SNOWBOARDING
Local boarders qualify for U.S. Open — Bend’s Ben Ferguson finished second, and Kent Callister, also of Bend, finished fourth on Sunday in the halfpipe event at the Burton U.S. Open Snowboarding Qualifiers in Seven Springs, Pa. By virtue of their top-10 placings, both boarders qualified for the 31st annual Burton U.S. Open Snowboarding Championships in Vail, Colo., Feb. 25 to March 2. Callister also finished fourth in slopestyle to qualify in that event as well. Ferguson and Callister will compete in Vail alongside world-class confirmed riders, including Kelly Clark, Mark McMorris, Torah Bright, Jamie Anderson, Iouri Podladtchikov and more.
Cross-country skiing
Waxing tour prep event slated for Thursday — WebCyclery/WebSkis in Bend is staging a free waxing event on Thursday to help women prepare their skis for Sunday’s Tour for the Heart at Mt. Bachelor ski area. The tour raises awareness for heart disease. The waxing event is scheduled from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. and will begin with a brief clinic on waxing. Four or five waxing stations and assistance will be available. The shop will offer waxing tables, irons, wax, scrapers, brushes and light refreshments. Participants should supply their own pair of skis. The shop is located at 550 S.W. Industrial Way, Suite 150. For questions, call 541-318-6188.
Prep sports
Culver girls basketball falls to Regis — The Culver girls basketball team put up a good fight against a tough Regis squad on Monday night, according to coach Scott Fritz, but suffered a 56-24 Tri-River Conference loss in Stayton. Chantelle Seehawer led the Bulldogs (7-15 overall, 5-7 conference) with seven points. Culver hosts Western Mennonite tonight.
Regis boys basketball beats Culver — Regis jumped early on the Culver boys basketball team on Monday night en route to a 76-20 Tri-River Conference victory in Stayton. Gerson Gonzalez led the Bulldogs with five points. Culver (10-12 overall, 5-7 conference) returns to action tonight when they host Western Mennonite.
Baseball
Athletics acquire Lowrie — The Oakland Athletics acquired infielder Jed Lowrie and right-hander Fernando Rodriguez from the Houston Astros for first baseman Chris Carter and two minor leaguers on Monday. Right-hander Brad Peacock and catcher Max Stassi also went to Houston in the deal between franchises that will be playing in the same division for the first time following the Astros’ move from the NL Central to the AL West in 2013. Lowrie batted .244 with 16 homers and 42 RBIs in 97 games with Houston, missing two months with ankle and thumb injuries. Despite the limited playing time, Lowrie tied for the fourth most homers among all shortstops last year.
Basketball
Indiana moves back to No. 1 in AP poll — For the fifth straight week there is a new No. 1 in The Associated Press’ college basketball poll. This time it’s Indiana. The Hoosiers, the preseason No. 1 who held the top spot for the first five weeks of the regular season, moved up two places Monday, following their weekend win over No. 1 Michigan and No. 2 Kansas’ loss to Oklahoma State. Oregon dropped to No. 19 after consecutive losses to Stanford and California over the weekend. Complete rankings are in the Scoreboard, right.
Football
Fans bet record $98.9 million on Super Bowl — Sports fans bet a record $98.9 million at Nevada casinos on the Super Bowl. The Gaming Control Board says unaudited tallies show 183 sports books made $7.2 million on the action. The San Francisco 49ers started out as a 5-point favorite but the Baltimore Ravens won 34-31. Odds makers say California fans drove the unprecedented handle, flooding Las Vegas and northern Nevada with wagers on the hometown team. The 49ers hadn’t been in a Super Bowl since 1995. The previous Nevada record was set in 2006, when gamblers wagered $94.5 million.
Cal reaches settlement with Tedford — California reached a settlement with former football coach Jeff Tedford on Monday that will pay him up to $5.55 million for the final three seasons of his contract. Under terms of his contract, Tedford had been guaranteed $2.3 million a year for the final three seasons of his contract. With the settlement announced by the school on Monday, Tedford will get $1.8 million in 2013, $1.8 million in 2014 and $1.95 million in 2015, saving Cal at least $1.35 million over the three years.
— From staff and wire reports
