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BEAVER LOCAL TRIUMPHS OVER BIG RED
CALCUTTA -- Beaver Local knocked off Steubenville 156-174 in a boys golf match Wednesday at Turkana Golf Course.
Eli Stewart earned medalist honors with a 6-under-par 30 to lead the Beavers. Britton Hickman shot 38, Brady McNear 43, Nathan Pusateri 45, Andre Wiegand 46 and Matt Tomaino 51.
Beaver Local improved to 3-1 on the season. The Beavers will face Columbiana at 1 p.m. today at Valley Golf Club.
CLIPPER GIRLS WIN
SALEM -- Columbiana knocked off Southern Local 192-236 in girls golf action Wednesday at Salem Hills.
Maddie Jackson led the Clippers with a 39. Nia Missos shot 47, Victoria Buckingham 50 and Macy Fletcher 56.
Southern Local was led by Rylee Digman with a 54. Katelyn Boston shot 56, Ava Reed 62 and Delaney Beadnell 64.
Columbiana improved to 5-1. Both teams will compete today in the Columbiana County Girls Invitational at Salem Hills.
CLIPPERS BEST EOAC TEAMS
COLUMBIANA -- Columbiana finished first among all six Eastern Ohio Athletic Conference schools in a meet on Tuesday at Valley Golf Club. United finished second, followed by East Palestine, Lisbon, Wellsville and Southern Local.
Columbiana totaled 159 and was led by medalist Trenton Hall with a 33. David Masters shot 39, Nick Klindworth 42 and Troy Fry 45.
United finished with 174. Adam Looman led with a 40, followed by Cole Crawford at 41, Cason Citino 43 and Davin Ingold 50.
East Palestine totaled 188. Luke Kinkead and Shane Newman each shot 46, followed by Alivia Magness at 47 and Hunter Hupp 49.
Lisbon finished with 202. Logan Sturgeon led with a 45, Mason Jones shot 50, Kenley Weikart 51 and Zachery Johnson 56.
Wellsville totaled 210. Darnell Roe led with a 42, followed by Cooper Frank at 53, Gage Vance 55 and Maximus Crabtree 60.
Southern Local finished with 230. Jack Pitts and Jensen Allender each shot 56, David Prendergast added a 57 and Preston Pitts shot 61.
Columbiana improved to 5-0 and will host Beaver Local on Thursday at Valley Golf Club.
OUTDOOR VOLLEYBALL THIS WEEKEND
GREENFORD -- South Range will host “The Battle on Turf” outdoor volleyball matches slated to start at 10 a.m. on Saturday at the Rominger Athletic Complex.
The slate will open with Beaver Local and Lakeview at 10 a.m. Other two-game matches include Mineral Ridge-Hubbard (11 a.m.), Girard-Jackson-Milton (noon), Struthers-McDonald (1 p.m.), Lowellville-East Palestine (2 p.m.), Howland-Columbiana (3 p.m.), Canfield-Poland (4 p.m.), Austintown-Crestview (5 p.m.), Boardman-East Liverpool (6 p.m.) and South Range-Campbell (7 p.m.).
Admission is $8 for adults and $5 students.
If there is rain, the matches will be moved to Sunday. If it rains on Sunday, the matches will be moved into the South Range gym.
SOCCER SEASON SET TO START
The high school soccer season in Ohio gets going starting Friday. Several area teams have games slated for Friday and Saturday.
On Friday, Salem will host United in a boy-girl doubleheader starting with the girls at 4:30 p.m. The boys game will follow at 6:30 p.m.
Columbiana’s boys will be in action at Jackson-Milton with a 7 p.m. start.
On Saturday, Crestview will host East Liverpool in a boy-girl doubleheader starting with the boys at 1 p.m. on the football field.
WESTBROOK RETIRES FROM NBA
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- Russell Westbrook, the NBA’s career leader in triple-doubles and the 2017 MVP, announced Wednesday he’s retiring after 18 seasons during which he was selected to the league’s 75th anniversary team.
The two-time scoring champion shared his decision on social media in a post featuring a video narrated by actor Michael B. Jordan where the guard never says a word.
“Sometimes you don’t even know when you’ve already watched the end,” Westbrook wrote. “You had to be there. And now it’s over.”
Westbrook was the No. 4 pick in 2008 out of UCLA by the Seattle SuperSonics, just before they moved to Oklahoma City. He played his first 11 seasons with the Thunder and spent this past season with the Sacramento Kings.
Westbrook led the NBA in assists three times and was a two-time MVP of the All-Star Game. He won an Olympic gold medal in the 2012 London Games.
Westbrook leaves with 209 triple-doubles, the last on March 15. Nikola Jokic ranks second in that category with 198 going into this season. Westbrook also holds the NBA mark for most triple-doubles in a season with 42 in 2016-17, when he earned his only MVP award.
Thunder general manager Sam Presti called Westbrook “the ultimate competitor.”
“His internal belief and unbridled fearlessness helped establish the foundation of our organization from day one in 2008 and he elevated the confidence and inspired our community in every year thereafter,” Presti said in a statement. “Russell will be as successful in his life after basketball as he was during his career because his qualities and gifts transfer. His impact on our community is still felt today, and he is beloved for his devotion as much as his talent.”
Westbrook averaged double figures for points and assists in five of six seasons starting in the 2015-16 season.
Westbrook also played for Houston, Washington, the Lakers and Clippers -- splitting the 2022-23 season between the Los Angeles teams and Denver.
Last season, Westbrook started 58 of the 64 games he played for Sacramento. He averaged 15.2 points and 6.7 assists.
BECKHAM TO PLAY FOR GIANTS AGAIN
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -- Odell Beckham Jr. is set to play a game in a New York Giants uniform for the first time in nearly six years.
While it is an exhibition game, it marks another milestone for the venerated wide receiver on his homecoming tour. Coach John Harbaugh expects Beckham to play in the team’s preseason opener against Minnesota at home on Saturday.
“I'm looking forward to seeing him play,” Harbaugh said Wednesday. "He's looked good. He's in shape. He's taking every rep he's supposed to take in practice. He's getting stronger. I feel like he's getting stronger every day. He's in a good place."
Beckham at 33 is in a very different place than he was in December 2018, when he was nearing the end of his rookie contract after surpassing 1,000 yards receiving in four of his first five NFL seasons.
Now, after serving a six-game suspension for failing a performance-enhancing drug test and not playing at all in 2025, he is attempting to show he still belongs in the league. His last game was Dec. 8, 2024, with Miami.
"I kind of had two years off," Beckham told reporters in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, earlier this month. "Spiritually, mentally, emotionally, physically -- whatever it was -- I got time to heal, so, I feel good."