:30 p.m. MT, ESPN+).
After missing a free throw with 58.3 seconds to play Sunday, Colorado’s Jade Masogayo couldn’t help but think back a week.
On Feb. 1, Masogayo missed five consecutive free throws in the final three minutes of regulation during a tight game at Kansas that the Buffs eventually won in overtime.
Fortunately for her and the Colorado women’s basketball team, there wasn’t a repeat of the previous Sunday.
Masogayo was clutch down the stretch this time around and converted a three-point play with 2.1 seconds left to lift the Buffaloes to an 80-79 upset of No. 14 TCU at the CU Events Center.
The senior forward, who finished with a season-high 23 points, tied the game with a layup while drawing a foul. She then stepped to the line and hit what proved to be the game-winning free throw.
“I said, ‘This going in right here, right now,’” she said. “’I don’t got no other choice. This going in right now.’”
TCU star Olivia Miles, who scored 31 points, hit the side of the backboard with a last-second 3-point attempt, sparking a CU celebration after its second win over an Associated Press ranked opponent this season.
“I mean, wow,” CU head coach JR Payne said. “What a resilient group we have here to take a team like that down the stretch, down eight two separate times. Our execution and aggressive mindset and ability to make big plays, so many people made big plays tonight.”
Masogayo in particular. She was fouled with 58.3 seconds to go and the Buffs trailing 76-74. She missed the first shot, though.
“Yeah, definitely on the one that I missed, I was pretty much taken back to Kansas,” Masogayo said.
She was 8-for-8 at the line against Kansas before going 1-for-7 in the last 3:29 of the fourth quarter that day, which led to the game going to overtime.
BOULDER , CO – FEBRUARY 8: Zyanna Walker (1) of the Colorado Buffaloes drives on Taylor Bigby (1) of the TCU Horned Frogs during the fourth quarter of the Buffs’ 80-79 win at the CU Events Center in Boulder, Colorado on Sunday, February 8, 2026. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)
“I was just telling myself on the line, like, ‘Jade, we’re not going to do this again,’” she said. “’Like, come on, let’s just finish it.’ That was pretty much my mentality.”
She finished this time, hitting the second one, then tying the game with two free throws with 24.2 seconds left and winning it with her free throw at the 2.1-second mark. She went 9-for-10 at the line for the day.
“Jade was obviously incredible down the stretch,” Payne said.
It was hardly a solo effort.
Freshman Logyn Greer had her best game in Big 12 play, scoring 17 points and pulling down five rebounds. She had 10 of her points in third quarter, after CU had fallen behind by eight.
Desiree Wooten energized the Buffs with 12 first-quarter points before finishing with 19. Zyanna Walker had 15 points and four steals while locking down on defense.
Anaelle Dutat and Tabitha Betson combined for just six points, but those all came in the fourth quarter, cutting TCU’s eight-point lead to four.
“Lots of different people made winning plays tonight, offensively and defensively,” Payne said, while praising the defensive efforts by Dutat, Walker and Betson. “Just great team effort. I’m really, really happy about this one.”
CU led by 11 in the first quarter and never trailed in the first half. Then, TCU’s Donovyn Hunter and Miles got hot, sparking a 13-5 surge to start the third quarter.
Miles drilled a 3-pointer with 5:46 to play in the third to put the Horned Frogs up 47-39, prompting Payne to call a timeout. The TCU senior was hit with a technical foul for taunting, though, and CU capitalized. Wooten hit the ensuing two free throws and Walker a quick jumper to slice the deficit to 47-43 in just nine seconds.
“We thought we could get a four-point swing out of it, and we did,” Payne said. “So that was really important. Good execution by the team.”
TCU got the lead back to eight, 74-68, with 6:55 to go, but Dutat and Betson hit some big shots, while the Horned Frogs lost two of their key players in the paint. Marta Suarez, a 6-foot-3 forward who finished with 20 points, fouled out with 4:02 to go. Then, 6-foot-7 Clara Silva fouled out with 58.3 to go.
That all helped CU, sparked by a lively crowd of 2,240, to close the game on a 10-3 run over the last 2:35.
“I thought the energy in the arena was so good,” she said. “I think anyone that comes to watch us play sees that it’s really fun. It’s a really fun couple of hours. So, I just hope we can really get great crowds the last few games.”
BOULDER , CO – FEBRUARY 8: Desiree Wooten (3) of the Colorado Buffaloes drives on Clara Bielefeld (16) of the TCU Horned Frogs during the fourth quarter of the Buffs’ 80-79 win at the CU Events Center in Boulder, Colorado on Sunday, February 8, 2026. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)
Notable
CU’s previous ranked win came against then-No. 19 Iowa State, 68-62, on Jan. 14. … The Buffs have 18 wins against AP Top 25 teams under Payne, including 15 in the past five seasons. … TCU leads the conference in scoring defense, allowing just 55.3 points per game. CU was the first team to reach the 80-point mark against the Horned Frogs in regulation. Only Utah scored more overall, beating TCU 87-77 in overtime on Jan. 3. … The Buffs were just 4-of-19 from 3-point range in the previous two games, but went 4-for-6 in the first quarter Sunday and finished 6-for-13.
No, it wasn’t in the form of a halftime show — which is something the band has been worthy of headlining now for well over two decades. Instead, the pop-punk legends opened up the Super Bowl pregame entertainment festivities inside Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara on Sunday.
The East Bay band, consisting of vocalist-guitarist Armstrong, bassist Mike Dirnt and drummer Tré Cool, performed as previous Super Bowl MVPs including Tom Brady, Jalen Hurts, Eli Manning, Peyton Manning and Jerry Rice made their way onto the turf.
Green Day performed a four-song set of mostly upbeat and often abbreviated fan favorites, including “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life),” “Holiday,” “Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” and “American Idiot.”
And while the band and particularly Armstrong are known for their outspoken beliefs, Green Day did not use the Super Bowl forum to make any political statements, instead focusing on the excitement of the situation.
“Welcome to the Bay!” Armstrong said. “It’s Super Bowl 60!!”
The pregame entertainment began as Coco Jones delivered a soaring version of “Lift Every Voice” (aka the Black National Anthem). Jones is an immensely talented R&B/pop/soul singer, best known for the Grammy-winning hit “ICU.” She released her full-length debut album — “Why Not More?” — in 2025.
Charlie Puth handled the national anthem. The singer, known for such multi-platinum-certified hits as “Marvin Gaye” and “See You Again,” will return to the Bay Area to perform at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco on May 1.
Brandi Carlile, the acclaimed folk-rock-pop singer-songwriter with a staggering 11 Grammy victories to her credit, sang “America the Beautiful.” Carlile will be back in the Bay Area to perform on March 6 at Chase Center in San Francisco.
The singers were accompanied by ALS performers Fred Michael Beam (national anthem and “Lift Every Voice and Sing”) and Julian Ortiz (“America the Beautiful”).
Grammy Award-winning singer Coco Joneswas ecstatic to be asked to sing “Lift Every Voice and Sing” at the 2026 Super Bowl — and her biggest fan was there to cheer her on.
Seven-time NBA All-Star Donovan Mitchell was on-hand at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara to support his fiancée as she sang the Black national anthem before the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots squared off in the NFL’s championship game on February 8, 2026.
The Cleveland Cavaliers star has been one of Jones’ most vocal supporters since they began dating in 2023, and Jones made it clear in the days leading up to the Super Bowl that the opportunity would be a career highlight.
“This is the bee’s knees,” she said in a press conference the Thursday before the game. “I just think this is one of the most highly viewed events of all time. It’s hard to compete.
Charlie Puth has the honor of singing “The Star-Spangled Banner” at Super Bowl LX. “It’s a very musically difficult song to sing,” Puth said during a February 2026 press conference ahead of the Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show. “You’re hitting five more notes about the octave, and that’s incredibly difficult. I think it’s […]
She added, jokingly, “Maybe my wedding will be up there. Maybe.”
As Jones plans what would have to be a seismic event if it is going to compete with the Super Bowl, keep scrolling for everything to know about the man she’s marrying, Donovan Mitchell.
Donovan Mitchell and Coco Jones Have Been Together Since 2023
Donovan Mitchell and Coco Jones began dating in 2023, and despite trying to keep their relationship private, fans of both were able to connect the dots. Jones joked about the online sleuthing during a February 2025 appearance on Shannon Sharpe’s “Club Shay Shay” podcast, applauding fans for their hard work.
“I love the internet because they definitely clocked my tea. I love that. Little spies everywhere. I feel like I’m in a detective movie,” she said.
Jones added, “I don’t want to ever feel like I have to be somebody’s secret. I don’t want to make anybody feel like they’re mine. I think, for me, I”m trying to protect myself, and I’m trying to protect my family and whoever I love. So, yeah, I am more private.”
Donovan Mitchell Has Gone Above and Beyond to Support Coco Jones
Donovan MitchellPhoto by Jason Miller/Getty Images
It’s no small gesture for Donovan Mitchell to fly out west to support Coco Jones in the heart of the NBA season. But it’s also nothing new. Mitchell spent extensive time with Jones while she was on her 2025 “Why Not Me?” tour, and gushed to reporters at Cavaliers media day that September about his fiancée’s work ethic.
“She’s amazing. She’s an amazing human being. She brings me peace,” he said. “Getting to spend time with her on tour was something that was very unique ’cause you realize that she travels and works just as hard as we do. On the tour bus, up late nights.”
He continued, “She’s a special human. And you see it in her work, and to be able to call her my fiancée, my wife, is a blessing. So, I’m grateful.”
Over the years, stars including Mark Wahlberg, Chrissy Teigen and more have taken their football fandom to the sport’s biggest annual event: the Super Bowl. Teigen made a memorable appearance at the Super Bowl in 2017 when she suffered a nip slip. While watching the showdown between the New England Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons with […]
Donovan Mitchell Played College Basketball at Louisville
Basketball fans first got to know Mitchell, affectionately known as “Spidah,” in his college days, playing for Hall of Fame head coach Rick Pitino and the Louisville Cardinals. Though he came off the bench as a freshman, Mitchell’s game took a leap in his sophomore year, when he averaged 15.6 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.
His breakout season led to the NBA Draft, where the Utah Jazz ultimately took him with the 13th overall pick.
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Donovan Mitchell Has Been Named to 7 Straight All-Star Teams
After winning the NBA Slam Dunk Contest in his rookie year, Donovan Mitchell earned his first All-Star nod in year three — and he hasn’t missed an All-Star Game since.
His most recent selection comes amid arguably the best season of his career. In 49 games prior to the 2026 Super Bowl, Mitchell averaged a career-high 28.9 points, along with 4.6 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game.
NFL wide receiver DK Metcalf was all-in on Normani before they even met. “Me and Ciara are really close, and Russell [Wilson, her husband] and DK were teammates on the Seattle Seahawks,” Normani, 28, recalled to Vogue in an interview published on Friday, March 14. “About two years prior to us even meeting, they were […]
Donovan Mitchell Is an Avid New York Mets Fan
Ball is life for Donovan Mitchell, and that’s not just about basketball. He is also a loyal New York Mets fan, thanks to his father, Donovan Mitchell Sr. His dad has worked for the Mets since 1999, first serving as a minor league coach before transitioning to the front office. Mitchell Sr. is now the Mets’ Senior Director of DEI and Player Relations.
The statement made by the No. 9 Canton boys hockey team was loud Sunday afternoon at Tsongas Center, beating No. 6 Tewksbury 5-0 in the Ed Burns Coffee Tournament’s Doherty championship, a matchup many viewed as a potential Div. 2 state final preview between the MIAA power rankings’ top ranked teams.
Never had a Div. 2 team taken the Doherty championship before in the Coffee Pot Tournament’s five years, spiking anticipation for a tilt between the two who ousted Div. 1 powers Arlington, Hingham and Reading. And after shutting out the Harbormen in the semifinals, the Bulldogs (16-1) were masterful again on defense against the previously unbeaten Redmen (16-1-1), allowing just 13 shots on goal to finish the three-round tournament with one goal allowed.
“These are the best teams in the state as far as I’m concerned,” said Canton head coach Brian Shuman. “For us to take the title, we’re honored and very humbled because there are eight really good teams in that division. Boys played really well today. That’s a hell of a team. … For us to make a few plays in that game was special.”
Linemates Joey Ryan (goal, two assists), Ryan Elrick (goal) and Andrew Gillis (goal, two assists) led an attack with five different goal scorers, potting at least one goal in all three periods.
The most notable was a three-goal second period, with all three coming in the last 3:33 of an otherwise lock-down frame. Teams had combined for just five shots through the first 11 minutes of it, all coming from the outside.
Canton’s Joey Ryan, left, battles Tewksbury’s Tyler Bourgea during the
Ed Burns Coffee Tournament championship game Sunday. (CJ Gunther/Boston Herald)
Elrick, Gavin O’Toole and Gillis scored the goals to blow open a 4-0 lead heading into the third.
“It goes to our work ethic,” Elrick said. “We just never stop. I think the big thing about our team is it’s go, go, go. Doesn’t matter how many goals we’re up by, down by. We’re always going to be at our best.”
Shuman spoke glowingly of Ryan’s playmaking, which was on full display in that stretch. A spectacular feed from in front to Elrick at the post built a 2-0 lead, and after O’Toole scored on a two-man rush, Ryan drew all of Tewksbury’s attention before crossing a pass to Gillis at the right circle for a wide-open shooting lane.
“Me and (Elrick) have had a little bit of unspoken chemistry throughout our whole high school career, same with (Gillis),” Ryan said. “I just always look for them in space and as soon as I see that little angle, I try to get it to them as quick as I can.”
Tewksbury had just three shots on goal in the second period, and were largely limited in special teams as the Bulldogs held it 0-for-4 on the power play.
“It’s kind of coming natural to us at this point, we’re all defensive-minded,” Gillis said.
“I think the whole thing is, we’re a D-first team,” Elrick added. “All of our offense comes from our D-zone. When we shut down our D-zone, our offense is that much better.”
Redmen star senior Tyler Bourgea made a few plays to challenge Matt Wright (13 saves) in net, but Canton effectively shut down the prolific attack by taking it out of its high-flying game. Defensemen Teddy Shuman, Kellen Labanara and Will Doucette (goal) stood out, but everyone played a major role.
“It was team defense,” Brian Shuman said. “We could not let them get comfortable (going through) the neutral zone. They have incredible speed, and we just really had to make sure we had guys back. … D-core played great. Can’t say enough good things.”
Canton’s Cullen O’Brien, left, skates by Tewksbury’s Jake Cunha on Sunday at the Tsongas Center in Lowell. (CJ Gunther/Boston Herald)
Tewksbury head coach Derek Doherty said “dud” several times after the game, feeling like his group didn’t play with the normal tempo, passion and aggressiveness it normally does, and the group will learn from the loss.
“We’re a better team than we showed today, for sure, and I know that,” he said. “But you’ve got to come prepared, mentally, and go out there and perform. And we didn’t do that, and that’s it. And you know what, hopefully it’s a good thing for us. … We know what we’re up against now.”
Canton’s Liam Connolly, center, holds the Ed Burns Coffee Tournament trophy Sunday at the Tsongas Center in Lowell. (CJ Gunther/Boston Herald)
