Fast Break

High schools

Magazine ranks LC Tigers No. 12

It seemed there were no more media mountains for Spokane to climb, once Forbes Magazine listed the city among the nation’s top places to do business and Wine Spectator gave top marks to Arbor Crest’s cabernet sauvignon.

But the latest issue of Sports Illustrated gives Lewis & Clark High School bragging rights as Washington’s top athletic program. The magazine’s Web site goes farther, ranking LC 12th nationwide, based on the school’s back-to-back-to-back state championships in girls basketball, and titles in football and girls tennis.

“It’s always nice to be recognized on the national stage, but it’s absolutely incredible that a comprehensive public high school is being recognized against some of the most elite private schools, where money is often limitless,” Jeff Norton, LC’s athletic director, noted in a written statement from Spokane Public Schools.

Chief among those private schools is SI’s No. 1, Punahou High School of Hawaii, where tuition this year was nearly $16,000. Barack Obama’s alma matter won 16 state titles in sports that include air riflery, canoe paddling, wrestling and water polo.

Golf

Tiger won’t play until U.S. Open

Tiger Woods entered the room with a slight limp and unwavering determination to play the U.S. Open.

“The knee’s doing better,” said Woods, who had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee April 15. “The rehab is boring. It gets really old riding that bike, man. But everything’s on schedule. Just been training and trying to get this thing organized for the Open, and it’s right on schedule for that.”

Woods spoke Tuesday at Congressional Country Club. Woods’ own PGA Tour event, the AT&T National, returns to Congressional in July.

The U.S. Open will be at Torrey Pines in San Diego on June 12-15, a major that could prove a bit dicey following a two-month layoff.

Woods had hoped to fine-tune his game this week at the Memorial, but he withdrew and has no plans to play in next week’s Stanford St. Jude Classic in Memphis, Tenn.

“I wasn’t ready,” Woods said. “I started my practice basically just recently. So going to Memorial that rusty, it wouldn’t have made any sense. … The whole idea is to be ready for the U.S. Open.”

Baseball

Streak ends, but Trinity wins title

Trinity College rallied for two runs in the ninth inning to take the NCAA Division III baseball title with a 5-4 win over Johns Hopkins on Tuesday.

Trinity (Hartford, Conn.) was on a 44-game win streak, but the Blue Jays beat them 4-3 earlier in the day, forcing a second game.

In the decisive game, Trinity (45-1) scored on a pair of bases-loaded walks in the top of the ninth to win its first baseball championship.