HIGH SCHOOLS
Maddie Fitzpatrick of Cheverus was named Thursday as Maine’s Gatorade Player of the Year in girls’ basketball for the second year in a row.
Fitzpatrick, who was also honored as Miss Maine Basketball last week, averaged 23 points, 11.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 4.9 steals while leading Cheverus to an undefeated season and the Class AA state championship.
The 5-foot-11 senior is part of the University of Maine’s incoming class for next season.
BASKETBALL
G LEAGUE: The Greensboro Swarm took control with a 21-4 run to open the fourth quarter as they pulled away from the Maine Celtics for a 98-76 G League win at the Portland Expo.
The Celtics had their six-game winning streak snapped.
Marques Bolden led the Swarm (14-15) with 25 points and 16 rebounds, and RJ Hunter tossed in 20 points and Marcus Garrett added 12.
DJ Steward led the Celtics (17-12) with 25 points and JD Davison chipped in with 14 points and Neemias Queta added 10.
NBA: Ben Simmons has had back surgery for the second time in three years, with he and the Brooklyn Nets hoping this procedure will provide the relief he needs to complete a full season.
The Nets said Simmons had a microscopic partial discectomy to alleviate the pinched nerve in his lower back. The surgery was performed at UHealth Jackson Memorial Medical Center by Dr. Timur Urakov, in consultation with Dr. Barth Green.
The No. 1 pick in the 2016 NBA draft is expected to make a full recovery in time for training camp next season. He has played in just 57 games since the Nets acquired him from Philadelphia during the 2021-22 season.
Simmons hurt his back as he tried to regain his conditioning after the trade, having not played for the 76ers to start that season because of mental health concerns. He had a microdiscectomy, a procedure to remove a small fragment of a herniated disc, after the season ended.
Simmons then played in just 42 games in 2022-23 before he was shut down in March because of a nerve impingement in his lower back. That injury returned just six games into this season and limited Simmons to only 15 games, including a stretch of 38 consecutive missed games at one point.
The Nets announced last week the three-time All-Star wouldn’t play again this season and instead would seek treatment options.
Simmons finished with averages of 6.1 points, 7.9 rebounds and 5.7 assists. He has one year and about $40 million remaining on his contract.
TENNIS
BNP PARIBAS OPEN: A swarm of bees forced a nearly two-hour disruption to the quarterfinal match between Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev at Indian Wells, California.
Alcaraz swatted at the bees buzzing around him before running for cover and the match was suspended 19 minutes in with Alcaraz serving tied at 1-1. The Mexican went on to win 6-3, 6-1 in less time than the delay of 1 hour, 48 minutes.
Dozens of bees attached themselves to the overhead spider camera that traverses the court and a man without any protective covering used a vacuum to clean them off.
The players left the court during the delay. When they returned, the chair umpire told them there were still some bees around and Zverev joked that he was fine to play on his side of the court.
The bee vacuumer was summoned back to the court with a spray bottle and was cheered wildly by the crowd. He posed for selfies with fans, causing Alcaraz and Zverev to laugh as they watched him wander the seats spraying for bees. The man also doused the walls around the court.
A bee also landed on a player’s towel. Alcaraz expressed ongoing concern that the bees would swarm again on his side, but an ATP Tour supervisor encouraged him to give it a try during the warm-up.
ROAD RACING
BOSTON MARATHON: Some of the top also-rans from the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials are coming to Boston.
Elkanah Kibet, who missed the men’s podium by 5 seconds in a personal best 2 hours, 10 minutes, 2 seconds, will run on April 15 in Boston, where he already has two top 10 finishes. He will be joined by Sara Hall and Caroline Rotich, who finished fifth and sixth in Orlando on Feb. 3.
Rotich, who recently became a U.S. citizen, won the 2015 Boston Marathon while representing Kenya.
Jenny Simpson, a 2016 Olympic bronze medalist in the 1,500 meters, was also added to the Boston field.
Other additions include Sam Chelanga, who placed 30th in Boston and ran a 2:08:50 in Chicago last year, and two-time Boston wheelchair winner Masazumi Soejima.
They join a previously announced field that includes 2018 champion Des Linden, 2023 fifth-place finisher Emma Bates and world 50-kilometer record holder CJ Albertson.
HOCKEY
NHL: The Pittsburgh Penguins announced that a shipment carrying bobbleheads of Jaromir Jagr was stolen after arriving in California.
The team had intended to give the bobbleheads away to fans during Thursday night’s home game against the San Jose Sharks. Instead, the club will give fans a voucher that will allow them to pick up the item at a later date.
Penguins president of business operations Kevin Acklin said in a statement the club has contacted state and federal authorities to look into the incident.
The team retired Jagr’s No. 68 during a pregame ceremony last month.
• The Arizona Coyotes have the green light to bid on a tract of land in north Phoenix in their yearslong bid to build a new arena.
The Arizona State Land Department Board of Appeals unanimously approved the $68.5 million appraisal of the 95 acres. The decision sets the stage for the Arizona State Land Department to sell the land at auction with a starting price of $68.5 million. The next step is to set an auction date, which must be publicly advertised for 10 weeks.
• The NHL and NHL Players’ Association have reached an undisclosed settlement to resolve Corey Perry’s situation with the Chicago Blackhawks when they terminated his contract, two people with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press.
Chicago cut ties with Perry in late November, saying he violated his standard player contract and team policies “intended to promote professional and safe work environments.” Neither Perry nor GM Kyle Davidson was willing to provide any details about what happened to lead to the termination.
Perry, 38, apologized for his actions and said he’d begun seeking help for alcohol abuse. He asked for a meeting with Gary Bettman and spoke with the commissioner in January, then was back in the NHL less than two weeks later after signing with the Edmonton Oilers for the rest of the season.
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