BOXING
Ilyas Bashir, Lindsay Kyajohnian Francois, Wade Faria, Kate Zehr, Xavier Tiger Diaz, Zordan Holman and Max Kennedy of the Portland Boxing Club all won titles Thursday at the New England Golden Gloves Championships in Lowell, Massachusetts.
Faria, chosen as the tournament’s outstanding boxer in the open class, won a unanimous decision over Anthony Rodriguez of Woonsocket, Rhode Island, in the 165-pound middleweight final. Bashir, a Bates College student from Auburn, took the 132-pound lightweight title with a unanimous decision over Anderson Bianco of Lynn, Massachusetts.
In women’s open finals, Kyajohnian Francois earned a split decision over Jessica Lampron of Boston in the 132-pound lightweight division, and Zehr won by walkover in the 125-pound featherweight division.
Faria, Bashir, Kyajohnian Francois and Zehr all qualified for the 100th National Golden Gloves Tournament in Philadelphia, to be held in May.
Diaz was named the outstanding boxer in the novice class after his unanimous decision over Shyne Fernandez Conce of Lawrence, Massachusetts, in the 125-pound featherweight division. Holman won a unanimous decision over Jareed Gaines of Framingham, Massachusetts, in the novice super heavyweight division, and Kennedy won a split decision over James Harvey of Chelmsford, Massachusetts, in the 139-pound light heavyweight novice youth division.
HOCKEY
ECHL: Danny Katic and Callum Fryer scored power-play goals in the first period, and the Norfolk Admirals completed a weekend sweep of the Maine Mariners with a 3-2 win at Cross Insurance Arena.
Maine’s Alex-Olivier Voyer and Tyler Hinam scored in the final five minutes.
BASEBALL
WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC: Shohei Ohtani had another RBI double, 21-year-old right-hander Roki Sasaki reached 100 mph 21 times in 66 pitches, and Japan beat the Czech Republic 10-2 on Saturday night in Tokyo to clinch a quarterfinal berth in the World Baseball Classic.
Shugo Maki hit his second home run of the tournament and new Boston Red Sox oufielder Masataka Yoshida had three RBI, including a go-ahead, two-run double in the third inning.
• Rixon Wingrove had four RBI as Australia (2-0) won in a 12-2 rout of China (0-3) in a game shortened to seven innings by the 10-run mercy rule.
• Boston’s Yu Chang hit a tiebreaking, second-inning grand slam that lifted host Taiwan (2-1) to a 9-5 win over the Netherlands (2-1).
MAINE HALL OF FAME: The Maine Baseball Hall of Fame is seeking nominations for 2023 inductees, for players, coaches, umpires, organizers and benefactors who have made valuable contributions to baseball in Maine.
Nominations, which should include the nominee’s resume and supporting documentation, should be sent by March 27 to: Maine Baseball Hall of Fame, c/o Don Douglas, 38 Merganser Way, Freeport, Maine, 04032. Nominations also can be emailed to ddoug1950@icloud.com.
HIGH SCHOOLS
BOYS’ HOCKEY: Falmouth teammates Aaron Higgins and Mitch Ham are among five finalists for the Travis Roy Arena, which will be presented on March 18 at the Maine Class A Coaches Association banquet to the top senior player in Class A.
The other finalists are Campbell Cassidy of Edward Little, Lucas Hubbard of Thornton Academy and Jamie Sperlich of Biddeford/Old Orchard Beach/Massabesic.
AUTO RACING
NASCAR CUP SERIES: Kyle Larson won the pole for the United Rentals Work United 500 at Phoenix Raceway on Sunday.
Larson’s 130.237 mph lap in his No. 5 Chevrolet was another positive for Hendrick Motorsports, which finished 1-2-3 in Las Vegas last weekend, led by race winner William Byron.
Byron qualified third for Sunday’s race in his No. 24 Chevrolet.
Larson edged Denny Hamlin, who will start on the outside of Row 1 in his No. 11 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing. Brad Keselowski will start fourth, while Christopher Bell rounded out the top five.
XFINITY SERIES: Sammy Smith won at Phoenix Raceway, the first victory for the 18-year-old high school student who is taking classes online so he can be a full-time driver.
Making his 13th start in the last two years for Joe Gibbs Racing, Smith led the final 52 laps and held off Cup Series star Kyle Busch on two restarts to take the checkered flag for the first time in a NASCAR national series event.
Ryan Truex finished second, followed by Sheldon Creed, Riley Herbst and Chandler Smith. Busch was second following a final restart with 15 laps to go, but made contact with Chandler Smith on the final lap and ended up ninth.
FOOTBALL
NFL: Bud Grant, the stoic and demanding Hall of Fame coach who took the Minnesota Vikings and their mighty Purple People Eaters defense to four Super Bowls in eight years but lost all of them, has died. He was 95.
The Vikings announced Grant’s death on social media Saturday.
Wearing his trademark purple Vikings cap and a stone-faced demeanor, Grant’s steely sideline gaze became synonymous with his teams. He guided the Vikings from 1967-85, with a one-year hiatus in 1984, on his way to a 158-96-5 record with 11 division championships in 18 seasons.
SOCCER
ENGLAND: After losing 9-0 at Liverpool earlier this season, Bournemouth got some payback in the Premier League, halting Liverpool’s recent momentum with a 1-0 home win to boost its hopes of staving off relegation and deal a blow to the visitors’ hopes of earning a top-four spot.
• Manchester City kept up the pressure on Arsenal, as Erling Haaland converted a second-half penalty to secure a 1-0 win at Crystal Palace.
The victory brought City within two points of leader Arsenal ahead of the Gunners’ visit to Fulham on Sunday.
SLED DOG RACING
IDITAROD: Brent Sass, the defending Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race champion, withdrew from this year’s race on Saturday, citing concerns for his health.
Sass scratched at the Eagle Island checkpoint, a statement from the Iditarod said. Eagle Island is about 600 miles into the nearly 1,000-mile race.
Sass was in the lead when he arrived at the Eagle Island checkpoint late Friday night, with an almost four-hour advantage over his nearest competitor, Jessie Holmes.
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