Fast Break
hockey
Chiefs one win from West final
Just call them the road warriors.
Owners of the Western Hockey League’s top road record in the regular season, the Spokane Chiefs picked up 2 of 3 victories on the road last week to take a 3-2 lead in their Western Conference semifinal with the Vancouver Giants.
The Chiefs’ loss on Friday was their lone road loss through nine playoff games.
Spokane can close out the best-of-7 series today when the clubs meet for Game 6 at the Arena at 7 p.m. If Vancouver forces a seventh game it will be Tuesday night at the Arena at 7.
The winner of the series will meet the Tri-City Americans in the West final, but the Chiefs aren’t punching their ticket yet.
“We’ve got to come in and wear (Vancouver) down,” said Chiefs forward David Rutherford (shown above), who has scored five goals and six assists in nine playoff games. “You have to be concentrated on the game at hand. The (fourth win) is always the hardest to get, so we’ll be ready and hopefully can take it.”
BASKETBALL
Beasley to announce his decision
Kansas State star Michael Beasley has called a news conference for this afternoon to announce if he’ll enter the June 26 NBA draft. He’s considered the likely No. 1 pick.
Nobody doubts his NBA potential. Quick, strong and agile, he had the second-most rebounds and third-most points of any freshman in NCAA history and led the Wildcats to their first NCAA tournament victory in 20 years.
“There’s no question in my mind who the best player in the country is,” said Kansas coach Bill Self. “It’s Michael Beasley. He may not win all the player of the year awards. But he’s the best player.”
One of Beasley’s advisers, Kansas State coach Frank Martin, has made no secret of his advice for the consensus All-American who averaged 26.2 points and a nation-leading 12.4 rebounds.
“I think he’s going to go, and I think it’s the right thing to do, because he’s going to be the top pick in the draft,” Martin said.
BASKETBALL
Lawrence celebrates with Jayhawks
In possibly the biggest celebration in the city’s history, a crowd estimated at more than 100,000 lined downtown streets of Lawrence, Kan., to honor the national basketball champion Kansas Jayhawks.
Fans from as far away as Colorado and Minnesota, some in trees and on rooftops, came to get a glimpse of coach Bill Self, Mario Chalmers and the rest of the team that beat Memphis 75-68 to win the NCAA championship.
Fans lined the sidewalks as many as 10 deep to watch as players, coaches and team personnel paraded by in shiny red and black Mustang and Corvette convertibles.