Morning State Sports Roundup: McCarthy vows to have a better o-line in 2013

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GREEN BAY - Green Bay Packers’ coach Mike McCarthy vows to have a better offensive line next season.

At the NFL Scouting Combine, McCarthy said he would consider a number of changes, depending on who gets drafted in April. There’s been speculation that the Packers would consider moving right tackle Bryan Bulaga to left tackle, and keep late-season starter Don Barclay on the right side. That would make left tackle Marshall Newhouse a backup after he started last year. McCarthy says a lot depends on Bulaga’s health going into training camp. He only played about the first half of last season, after suffering a small capsule fracture in his left hip. The coach also said he’s ready to let Evan Dietrich-Smith take over at center. He was an improvement over veteran Jeff Saturday, as the latter wore down in the final weeks. Saturday retired after the Pro Bowl.

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The Milwaukee Brewers dropped to 1-4 in exhibition play, with a 6-5 loss to the Seattle Mariners yesterday in Phoenix. Brewers’ starter Yovani Gallardo went two-and-two-thirds innings, to help him get ready for next month’s World Baseball Classic. But it was not a good outing, as Gallardo was tagged for three earned runs on five hits with a pair of strikeouts. He gave up a pair of homers to Franklin Gutierrez and Michael Saunders in a span of just three pitches. Alex Gonzalez and Jean Segura both had RBI doubles for Milwaukee. First base prospect Hunter Morris struck out three times and went 0-4 against the Mariners. Morris, the Double-“A” Southern League player-of-the-year in 2012, has gone 0-for-13 with the Crew this spring.

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For the first time in almost 11 months, Chris Narveson will pitch in a Major League game this afternoon. He’s the scheduled starter for the Milwaukee Brewers, as they play Kansas City at the Royals’ Spring Training complex in Surprise Arizona. Narveson, a left-hander, is returning to action for the first time since early April of last year – when he had rotator cuff surgery on his throwing shoulder after just two starts. He says he feels great, and he’s looking forward to pitching against big league hitters again. K-C will start right-hander Luke Hochevar, and Milwaukee goes for its second exhibition victory against four losses.

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Former Brewers’ catcher Mike Matheny used to love getting runners out as they charged toward the plate. But now, as the manager of the Saint Louis Cardinals, Matheny says he wants Major League Baseball to ban home-plate collisions. Matheny, who played five of his 13 big league seasons in Milwaukee, says he has just recently come around to believing that the game should ban violent collisions. A concussion ended Matheny’s playing career in Saint Louis – but he said it’s only small reason for his new position. He says he has seen his own kids get concussions while playing sports – and as a father, he’s become more much concerned. Matheny has asked to meet with Major League vice president Joe Torre to state his case. Torre has said he would listen – but for now, he does not favor a change in the rules. However, he believes the game will come around eventually.

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The Milwaukee Bucks have lost 11-of-their-last-12 annual games at Houston – and they’ll try to avoid that trap tonight at the Toyota Center. Milwaukee won by six points on its last visit just over 13 months ago – ending an 11-game futility string in South Texas. The Bucks are coming off a victory in North Texas last night, 95-to-90 in Dallas. Tonight, they’ll face a Rockets’ team that has won its last five home contests, before losing at Washington by two in their most recent game last Saturday. James Harden scored 27 points for Houston against the Wizards. Among other things, the Bucks need to find a way to control their former teammate Carlos Delfino. He hit six-of-seven from three-point range and scored 22, when the Rockets beat the Bucks by 14 on January fourth in Milwaukee.

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The Wisconsin girls’ high school basketball tournament is only a day old – and already, it has some catching up to do. Thirteen games that were snowed out last night will be played this evening – and then the Round-of-64 will begin in each of the five divisions on Friday night. Division 5 has the most make-up contests for tonight with five. Four contests in Division 2 were also delayed until this evening, after parts of the state had 10 inches of snow as of early today. None of the five defending champions played in the first round. De Pere, New London, Kewaunee, Neillsville, and Milwaukee Heritage Christian all had byes for the opening night. No. 1 seeds also had byes in the four divisions with the largest enrollments. In Division 5, Barneveld is the only top seed playing this evening. Most of the others went 8-for-8 in their Tuesday night openers.

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The Milwaukee Wave will close out a five-game road swing tonight at Syracuse. It’s a home-and-home series that ends on Saturday at the U.S. Cellular Arena. The Wave is 18-5, and is coming off back-to-back losses for the first time this season. Milwaukee is in second place, a game-and-a-half behind front-running Baltimore. Ian Bennett has scored at least one point for Milwaukee in his last 12 games – and he’s had at least one goal in 10 of those outings. Syracuse is 8-15 overall, and 0-2 against the Wave this season.

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Alyssa Robison of Concordia-Mequon and Charlie Leikness of Edgewood have been named the softball players of the week in the Northern Athletics Conference. Robison, a junior outfielder, was honored as the top position player for batting .444 in four games with nine runs, plus a grand slam and a bases-clearing triple. Leikness, a junior, tossed seven scoreless innings over a pair of games. She struck out a total of six.

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The Milwaukee Admirals lost at Lake Erie last night, 3-1 in Cleveland. David van der Gulik scored twice for Lake Erie, including the eventual game-winner almost five-and-a-half minutes into the third period. Admirals’ goal-tender Magnus Hellberg had 31 saves while ending a personal six-game winning streak. Chris Mueller scored the only goal for Milwaukee, which remains tied for third in the American Hockey League’s Midwest Division with 56 points. The Admirals will host first-place Grand Rapids on Friday night.

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SCORES

WIAA girls' high school basketball regionals

First Round

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Division 1

Schofield D.C. Everest Sectional

Hudson 61, Wausau East 39

Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln 40, Appleton East 30

Sheboygan South Sectional

Hartford Union 31, Mequon Homestead 28

Sheboygan South 59, Green Bay East 36

Middleton Sectional

Madison East 49, Watertown 47

Beloit Memorial at Kenosha Bradford, postponed to tonight

West Allis Central Sectional

Milwaukee Bay View/Lifelong Learning 36, Milwaukee Madison/Career & Tech 33

West Allis Central 33, Milwaukee Hamilton 30

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Division 2

Marshfield Sectional

Ashland 48, Sparta 46

Menomonie 45, Tomah 37

New Richmond 36, River Falls 33

Rhinelander 39, Lakeland 38

Waupaca 34, Shawano 12

Manitowoc Sectional

Kaukauna 57, Marinette 25

Menasha 49, Green Bay West 43

Port Washington 56, Kewaskum 44

Waupun 53, West Bend West 47

Janesville Craig Sectional

DeForest 58, McFarland 53

Monroe 47, Mount Horeb 33

Sauk Prairie 43, Portage 34

Union Grove at Elkhorn, postponed to tonight

Westosha Central at Oregon, postponed to tonight

Delevan-Darien at Fort Atkinson, postponed to tonight

Brookfield Central Sectional

Cudahy 40, Greendale 32

Milwaukee Washington 66, Wauwatosa East 36

Milwaukee Lutheran 43, Milwaukee Marshall/Juneau 37

Waukesha North 69, Milwaukee South 19

Wauwatosa West 74, Milwaukee Messmer 21

Whitnall 93, Milwaukee Reagan 9

Kenosha Indian Trail at Waukesha Catholic Memorial, postponed to tonight

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Division 3

River Falls Sectional

Amery 52, Cumberland 32

Durand 49, Ellsworth 21

Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau 45, Black River Falls 27

Osceola 47, Maple Northwestern 43

Prescott 33, Altoona 26

Spooner 29, St. Croix Central 27

St. Croix Falls 70, Somerset 37

West Salem 60, Chetek-Weyerhaeuser 32

Ashwaubenon Sectional

Brillion 57, Valders 39

Chilton 40, Sturgeon Bay 27

Denmark 38, New Holstein 21

Freedom 42, Clintonville 31

Little Chute 43, Winneconne 30

Northland Pines 49, Tomahawk 35

Omro 39, Peshtigo 29

Southern Door 57, Luxemburg-Casco 52

Sun Prairie Sectional

Dodgeville 60, Viroqua 28

Edgerton 68, Evansville 59

Lake Mills 55, Poynette 53

Nekoosa 54, River Valley 35

Richland Center 47, Prairie du Chien 29

Westfield 57, Mauston 48

Wisconsin Dells 48, Wautoma 36

Walworth Big Foot at Jefferson, postponed to tonight

Beloit Turner at Marshall, postponed to tonight

Hartland Arrowhead Sectional

Brown Deer 101, Milwaukee North 22

Mayville 37, Campbellsport 35

Cedar Grove-Belgium defeated Milwaukee Tenor, forfeit

Columbus 54, Watertown Luther Prep 51

Kiel 51, Ripon 39

Lomira 34, Winnebago Lutheran 18

St. Francis 62, Milwaukee University 44

Milwaukee Thomas More 61, Milwaukee St. Joan Antida 48

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Division 4

Chippewa Falls Sectional

Athens 72, Phillips 47

Boyceville 51, Spring Valley 39

Edgar 46, Spencer 33

Flambeau 54, Cadott 31

Grantsburg 71, Webster 32

Hurley 48, Chequamegon 38

Stanley-Boyd 70, Unity 53

Stratford 30, Pittsville 9

Waupaca Sectional

Bonduel 48, Random Lake 34

Crandon 48, Crivitz 27

Gillett 43, Menominee Indian 30

Howards Grove 51, Manawa 26

Iola-Scandinavia 63, Plainfield Tri-County 29

Manitowoc Lutheran 76, Shiocton 41

Stevens Point Pacelli 43, Rosholt 26

Menasha St. Mary's 46, Mishicot 32

Baraboo Sectional

Augusta 44, Melrose-Mindoro 31

Bangor 68, Necedah 25

Belleville 40, Hazel Green Southwestern 37

Cambridge 53, Iowa-Grant 22

Lancaster 44, Deerfield 40

New Glarus 54, Waterloo 15

Osseo-Fairchild 51, Whitehall 38

Riverdale 31, Boscobel 25

Orfordville Parkview at Fennimore, postponed to tonight

Beaver Dam Sectional

Dodgeland 51, Montello 33

Milwaukee Hope Christian defeated Milwaukee Young-Coggs Prep, forfeit

Laconia 47, Brookfield Academy 34

Pardeeville 72, Milwaukee Destiny 28

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Division 5

Spooner Sectional

Clayton 80, New Auburn 2

Cornell 28, Gilman 26

Drummond 53, Frederic 37

Eau Claire Immanuel Lutheran 58, Clear Lake 9

Luck 68, Birchwood 15

Chippewa Falls McDonell 55, Prairie Farm 29

Mellen 92, Mercer 35

Owen-Withee 70, Rib Lake 17

Prentice 56, Bruce 24

Shell Lake 51, Washburn 46

Siren 77, Solon Springs 33

Thorp 55, Lake Holcombe 17

Turtle Lake 40, Glenwood City 34

Winter 57, Bayfield 44

Waupaca Sectional

Elcho 60, Florence 31

Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah 65, Sheboygan Lutheran 62, 2OT

Gibraltar 36, Kohler 22

Goodman-Pembine 45, Three Lakes 26

Green Bay NEW Lutheran 58, Marinette St. Thomas Aquinas 23

Hilbert 47, White Lake 14

Lena 43, Sevastopol 27

Wausau Newman 79, Gresham 19

Niagara 50, Laona 31

Northland Lutheran 46, Almond-Bancroft 30

Oneida Nation 67, Wausaukee 20

Phelps 48, Tigerton 27

Sheboygan County Christian 48, Stockbridge 37

Suring 60, Bowler 41

Wabeno 65, Wisconsin Valley Lutheran 16

La Crosse Logan Sectional

Wisconsin Rapids Assumption 79, Granton 3

Blair-Taylor 52, Elmwood 43

Brookwood 57, Weston 29

Cochrane-Fountain City 46, Gilmanton 43

Eleva-Strum 73, Alma-Pepin 65

Hillsboro 62, La Farge 36

Ithaca 56, North Crawford 17

Alma Center Lincoln 41, New Lisbon 34

Loyal 41, Greenwood 37

Plum City 49, Independence 39

Port Edwards 52, Marshfield Columbus Catholic 43

River Ridge 45, Highland 34

Royall 53, Kickapoo 20

Seneca 61, Cassville 28

Wauzeka-Steuben 38, De Soto 27

Wonewoc-Center 53, Cashton 27

Watertown Sectional

Argyle 44, Juda 25

South Wayne Black Hawk 73, Johnson Creek 36

Fall River 68, Cambria-Friesland 19

Living Word Lutheran 82, Eastbrook Academy 31

Monticello 52, Albany 31

Oakfield 47, Hustisford 26

Racine Lutheran 46, Belmont 41

Randolph 37, Princeton/Green Lake 31

Rio 55, Waupun Central Wisconsin Christian 46

Hartland University Lake School 57, Trinity Academy 46

Barneveld at Williams Bay Faith Christian, postponed to tonight

Burlington Catholic Central at Pecatonica, postponed to tonight

Williams Bay at Benton/Shullsburg, postponed to tonight

Madison Abundant Life at Potosi, postponed to tonight

Milwaukee Salam School at Lake County Christian, postponed to tonight

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