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EspañolDriver of the Week: No Love for Tyler Reddick After Third Straight Win?
Tyler Reddick became the first driver to ever win the opening three races of a NASCAR Cup Series season when he raced to victory at the DuraMAX Texas Grand Prix on Sunday. So, surely he was named the driver of the week on the latest episode of "SPEED With Harvick And Buxton," right? Right?! Well, that wasn't the case. Neither Kevin Harvick nor Will Buxton picked Reddick as their driver of the week following another strong weekend of racing, even though the No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota driver had his most dominant victory yet in his three-race winning streak at Circuit of The Americas on Sunday. Reddick led for 58 of the 95 laps in his latest victory. So, who did Harvick and Buxton pick for their drivers of the week? Let's take a look. Kevin Harvick: Eli Tomac Harvick knew his pick might surprise some, but he was impressed with Eli Tomac picking up his eighth career win at Daytona International Speedway in Saturday's Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship. "We're going to make somebody mad this week because we had so many great performances, but I chose Eli Tomac," Harvick said. "Getting eight wins at Daytona — such an iconic facility and unique track. He knocked his tooth out afterward picking the trophy up. "They're all spectacular this week with what they've done. I didn't want to feel too biased, either. So, I wanted to be open-minded about the perspective. Eight wins at Daytona is pretty phenomenal." Will Buxton: Alex Palou Buxton, meanwhile, remained in the INDYCAR world for his pick for driver of the week. He selected Alex Palou after he drove to victory at the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. "Outstanding start to the season for the four-time champion who has raised his level again," Buxton said. "It wasn't just that he won, it was how he won. It was the intelligence, the race brain and the ability to conserve fuel in the opening stint so that he didn't just make a better fuel number than his rivals, but that he was able to push on the laps he was able to outstay his rivals on the track." [INDYCAR OPENER: 4 Takeaways From Alex Palou's Victory at St. Pete] Palou led Sunday's race for 59 laps, claiming a near-10-second lead by Lap 60. He eventually won the race by over 12 seconds as he seeks to win his fourth-straight INDYCAR title. "Everyone who thought they had a chance this year, they've got to redouble, again," Buxton added. Fan vote: Tyler Reddick While Harvick and Buxton didn't give Reddick love, the fan vote did. Reddick received 71% of the fan vote for driver of the week, crushing the field. Fellow NASCAR driver Shane van Ginsbergen received 12% of the vote following his second-place finish at COTA. Palou got 10% of the vote, while Tomac received 7% of the vote.
Lightning trade rumor lands Steven Stamkos for high-powered reunion
Lightning trade rumor lands Steven Stamkos for high-powered reunion originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
This would be one of the coolest possible outcomes before Friday's NHL trade deadline.
Steven Stamkos is on a red-hot goal-scoring binge for the Nashville Predators, and he seems to be available. The Tampa Bay Lightning might come calling.
Yes, the Lightning for whom Stamkos built such an incredible legacy.
"Stamkos recently told reporters he wasn’t looking to expedite his way out of Nashville, but The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun reported there are multiple destinations he might consider attractive enough to waive his no-movement clause: Minnesota, Dallas, New Jersey and Tampa Bay," The Athletic's Chris Johnston wrote in his new trade board article. "A trade involving Stamkos might not materialize until the summer. However, given how he’s turned back the clock and filled the net this season, his name is worthy of a long look in the days ahead, too."
MORE: Maple Leafs getting help from Flyers to trade veteran center
Early this season, Stamkos looked like he might be washed up.
Lately, he's looked anything but.
"The future Hall of Famer has been on a heater after a slow start and just hit the 30-goal mark for the 10th time in his career," Johnston writes. "That's difficult to ignore."
Stamkos is under contract for two years after this one with an $8 million annual average value, so he's not cheap, and acquiring him means a multi-year commitment.
Given the long tenure of Stamkos with the Lightning, that'd make as much sense as anywhere.
Stay tuned, because a Stamkos trade, especially to the Lightning, would grab a lot of headlines.
More NHL news:
- Oilers want 2 positions before the NHL trade deadline
- A salary cap rule may make 2 Flames trades difficult
- Canadiens know trade cost for Robert Thomas
- It'll be complicated to trade for Steven Stamkos
- Alex Ovechkin has shared an update on his retirement plans
- Evgeni Malkin gets big news on a possible future
WATCH: Trae Young gets ejected from Wizards for walking on floor during game he was not playing in
Young is set to make his Wizards debut on Thursday
NHL Highlights: Flyers 3, Maple Leafs 2 (SO)
Mackinaw City girls get revenge on Lakers, Cedarville up next in semis
MACKINAW CITY – Jake Huffman knows his squad has come a long way this season.
But it’s districts where the Mackinaw City girls basketball coach hopes his team will be at its best.
At least for one round of postseason action, Huffman was thrilled about his Comets, who avenged a double-digit home loss to Mackinac Island earlier this campaign by getting revenge with a 52-36 victory over the Lakers in an MHSAA Division 4 first-round district clash on Monday, March 2.
“We’ve definitely figured it out a little bit, and we talked a lot about maintaining consistency and playing a game for 32 minutes,” Huffman said. “We’ve seen the ceiling, and we’ve seen the floor. There’s a lot of potential in this group when they’re playing well, and it’s about building that confidence in themselves."
The Comets (15-8) used a solid first quarter to build a 16-5 lead, but the Lakers (9-8) battled back behind the play of senior Lakelyn Bunker, who reached 1,000 career points during the second quarter. Just as important, she helped the Lakers close the gap to 23-20 by halftime.
Mackinaw City picked a perfect time to play its best quarter of the season in the third, using a 17-6 scoring advantage to take a commanding 40-26 lead into the last period.
In the fourth, the Comets controlled play, captured their eighth win in nine games, and set up a 6 p.m. district semifinal clash at Cedarville on Wednesday, March 4.
“This was a great win for us tonight,” Huffman said. “It shows a little bit of the growth that we’ve made this year, taking care of some of the little things that we need to take care of with our team, and a lot of it was energy. We talked at halftime about how we need to maintain that level of play, and I was really proud of how the girls came out in the third quarter and stayed after it.”
Freshman Emily Kruczynski finished with 16 points, nine rebounds and four steals for the Comets, who received 14 points, 13 rebounds, three assists and a steal from Rian Esper, 11 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals from Kenzlie Currie, and six points, 17 rebounds, four steals, two assists and two blocks from Kerry-Ann Ming. Mackinaw City was rounded out by Poppy Wallace (three points, four rebounds, one assist), Ella Kruczynski (two points, five rebounds, two assists, one steal), and Elizabeth Kruczynski (one assist, one steal).
With momentum on their side, the Comets hope to pull an upset over a talented Cedarville (13-7) squad on Wednesday, but it’ll take an effort like the one they put in on Monday.
“I think we have a shot,” Huffman said. “It’s really about if we’re going to go out there, play for 32 minutes and take care of the basketball, and we have found success in games this year where we keep our turnovers down. If we go up there and handle that pressure that they’re going to bring, I think we can give them a game.”
Bunker led Mackinac Island with 18 points.
Contact sports editor Jared Greenleaf at [email protected]. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @sportsCDT
This article originally appeared on Cheboygan Daily Tribune: Mackinaw City girls basketball beats Mackinac Island in district clash