Marlins Beat Pirates

     It was a pitcher's duel between the top hurlers on both clubs as the Miami Marlins defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-1 at Marlins Park on Tuesday night. Jose Fernandez improved his record to 8-2 as he went seven innings and allowed no runs on three hits.
     Miami(27-25) put up three runs during the seventh inning against Gerrit Cole. Ichiro Suzuki singled to right field with one out and advanced to second on a J.T. Realmuto infield single. Christian Yelich knocked in Ichiro with a base hit into right and took second base on the throw. Marcell Ozuna was able to walk and loaded the bases.
     Pittsburgh(29-22) fell behind more when Realmuto scored on a wild pitch to make it 2-0. Justin Bour grounded into a fielder's choice for Yelich to cross the plate.
     A.J. Ramos was unable to hold the shutout in the ninth inning as the Pirates were able to load the bases. Gregory Polanco blasted a sacrifice fly to the warning track in center field for John Jaso to come in and score.

Pirates Slam Marlins

     Pittsburgh starting pitcher Jeff Locke compiled his first career complete-game shutout allowing just three hits as the Pirates blanked the Miami Marlins 10-0 at Marlins Park on Monday night. Marcell Ozuna failed to reach base for the first time in 37 games and had his 11-game hit streak stopped.
     In the first inning, Pittsburgh(29-21) pulled off a two-out rally against Miami(26-25) starting pitcher Justin Nicolino to get the lead. David Freese hit a double to deep right field and scored on a base hit by Jung Ho Kang to right.
     The Bucs extended their margin to 2-0 during the third inning. Josh Harrison reached base on an infield hit with one out. He would steal second base and scored on a single by Freese into right field two batters later.
     The Pirates put more distance on the Marlins in the sixth inning by adding five more runs. Andrew McCutchen led off with a single to left and advanced to third on a double by Freese to right field. Martin Prado made a diving stab to catch a line drive on the left side of the infield with Kang at-bat. Starling Marte was intentionally walked to load the bases then Francisco Cervelli drove McCutchen in on a soft infield single. Gregory Polanco finished the frame as he blasted a grand-slam homer to right-center field to give Pittsburgh a 7-0 lead.
     Marlins relief pitcher Edwin Jackson surrendered another three runs to Pittsburgh in the ninth inning. Polanco started with a single to center and Sean Rodriguez smacked a home run to right field. Freese later got an RBI-single to right which brought in Harrison.

Strikers Slip By Ottawa

     The Fort Lauderdale Strikers continued their momentum away from home as they beat the Ottawa Fury FC 2-1 on Friday night at TD Place. The Strikers extended their winning streak on the road to three games which set a new franchise record since they reemerged in the NASL several years ago.
     Fort Lauderdale(3-3-2) got out to a 1-0 margin just eight minutes in when Maicon Santos scored. Giuseppe Gentile extended their lead to 2-0 during the 65th minute.
     Ottawa(2-2-4) got the scoreboard and closed the gap in the 80th minute as Carl Haworth put in a penalty kick.

Lake Worth Overcomes Wellington

     The Lake Worth Trojans pulled off a comeback in the fourth quarter and got by the Wellington Wolverines 28-21 at Bill Harvey Stadium on Friday night. It was the final spring high school football game to be played in South Florida.
     In the first quarter, Lake Worth moved the ball down the field on their second possession until the Wolverines made an interception at their own one-yard line. Trojans defensive back Wadney Louis intercepted a pass two plays later and returned it nine yards for a touchdown with 4:29 to go.
     The second quarter belonged to Wellington as they compiled two touchdown passes by quarterback Ben Schmickle in consecutive drives to make it 14-7. He located wide receiver Jymetre Hester on the left side of the end zone for an 18-yard strike with 9:38 left and then he later threw an eight-yard pass to slot receiver D.J. Dobkins who was all alone in the right side of the end zone with 7:25 remaining in the first half.
     The Trojans scored on the first play of the third quarter at 11:47 as the Wolverines backup quarterback Kevin Wright threw an interception toward the right sideline and defensive back James Bozeman returned it 30 yards for a touchdown to tie the contest 14-14.
     Wellington regained the lead 21-14 with 8:30 left in the quarter as Dobkins caught his second touchdown of the game from nine yards out.
      The Wolverines went for it on fourth down from their territory instead of punting several times in the fourth quarter and the Trojans made them pay each time. Wellington failed on a fourth down at their own 48-yard line with under nine minutes remaining. Quarterback Marquise Hicks ran up the middle from seven yards away with 5:15 to go for the tying touchdown and made it 21-21.
     Wellington again failed to gain a first down on their next four plays to loss the ball on downs at their own 33-yard line. Lake Worth took the lead 28-21 with 2:47 left when Hicks rushed through the left side of the line for a four-yard touchdown. The Wolverines had one final possession and they were stopped on downs at their own 22-yard line with just over one minute remaining.

George Golden On Magazine Cover

     Dillard wide receiver George Golden will appear on Friday Night Football a.k.a. FNF magazine front cover for the upcoming 2016 season. Another standout from Broward County also shows up on the cover with wide receiver Kevin Austin of North Broward Prep.
     Former South Florida high school football players had previously appeared on the FNF magazine cover. It included Kelvin Taylor of Glades Day and the University of Florida in 2012, Sony Michel of American Heritage and the University of Georgia in 2013, Calvin Ridley of Monarch and the University of Alabama in 2014 and Nick Bosa of St. Thomas Aquinas and the Ohio State University in 2015.

Stranahan Upsets Plantation

     The Stranahan Dragons went on the road and surprised the Plantation Colonels 14-7 in a spring football game on Thursday night at PAL Field. Both schools had their defenses dominate the contest as all the scoring was done in the first half.
     Stranahan was able to strike during their second possession of the game on the final play of the first quarter with no time remaining. Quarterback Marquel Dillard found wide receiver Kenneth Peyton all by himself on the right sideline for a 67-yard touchdown reception to make it 7-0.
     The Colonels had the ball deep in Dragons territory until cornerback Ginial Isma intercepted a pass and returned it 95 yards for a score with 54.7 seconds left in the second quarter and extended their margin to 14-0.
     Plantation waited until the final play of the first half to get on the scoreboard. Quarterback Rodski Salaam fired a pass 25 yards downfield to the middle of the end zone where wide receiver Ja'Mari Sweet caught it and cut the lead to 14-7.

Steve Goldstein Working Stanley Cup Final

     Florida Panthers television play-by-play announcer Steve Goldstein will get the opportunity to work the 2016 Stanley Cup Final on radio. He will be the studio host for the series on NBC Sports Radio Network with Kenny Albert as play-by-play announcer and Joe Micheletti as game analyst. It will be the first time that the Stanley Cup Final has been broadcast nationally on terrestrial radio since 2008 by NHL Radio.
     Goldstein had done prior national radio work announcing hockey at the 2010 and 2014 Olympics for Westwood One. He has been part of the Panthers broadcast crew since the 1996-97 season when he was named as a radio studio host. He just finished his 11th season in a play-by-play capacity with the club.
     Albert called the Stanley Cup Final on national radio back in 1994 and 1995 with NHL Radio. He announced Game 1 of the 2014 Stanley Cup Final for NBC Sports when he filled in for Mike Emrick. Albert has been the radio play-by-play announcer with the New York Rangers for over 20 years.

Dalvin Cook On Magazine Covers

     Former Miami Central and current Florida State running back Dalvin Cook appears on several college football magazine covers for the upcoming 2016 season. It the second consecutive year that he has reached that status.
     Cook is on the cover in the Florida region of The Sporting News national edition for the second straight time. He is also again on Athlon Sports ACC Football magazine cover. Cook appears for the first time on the national edition cover of Athlon Sports magazine.

Florida Panthers Trade Erik Gudbranson

     The Florida Panthers traded defenseman Erik Gudbranson and a 2016 fifth round pick to the Vancouver Canucks for center Jared McCann and two 2016 draft picks on Wednesday. Gudbranson, who was drafted in the first round as the third overall pick by Florida in 2010, just finished his fifth season with the club. He helped the team win two division titles in 2012 and 2016.
     He was the second-line right defenseman for the Panthers in the last two seasons since Aaron Ekblad joined the team. Gudbranson compiled two goals. seven assists and a +3 plus/minus rating in 64 games last season.
     McCann played in his rookie season with the Canucks and had nine goals and nine assists in 69 games. The Panthers also acquired a second round pick, 33th overall, and a fourth round pick for the upcoming 2016 NHL Draft in late June.

Spanish River Beats Centennial

     The Spanish River Sharks finally played their spring football game and topped the Centennial Eagles 21-7 on Tuesday night. The game had been postponed last Tuesday and rescheduled for today.
     The Sharks got up 7-0 with 35 seconds left in the first quarter as quarterback Connor Tribby scored from one yard away. The game was stopped with 3:36 remaining in the first half due to lightning detected in the vicinity.
     Spanish River extended their margin to 14-0 at 2:42 of the third quarter. Running back Daniel Myers was able to burst through with a 25-yard touchdown carry. The Sharks got another score when Tribby threw a 20-yard pass to wide receiver Cole Sandberg one minute into the fourth quarter to make it 21-0.
     Centennial made certain that they would not leave Boca Raton with no points. Wide receiver Chris Smith sprinted 66 yards for a touchdown with 3:15 to go in the final quarter.

South Florida Awarded Super Bowl LIV

     The National Football League announced on Tuesday that South Florida has been rewarded Super Bowl LIV to be played in February 2020 at the home of the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins and owner Stephen Ross are currently in a two-year renovation project to upgrade their stadium. One of the main purposes was to attract a Super Bowl in the near future.
     South Florida will move ahead of New Orleans as they will host the Super Bowl for the 11th time. The last time the Super Bowl was held in South Florida was Super Bowl XLIV in February 2010 between the New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts.

Florida Panthers Get New AHL Affiliate

     The Florida Panthers announced on Monday that they signed a multi-year agreement to have their new affiliation of the American Hockey League in Springfield, Massachusetts. The Panthers just spent one season in Portland, Maine as their AHL affiliate following a long stint in San Antonio, Texas.
     The Arizona Coyotes recently acquired and moved their AHL team from Springfield to near home in Tucson, Arizona. A Springfield group of investors stepped up and bought the Portland AHL club several weeks ago and intended to move it into Central Massachusetts.

Strikers Drop Rayo OKC

     The Fort Lauderdale Strikers played the newest NASL franchise Rayo OKC and beat them 2-1 on Saturday night in Oklahoma. The Strikers won their second straight game on the road and have not lost in their last three games.
     Fort Lauderdale(2-3-2) kept the pace in the first half and took a 1-0 lead in the 33rd minute as Jose Angulo scored for them.
     Rayo OKC(2-2-3) tied the contest during the 62nd minute when Michel put in a penalty kick. The Strikers regained the lead 2-1 on a direct kick by Ramon Nunez in the 70th minute.

Jose Fernandez Tops Nationals Again

     The Miami Marlins barely got past the Washington Nationals 3-2 on Saturday night at Marlins Park. Marlins starting pitcher Jose Fernandez improved his career record against the Nats to 6-0 while Nationals starting pitcher Joe Ross lost for the second time in six days to the Fish.
     After Washington(26-17) got up 1-0 early in the contest, Miami(22-20) tied it in the bottom of the fifth. Ichiro Suzuki advanced to third when a pick-off throw by Ross went into right field. He would eventually score as Martin Prado slapped a base hit through the right side of the infield.
     The Marlins took the lead 3-1 during the sixth inning. With a runner on third base, Justin Boar smashed a two-run homer off the façade of the upper deck in right field. It was his eighth home run of the season for the slugger.

Nationals Go Through Marlins

     The Washington Nationals almost blanked the Miami Marlins with a 4-1 victory on Friday night at Marlins Park. The Nationals extended their lead over the Fish by 4 1/2 games in the National League East.
     Washington(26-16) scored all four of their runs during the second inning. Ryan Zimmerman started with a solo home run to left-center field against Marlins starting pitcher Justin Nicolino which hit the base of the glass window of the exterior of the stadium for a 1-0 lead. It was the fifth homer for Zimmerman this year.
     Anthony Rendon followed with a double then scored on a double down the left-field line by Wilson Ramos. Two batters later, Michael A. Taylor socked a two-run homer into left field for his fourth homer run this season and a 4-0 margin.
     Miami(21-20) broke the shutout in the bottom of the fourth. Tanner Roark gave up a one-out solo home run to left field by Marcell Ozuna, which was his eighth homer of the campaign.

Four Teams Split Palm Beach Jamboree

     There was a four-team spring football jamboree on Friday night at Palm Beach Lakes High School. Three counties were represented which included Palm Beach Lakes, Oxbridge Academy, Deerfield Beach and Fort Pierce Central. All four squads won and lost one game each on the long evening.
     The first game between the Deerfield Beach Bucks and Fort Pierce Central was stopped midway through the first quarter due to lightning in the area. It resumed following a 90-minute weather delay with the Bucks losing 17-8.
     The second game had the Palm Beach Lakes Rams defeat the Fort Pierce Central Cobras 14-7. Deerfield Beach responded as the Broward County school stopped the Oxbridge Academy Thunderwolves 14-8 in the third game.
     The last game had the two local schools that are two miles away from each other on Military Trail. Oxbridge Academy picked up a 14-0 shutout victory over Palm Beach Lakes.

Park Vista Escapes Royal Palm Beach

     The Park Vista Cobras went on the road and got by the Royal Palm Wildcats 7-6 in a spring football game that lasted less than one quarter on Thursday night. The game was halted due to lightning in the vicinity and the contest was never resumed.
     Park Vista moved ahead 7-0 at 4:05 as quarterback Trace Doyle fired a 15-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Atorian Perry.
     Royal Palm Beach was able to score with 2:18 left in the quarter when running back Jerry Griffin ran 68 yards for a touchdown. The game was stopped by officials prior to the attempt of the extra point.

WQAM Land Miami Dolphins Radio Rights

     Miami Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM has acquired the radio rights of the Miami Dolphins with a long-term agreement. The games will also be broadcast on Kiss Country 99.9 WKIS-FM. The Dolphins radio rights had been carried by iHeartMedia Miami for the past six years and their games were broadcast on Miami Sports 940 WINZ-AM and Big 105.9 WBGG-FM.
     WQAM had broadcast Miami Dolphins games on the radio in previous reigns. The first stint, which happened from 1997 to 2004, had play-by-play announcers Bill Zimpfer and Howard David alongside game analyst Jim Mandich. The second stint they had it was from 2007 until 2009 with play-by-play announcer Jimmy Cefalo along with game analysts Jim Mandich and Joe Rose.

Miramar Gets By Dillard

     The Miramar Patriots narrowly got a home victory as they beat the Dillard Panthers 14-7 on Wednesday night in a spring football game. The start of the game was delayed for over one hour due to lightning and inclement weather. There was only three quarters played in the contest.
     It turned out to be a defensive battle between both schools. Neither side was able to advance the ball in their first three possessions of the first quarter.
     Both teams were able to score in the final minute of the first quarter. Miramar got on the scoreboard first with 33.9 remaining. Running back Devon Kendricks rushed 18 yards through the right side to give the Patriots a 7-0 lead.
     Dillard responded quickly as they evened the game 7-7 on the first play of their next drive. Quarterback Moises Francois threw a 70-yard pass down the right hash marks to wide receiver George Golden with 21.8 seconds left in the quarter.
     The Patriots would get the go-ahead touchdown on the final play of the first half with no time on the clock and made it 14-7. There was no scoring in the second half by both squads.

Phillies Defeat Marlins

     The Miami Marlins were almost blanked by the Philadelphia Phillies 3-1 at Citizens Bank Park on Tuesday night. The loss ended the Marlins three-game winning streak.
     Philadelphia(23-17) pulled ahead 1-0 in the second inning when Tommy Joseph hit a solo home run off the left-field foul pole against Miami(21-18) starting pitcher Wei-Yin Chen. It was his first career homer in the majors.
     Peter Bourjos later drove in Freddy Galvis with a base hit into center field during the fifth inning. Joseph extended the Phillies lead to 3-0 in the bottom of the sixth as he singled to center field which scored Cesar Hernandez.
     Miami waited until their second-to-last out of the contest to get on the scoreboard and break the shutout. Derek Dietrich hit a sacrifice fly to left-center field for Adeiny Hechavarria to cross the plate.

Panthers Promote Dale Tallon And Tom Rowe

     The Florida Panthers officially announced Monday that Dale Tallon has been promoted from executive vice president and general manager to president of hockey operations. Tom Rowe was also promoted from assistant general manager to general manager of the team. It had been mentioned recently that the Panthers were making changes in their hockey operations department.
     Tallon just finished his sixth season as the general manager with Florida. During his time in the organization, the club had won two division titles in 2011-12 and 2015-16. He had prior experience as an NHL general manager with the Chicago Blackhawks where he drafted Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Duncan Keith.
     Rowe has been climbing up the organizational ladder at a fast pace. He was formerly the head coach of the Panthers affiliate in the American Hockey League. He was promoted to the assistant general manager of the Panthers this past January.
     On a side note, Eric Joyce has been named the assistant general manager of the Florida Panthers. He will continue to be the general manager of the Panthers affiliate in the AHL.

Heat Lose Game 7 To Raptors

     The Miami Heat were defeated by the Toronto Raptors 116-89 in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals at Air Canada Centre on Sunday. The playoff matchup between Miami and their former teammate LeBron James will not happen this year. The Raptors will face the Cavaliers in Cleveland on Tuesday to begin the Eastern Conference Finals.
     Toronto got out to a 14-9 margin six minutes in and led 25-24 after one quarter. The Raptors got their biggest lead of the first half 46-39 with 3:16 left and were ahead 53-47 at halftime.
     Miami fell behind by double digits early in the third quarter and they were down 75-58 with 5:12 remaining in the period. The Raptors maintained their gap and led 86-78 after three quarters. Toronto extended their lead back up to 17 points at 97-80 with 8:59 to go in the fourth quarter and cruised easily to the victory.

Heat Take Raptors In Game 6

     The Miami Heat survived elimination with a 103-91 victory over the Toronto Raptors in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals at American Airlines Arena on Friday night. The series is tied three games apiece with the finale to be held on Sunday in Toronto.
     Goran Dragic led the Heat with 30 points while Dwyane Wade added 22. Kyle Lowry had a game-high 36 points for the Raptors.
     Neither club were up more than three points in the opening frame as the Heat led 21-20 after one quarter. Miami scored the first six points of the second quarter and were ahead 53-44 at halftime.
     The Heat extended the gap to double digits as Toronto trailed 82-72 after three quarters. Toronto was only able to cut the deficit down to six points only once in the fourth quarter.

Strikers Tie Indy

     The Fort Lauderdale Strikers ended in a 0-0 tie with the Indy Eleven on Saturday night at Lockhart Stadium. Fort Lauderdale(1-3-2) has not lost in their last two games. Indy(2-4-0) has not been defeated this season.

Raptors Smash On Heat In Game 5

     The Miami Heat never led once in the contest as they dropped a 99-91 loss to the Toronto Raptors in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals on Wednesday night at Air Canada Centre. The Heat, who are now down three games to two in the series, face playoff elimination when they play their next game at home on Friday.
     Toronto ripped through with nine consecutive points to begin the contest and held the Heat scoreless in the first four minutes of the opening frame. The Raptors finished off a 17-4 spurt in the first six minutes and had a double-digit margin. They dominated the first and were ahead 28-18 after one quarter. The Heat trailed 55-35 with four minutes left in the second quarter, scored ten straight points and were down 55-45 at halftime.
     Both teams began the second half very sloppy in their field-goal shooting. Miami cut the deficit to 57-51 with 9:20 to go in the third and was behind 75-62 after three quarters. Toronto led by 13 points  with 8:33 left in the fourth then the Heat followed with a 13-4 run and cut the margin to 88-87 with 1:54 to go. Kyle Lowry would later nail a three-point shot from the top of the arc for the Raptors to make it 93-87 with 52.5 seconds remaining.   

Miami Ratings April 2016

     It ended up being the same in the monthly ratings just like it has been during the entire 2016 calendar year so far as 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM finished on top in the Miami/Fort Lauderdale region among sports format radio stations. Their two other competitors were further behind from first place.
     The Ticket remained flat at a 1.0 in April for the third straight month as they extended their margin in the market. They continued to strive with the addition of Amber Wilson on the morning show alongside Jonathan Zaslow and Brett Romberg. It will also be the final period where Ethan J. Skolnick has afternoon show guest co-hosts. The Miami Heat winning the Southeast Division and entering the playoffs had an impact.
     For the third straight month, Miami Sports Radio 560 WQAM-AM finished in second place as they went from a 0.9 to a 0.8 this period. It was the lowest ratings for WQAM in over two years since March 2014, one month before Marc Hochman started his afternoon show with Zach Krantz. There was a buzz as the Florida Panthers captured the Atlantic Division title and made the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in four years.
     Miami Sports 940 WINZ-AM ended up in third as they moved from a 0.2 to a 0.3 this month. The return of the Miami Marlins to begin the regular season did get some audience. The lost of The Finsiders afternoon program for a taped delay Colin Cowherd show had a surprising effect. It left just two local shows on the station with Jeff DeForrest and Andy Slater.

Heat Even Raptors In Game 4

     The Miami Heat knocked off the Toronto Raptors 94-87 in overtime at American Airlines Arena in Game 4 on Monday night. The Heat are now tied with the Raptors two games each in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. It was the third time in four games that both teams played in overtime.
     Neither club led by more than four points early in the contest as Miami moved out to a 25-21 lead after one quarter. The Heat scored nine straight points to end the second quarter and were up 44-35 at halftime. Dwyane Wade led all players with 15 points at the half.
     Toronto came out with a 15-4 spurt to begin the second half and took the lead 50-48 six minutes in. They stayed in front 62-60 after three quarters. The Heat pulled a comeback in the final minute of the fourth quarter. Joe Johnson made two free throws with 1:08 remaining and Wade went through the lane for a lay-up with 12.6 seconds left to tie the game 83-83.
     Miami broke out of overtime with the first four points of the extra session. Johnson fired in a ten-foot jump shot from the right baseline and gave the Heat a four-point margin 87-83 with 2:55 to go.

Raptors Slip By Heat In Game 3

     The Toronto Raptors got by the Miami Heat 95-91 on Saturday night in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals at American Airlines Arena. The Heat are now down two games to one in the best-of-seven series.
     Toronto had the edge in the first half as they led 23-19 after one quarter and extended their margin to 49-40 by halftime. Miami pulled themselves back into the contest as they outscored the Raptors 28-19 in the third and were tied 68-68 after three quarters. The game remained close down the stretch during the fourth quarter as neither team led by more than six points in the final frame.

Strikers Pound Railhawks

     The Fort Lauderdale Strikers climbed out of the standings basement and routed the first-place Carolina Railhawks 3-1 on Saturday night at WakeMed Soccer Park. The Strikers snapped a four-game winless streak that began the NASL season.
     Fort Lauderdale(1-2-2) got all their goals during the first half as they dominated. Macion Santos scored in the seventh minute, Nana Attakora followed in the 23rd minute and Matheus Carvalho capped it in the 38th minute.
     Carolina(4-0-2), who are now tied with the New York Cosmos for first place, picked up their lone goal in the second half to cut the deficit. Brian Shriver got their tally for the Railhawks during the 67th minute.

Chris Wittyngham Joins Skolnick At The Ticket

     Chris Wittyngham was officially named the new afternoon co-host with Ethan Skolnick at 790 The Ticket WAXY-AM on Thursday. He had been a fill-in co-host with Skolnick for several months since Israel Gutierrez left the position in late November 2015.
     Wittyngham was the evening co-host on the station with Josh Friedman from late July 2014 until late July 2015. They were shifted to the midday shift on a interim basis for five weeks in July and August 2015 then they traded spots with the Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz. Wittyngham and Friedman announced one week on the afternoon shift, until The Ticket named Skolnick and Gutierrez as their new show last September, then moved back to evenings.

Raptors Hold Down Heat In Game 2

     The Miami Heat fell to the Toronto Raptors 96-92 in overtime on Thursday night at Air Canada Centre in Game 2. The series is now tied at one game apiece and both teams will meet again in the Eastern Conference Semifinals on Saturday in Miami.
     The Heat started off on a 12-6 spurt in four minutes in and then their lead disappeared. The Raptors followed with a 23-7 run, had their largest margin of the series at that point of 12 points and led 29-19 after one quarter. Toronto remained on top at the end of the first half 48-41. Miami rebounded early in the second half and led 65-63 after three quarters.
     The Raptors trailed 80-74 with 4:05 left in the fourth quarter and then they scored ten unanswered points to jump out to a 84-80 lead. Dwyane Wade hit a three-point shot from the top of the arc with 37.7 seconds to stop the run and get the Heat behind 84-83. Kyle Lowry nailed a 14-foot field goal to extend the Raptors margin to three points with 14.9 seconds to go. Goran Dragic tied the game 86-86 on a three-pointer from the right side with 10.5 seconds remaining and moved the contest to overtime.
     Toronto scored the initial six points in the first four minutes of overtime and never looked back. Miami was held to no points until the final minute of the extra quarter. Luol Deng put in a slam dunk with 23.5 seconds left to end the Raptors 6-0 run.

Jaromir Jagr Resigns With Panthers

     The Florida Panthers have resigned right wing Jaromir Jagr to a one-year contract on Thursday. Jagr had 66 points in 79 games with the Panthers last season.
      He passed Marcel Dionne and Brett Hull in career goals last season and trails just Wayne Gretzky and Gordie Howe in NHL goals. Jagr is now 19 points behind Mark Messier for second all-time.

Heat Step Through Raptors In Game 1

     The Miami Heat began the Eastern Conference Semifinals with a 102-96 overtime victory over the Toronto Raptors in Game 1 at Air Canada Centre on Tuesday night. It was the first ever playoff meeting between both clubs. The Heat snapped an eight-game losing streak in Game 1 road games.
     Miami fell off the pace early and ended the first strong as they were tied with Toronto 18-18 after one quarter. The Raptors came up with a 15-5 spurt late in the second quarter and led the Heat 43-41 at halftime.
     The Heat bounced back and got ahead 68-63 after three quarters. Miami had an 89-83 with 19.2 seconds left in the fourth quarter and they were unable to hold it. Kyle Lowry hit a half-court three-point shot for Toronto with no time left in regulation to make it 90-90 and sent it into overtime. Miami scored the first eight points in overtime, held the Raptors scoreless for almost four minutes and pulled away with the win.

Rowdies Outlast Strikers

     The Fort Lauderdale Strikers remained winless as they lost to the Tampa Bay Rowdies 1-0 on Saturday night at Lockhart Stadium. It was the first time that the Rowdies won in South Florida since April 2013.
     Tampa Bay(2-2-1) got the only goal of the game during the 78th minute when Neil Collins scored and Eric Avila assisted on the play. Fort Lauderdale(0-2-2) remained tied for last place in the NASL with two points.

Heat Win Game 7 Over Hornets

     The Miami Heat finished off the Charlotte Hornets with a 106-73 victory in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals on Sunday at American Airlines Arena. They will travel north and face the Toronto Raptors in the next round on Tuesday.
     Miami came up strong in the first quarter and stayed ahead 29-18 after one quarter. Both teams played even throughout the second quarter and Charlotte trailed 54-42 at halftime.    
     The Heat went on a 20-4 run at the beginning of the second half and were up 74-46 with 5:27 left in the third. They extended their margin to 30 points at the end of three quarters and led 83-53 as they outscored the Hornets 29-11 in the period.