BASKETBALL

Red Claws lose again, finish February 1-7

Grant Jerrett’s driving dunk provided the exclamation mark on the Canton Charge’s 96-93 G League triumph Wednesday night over the Maine Red Claws at Canton, Ohio.

Both teams are 17-24. The Red Claws finished February 1-7.

Canton, which had trailed from the start, tied the game at 83 on John Holland’s 3-pointer with 5:13 left in the game.

The Charge were leading by two points when Jerrett took an inbounds pass while cutting to the basket to slam down a contested basket for a 94-90 lead with 23 seconds to play.

Guerschon Yabusele’s 3-pointer brought Maine to within one with 6 seconds left, but two free throws by Canton’s London Perrantes with 5 seconds left, and a pair of missed 3-pointers by the Red Claws in the final seconds, ensured the victory.

Marcus Thornton’s 17 led Canton. Yabusele scored 21 for Maine.

SOCCER

FRENCH CUP: With star striker Neymar out injured, Angel Di Maria staked his claim to start against Real Madrid next week by scoring two goals as Paris Saint-Germain beat a sloppy Marseille side 3-0 to reach the semifinals.

Neymar will undergo surgery in Brazil on his fractured foot.

In another quarterfinal, third-division Chambly caused an upset with a 1-0 home win against first-division Strasbourg, with midfielder Lassana Doucoure finishing from close range in the 83rd.

FA CUP: Fernando Llorente scored a 12-minute hat trick as Tottenham beat third-tier Rochdale 6-1 in a fifth-round replay dominated by referrals to the video assistant referee.

Tottenham will play away to Swansea in the quarterfinals on March 17 as the team goes in search of a first trophy under Coach Mauricio Pochettino.

MLS: Atlanta United midfielder Ezequiel Barco will miss 4 to 6 weeks with a right quadriceps strain sustained during training.

TENNIS

MIAMI OPEN: Serena Williams is returning to the tennis tour six months after giving birth to daughter Alexis Olympia. Her husband, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, welcomed her back with four giant billboards along Interstate 10 heading into Palm Springs, California.

The billboards feature photos of Williams and the baby, with the caption “G.M.O.A.T.” – Greatest Momma of All Time.

Williams is scheduled to play next week in the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif., and has been granted a wild card into the 2018 Miami Open in Key Biscayne March 19-April 1.

MEXICAN OPEN: Rafael Nadal’s comeback from a hip injury is on hold after he pulled out of the Mexican Open, saying he needs more time to recover.

Nadal was forced to retire during the Australian Open quarterfinals and hasn’t played since.

YOUTH SPORTS

SOFTBALL: An Oregon youth softball program has decided to move forward with plans to raffle off an AR-15-style assault weapon as part of its fundraiser.

The Statesman Journal reported that residents have called the raffle tone-deaf in wake of the Parkland, Florida, school shooting.

The Lady Dragons fast-pitch softball program of Dallas, Oregon, is hosting the fundraiser for equipment, field improvements and to help ensure registration fees remain low for families. The program has teams for girls ages 10-and-under through 16-and-under.

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