NW Sports from the AP

AP-NW–1st SportsMinute,294
Here is the latest Washington, Oregon and Alaska sports news from
The Associated Press

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – LaMarcus Aldridge had 25 points and 12
rebounds, and the Portland Trail Blazers pulled away from
short-handed New Orleans and beat the Hornets 99-93 last night.
Wesley Matthews added 18 points and Luke Babbitt had a career-high
16 points, including four 3-pointers, for the Blazers, who are 4-4
since the dismissal of head coach Nate McMillan.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Billionaire Paul Allen is emphatically
refuting reports that he is entertaining offers for the Portland
Trail Blazers. Allen went to Twitter on Thursday to rebut the
report, which appeared in a blog post on Comcast SportsNet
Northwest’s website. CSNNW broadcasts Trail Blazers games. David
Postman, a spokesman for Allen, also disputed the post.

SEATTLE (AP) – David Trimble led Davis High of Yakima to its
first state basketball title in nearly 50 years. His reward seems
fitting for snapping a nearly half-century drought. Trimble was
named The Associated Press Washington boys basketball player of the
year in voting by sports writers and editors from around the state.
Prairie’s Heather Corral won the girls honor.

TOKYO (AP) – Cuban defector Yoenis Cespedes (yoh-EHN’-ehs
SEHS’-peh-dehs) hit his first major league home run to power the
Athletics to a 4-1 victory over the Seattle Mariners early
yesterday that earned Oakland a split in the teams’ two-game
season-opening series at Tokyo Dome. Ichiro (EE’-cheer-oh) Suzuki
was hitless in four at-bats Thursday.

MISSISSAUGA, Ontario (AP) – Former Kansas City Chiefs receiver
Samie Parker has joined the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL. The team
says he signed a two-year deal. Parker spent four years with the
Chiefs and finished with 110 catches for 1,529 yards and seven TDs.
He starred in college at Oregon, leaving in 2003 as the career
leader in receptions and receiving yards.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

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