Fast Break

Hockey

Spokane ref in Stanley Cup

The Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins are playing for the ultimate hockey prize. Dennis LaRue has his.

The Spokane referee worked Game 1 of the Stanley Cup final on Saturday night – his first appearance in the National Hockey League championship series in 19 years of working games in the league.

LaRue was paired with Paul Devorski, in his seventh final, as the refereeing crew for the game.

The 49-year-old LaRue has also worked three Olympic Games and the world championships in a distinguished 25-year career.

Track and Field

Sprinter Gay back with a rush

Tyson Gay burst away from the rest of the field at the Reebok Grand Prix, and his dominant performance in the 200 meters suggests the American still has the speed to take on 100-meter world-record holder Usain Bolt at the world championships this summer.

Gay posted the third-fastest time ever in winning in 19.58 seconds. The only better marks are Bolt’s world record of 19.30 at the Olympics and Michael Johnson’s 19.32 in 1996.

Micah Kogo of Kenya, the Olympic bronze medalist in the 10,000, won a close finish in the men’s 5,000 with the fastest time ever run on American soil. His mark of 13 minutes, 2.9 seconds was 0.16 seconds better than former Washington State star Bernard Lagat, the reigning world champ in the event.

High school tennis

Jansen victory was guaranteed

Freeman High School’s sister act starred again at the State 1A tennis championships in Yakima, again bringing the Scotties home a first-place trophy.

Junior Lea Jansen defeated her freshman sister Maya in the championship match 6-4, 7-5, and their march through the singles bracket helped the Scotties pile up the majority of their points in taking the team title.

Last year it was a double championship by Lea and her since-graduated sister Hanna that sparked the Scotties to the team title.