HIGH SCHOOLS

Scarborough girls’ coach resigns after reaching semis

Ron Cote has resigned after serving one season as coach of the girls’ basketball team at Scarborough High School.

“The reason I’m resigning really is due to some personal health problems that developed during the year,” Cote said. “I need to take care of myself and remove some of the stress from my life.”

Under Cote, the Red Storm went 20-4 and advanced to the Western Class A semifinals.

Cote, 62, also coached the boys’ and girls’ basketball teams at Biddeford High for 16 seasons, and the men’s basketball team at the University of New England for 11 seasons.

GOLF

PGA: Bill Haas fired a 6-under 66 to tie Justin Rose for the lead after two rounds in the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando, Fla., with both players at 9-under 135 for a one-stroke lead over John Huh. One shot out of the lead with three holes to play, Tiger Woods closed with three sloppy bogeys to fall four shots behind going into the weekend.

CHAMPIONS TOUR: Hal Sutton, Steve Elkington, Corey Pavin and Roger Chapman shot 3-under 69 in light rain to share the first-round lead in the Champions Tour’s Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic.

MALAYSIAN OPEN: Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat topped the leaderboard at 10 under with nine holes to play when the second round was suspended because of darkness.

South Africa’s Charl Schwartzel and China’s Wu Ashun shot 4-under 68 to share the clubhouse lead at 9 under in the event sanctioned by the European and Asian tours.

Third-ranked Luke Donald was even par overall with 11 holes to play.

LPGA: Beatriz Recari shot a bogey-free 5-under 67 to take the lead after two rounds in the Kia Classic at Carlsbad, Calif.

The Spaniard’s two-round total of 8-under 136 gave her a one-stroke lead over Paula Creamer and Karrie Webb.

Creamer shot a 68, and Webb had a 70 on the hilly, 6,593-yard Aviara course designed by Arnold Palmer.

First-round leader Jane Park shot a 69 and was tied at 6 under with Cristie Kerr, I.K. Kim, Inbee Park and Haeji Kang.

Stacy Lewis, playing her first tournament as the world’s top-ranked player, carded her second straight 70 and was four strokes off the lead.

TENNIS

SONY OPEN: With an ankle injury forcing two-time champion Victoria Azarenka to withdraw, Lauren Davis quickly went from lucky loser to lucky winner, taking advantage of shaky play by fellow Floridian Madison Keys in the decisive tiebreaker to win their second-round match 6-1, 5-7, 7-6 (7) in Key Biscayne, Fla.

OLYMPICS

BOXING: Olympic boxers will fight without head guards in a pro-style scoring system starting this year after several significant rule changes by the International Boxing Association (AIBA) unveiled several rule amendments this week, but the two biggest changes will move the amateur sport much closer to the professional version.

Male boxers at the world championships in October and the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016 won’t wear the protective head guards adopted by the amateur sport before the 1984 Los Angeles Games. According to AIBA, medical data suggests that fighting without head guards will decrease concussions.

The amateur sport also is moving to a pro-style, 10-point scoring system, discarding the latest version of the much-criticized computer punch-count systems implemented after the Seoul Olympics in 1988.

SKIING

U.S. ALPINES: Laurenne Ross won the super G, beating Stacey Cook by 0.01 seconds for her first national title in Squaw Valley, Calif.

The defending champion, Julia Mancuso, was third, 0.08 seconds behind Ross.

The race served as the first half of the combined event, pairing the fastest times from super G and slalom.

In the men’s race, Squaw Valley star Travis Ganong won by 0.20 seconds on his home course.

SOCCER

U.S. TRIUMPHS: In a game played in a driving snowstorm, Clint Dempsey’s first-half goal stood up and the United States defeated Costa Rica 1-0 in a vital World Cup qualifying game at Commerce City, Colo.

The U.S. had lost its first game in the 10-game final group for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, and a loss would have severely damaged its chances, particularly with a road game coming up against Mexico.

The other games in the CONCACAF region ended in ties: Honduras scored two late goals at home to tie Mexico 2-2, and Jamaica and Panama emerged with a 1-1 tie.

ENGLAND WINS: England routed San Marino 8-0 in a World Cup qualifier for its largest victory margin in 26 years.

— From staff and news services

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