Our live coverage of high school basketball continues Friday night on The Fastbreak. Listen live beginning at approximately 7:20 p.m. as we bring you live play-by-play of No. 2 Shaker Heights taking on No. 10 Garfield Heights.

Our live coverage of high school basketball continues Friday night on The Fastbreak.

Listen live beginning at approximately 7:20 p.m. as we bring you live play-by-play of No. 2 Shaker Heights taking on No. 10 Garfield Heights.

The Northeast Ohio Media Group's Chris Fedor and Dan Labbe will have live coverage, with pregame beginning 10 minutes prior to tip-off. Then stay locked in for our live webcast of the game followed by postgame coverage including an interview with the winning head coach.

Box score: Shaker Heights at Garfield Heights

High school basketball scoreboard

Complete boys basketball coverage

After the Orange Bowl loss, Thomas complained on Twitter about a lack of output from some OSU receivers. Receivers coach Zach Smith said he talked to Thomas about that. Smith also said no starting job is locked down at receiver for 2014, and Thomas will get the chance to prove himself.

COLUMBUS, Ohio - He wasn't complaining at us, he was complaining with us.

That was the explanation from Ohio State receivers coach Zach Smith about some gripes that receiver Michael Thomas expressed on Twitter shortly after the Orange Bowl, when he pointed out a lack of production from OSU receivers in the last two losses of the season to Michigan State and Clemson. While top receiver Philly Brown had a combined 13 catches for 169 yards in those two games, the Buckeyes' other starting receivers, Devin Smith and Evan Spencer, combined for three catches for 16 yards, all from Smith.

Thomas has long since deleted the Tweets, which were preserved and explained in a few places. But among his words were "there was 2 people on the field that combined for 200+ plays past 2 games only brought to the table 3 catches 16 yrds" and "Is it throwing people under the bus? Or is it telling it how it is? You watch tv you see the same stuff... You just sugar coat it" and "they are considered starters at Ohio State!"

It may not be the best means of expressing displeasure, but Thomas did have his facts right.

"It was probably perceived as more taking shots at position people, whatever, but Mike was as frustrated with any lack of production or any lack of success as anybody," Smith said when I asked him about it Wednesday at National Signing Day. "But as I told you, he prepared to play. He was as much a part of the team as anyone else."

"A lot of those were on our group, not my group," Smith said, making the distinction that he felt Thomas was lodging the complaints and including himself in the issue, not taking shots from the outside at Smith's players.

And as Smith pointed out, Thomas didn't play last year, when he redshirted during his second year as a Buckeye, because those players who didn't put up stats at the end of the year beat him out.

"Mike knows at the end of the day he could have beat out anybody and offered more production, but he didn't," Smith said. "Those guys beat him out."

Smith said he did talk to Thomas about how his Tweets looked to everyone who read them.

"I know the kid really well, and it was more frustration with himself and us as a unit and our team and our offense, not winning the last two games, those things," Smith said. "He needs to understand how things are perceived vs. how they are meant."

Here is perception, and reality. The Buckeyes need more production from some of their receivers in 2014, with Smith (44 catches, 660 yards), Spencer (22 catches, 216 yards) and Dontre Wilson (22 catches, 210 yards) the leading guys who are returning. While there are new faces from the 2014 class jumping in, players like Thomas and junior Corey Smith, who were both healthy, older redshirts last season, will have every chance to win starting jobs this season, when sitting out won't be an option.

"You don't want to take away from what guys like Devin Smith and Evan Spencer have done for us the past year and the year before," Smith said, "but at the end of the day, we were better as unit but we're still not where we need to be. So there's no position in my room that's locked down or even where anyone has an edge.

"I'm not confident that there's any delineation between any other wideout. The way the younger guys develop, by the end of the year I think it's going to be a dogfight to see who starts and who gets the ball. Nobody' spot is safe.

"But you have to recognize what guys have done the past two years. Evan has done a lot for us, and Devin has done a lot for us. So they're not starters right now, but they definitely have an edge because of what they've done for us the last two years."

If Thomas thinks that wasn't enough, or that he could do more, he'll have that chance to prove it. Because of a lack of depth last season, Smith said Thomas and Corey Smith prepared each week like they could play, knowing they were just an injury or two away from getting on the field.

"They got the benefit of preparing like they were playing, but they didn't waste a year," Smith said. "The strides they made this past fall, I was very pleased. They've got to continue in the spring so they can really get in the mix."

Thomas isn't the first player, and won't be the last player, to take to social media to vent. Putting the words out there is one thing. Carlos Hyde once complained about playing time on Twitter in 2011. Then in 2012 and 2013, when given the ball, he showed that he probably had a point with his previous Tweets.

Now Thomas will get the same chance to back up his words.

Watch Chris Tabor talk about staying with the Cleveland Browns as special teams coordinator under his third head coach in four years.

BEREA, Ohio -- Cleveland Browns head coach Mike Pettine was pleased that the team did not allow special teams coordinator Chris Tabor to leave when they fired Rob Chudzinski after the 2013 season.

Tabor, hired by Pat Shurmur in 2011, retained by Rob Chudzinski last year is excited for the challenge of working with Pettine.  “I’m fortunate, myself and my assistant Shawn Mennenga … It’s nice to be able to stay at a place and continue to coach the guys and keep your system implemented,” Tabor said Thursday.” “I’m excited for this next challenge right here.”

Prior to joining the Browns, Tabor was assistant special teams coach for three years in Chicago (2008-10).

Tabor joins new defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil and new offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan on Pettine’s staff.

On Twitter: @CLEvideos

Gates Mills' Lauren Davis will pair with Alison Riske in the doubles match for the United States.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Fed Cup conducted its draw Friday afternoon, a process that produced the weekend match lineup after U.S. captain Mary Joe Fernandez named Madison Keys as the No. 1 seed and Christina McHale as No. 2 seed.

McHale will face Italy's No. 1 seed, Karin Knapp, in the first match Saturday, followed by Keys against Italy's No. 2 seed Camila Giorgi.

On Sunday, No. 1 seeds Keys and Knapp will face off, and No. 2 seeds McHale and Giorgi will follow.

The final match will be a doubles match featuring the United States' Lauren Davis and Alison Riske against Italy's Nastassja Burnett Alice Matteucci.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Two big matchups within the cleveland.com Top 25 boys basketball poll highlight the last Friday before the sectional and district draw takes place this Sunday. Shaker Heights and Garfield Heights meet up in Garfield Heights while East Tech and Glenville face off at John Adams for the Senate Athletic League championship.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Two big matchups within the cleveland.com Top 25 boys basketball poll highlight the last Friday before the sectional and district draw takes place this Sunday.

Shaker Heights and Garfield Heights meet up in Garfield Heights while East Tech and Glenville face off at John Adams for the Senate Athletic League championship.

Every Tuesday and Friday, we'll be setting up the night's action in boys basketball on cleveland.com. And every Wednesday and Saturday, we'll have a rundown of big developments to complement the previous night's live box scores and recaps with how the games all played out. Look for these posts every week.

Here's a look at what you need to know heading into tonight's game:

GAME OF THE NIGHT

No. 2 Shaker Heights at No. 10 Garfield Heights, 7:30 p.m.

The Raiders have lost just twice to teams from the state of Ohio, and they travel to get Garfield Heights to try and avenge one of those losses.

The Bulldogs have struggled of late due to a knee injury to senior Vonte Montgomery. They will need to get big nights from both Willie Jackson and Dave Bell to offset the injury.

Shaker Heights continues to play well, having lost just once since it was upset at home by Garfield Heights.

The Fastbreak will be in Garfield Heights for all the action, with Chris Fedor and Dan Labbe on the call.

Reporter Tim Bielik will also be at the game. Click here to follow him on Twitter for live updates.

KEEP AN EYE ON

No. 12 Glenville vs. No. 14 East Tech, Senate Athletic League Championship: The final game to decide the Senate title is a rematch of the first game of the season for both teams, when East Tech won at home, 97-90. Glenville and East Tech have been the two best teams in the Senate all season and this game features another great duel between Glenville's Jimond Ivey and East Tech's Kyauta Taylor. Reporter David Cassilo will be at John Adams for the game. Click here to follow him on Twitter for live updates.

No. 20 Brunswick at No. 16 Mentor: The Cardinals have one last chance to make a nice push and improve their chances in district seeding. They will also be able to get some revenge against Ryan Badowski and Brunswick, who upset the Cardinals earlier this season in Brunswick.

Brecksville-Broadview Heights at No. 5 Berea-Midpark: Brecksville already pulled off one big upset this week, knocking off No. 8 Olmsted Falls. It's going to be a tough task to knock off the red-hot Titans, who topped No. 13 Westlake on Tuesday.

Elyria at No. 17 North Royalton: The Bears start a busy weekend at home with a tough test going up against Isaiah Walton and the Pioneers. North Royalton defeated Elyria earlier this season and is riding an 11-game winning streak.

LOOKING AHEAD

Saturday features a pair of matchups within the top 25, including another meeting between No. 1 St. Edward and No. 7 St. Ignatius. The scene shifts to St. Ignatius, where the Wildcats hope to avenge their 27-point loss last month at St. Edward.

No. 5 Berea-Midpark heads slightly southeast to meet No. 17 North Royalton in a battle of talented big men. Berea-Midpark's Nolan Gerrity had a triple-double Tuesday against Westlake, and he will have to try and slow down North Royalton star Omari Spellman.

Here are some highlights from earlier this week:

TUESDAY

No. 5 Berea-Midpark 71, No. 13 Westlake 54: Nolan Gerrity's triple-double of 11 points, 16 rebounds and 11 blocks helped the Titans beat the Demons and move them into first place in the Southwestern Conference. Michael Schuller had 20 points, and Alex Brown added 18 for Berea-Midpark.

Hudson 55, No. 4 Medina 51: A well-rested Hudson team took advantage of a Medina team playing its fourth game in five days and coming off of a double-overtime win against Brunswick. Derek Schwartz and Kevin Zullo each had a team-high 15 points for the Explorers.

Brecksville-Broadview Heights 77, No. 8 Olmsted Falls 67: Jon Balhorn and Luke Cipolla combined for 49 points to lead Brecksville-Broadview Heights to the upset win against No. 8 Olmsted Falls. The loss snapped the Bulldogs' 11-game winning streak.

THURSDAY

No. 9 St. Vincent-St. Mary 73, No. 3 Villa Angela-St. Joseph 60: V.J. King scored 29 points to lead the Irish to an impressive win at home against the Vikings. St. Vincent-St. Mary has now won three straight heading into a road test at Mansfield Senior.

Contact sports reporter Tim Bielik by email (tbielik@cleveland.com) or on Twitter (@bielik_tim). Or log in and leave a message in the comments section below.

Did the Cavs make the right decision firing Chris Grant? How much longer will Mike Brown be around? Have the Browns had a successful offseason so far? The Plain Dealer's Dennis Manoloff answered those questions and more in his weekly podcast.

Did the Cavs make the right decision firing Chris Grant? How much longer will Mike Brown be around? Have the Browns had a successful offseason so far?

The Plain Dealer's Dennis Manoloff answered those questions and more in his weekly podcast with cleveland.com's Chris Fedor.

Among other topics discussed:

• Is it better for the Cavs to fight for a playoff spot or play for the lottery?
• Winter Olympics 2014.
• Did the Browns make the right call with Kyle Shanahan as offensive coordinator?

You can download the MP3 or listen with the player to the right.

Be sure to follow DMan on Twitter.

The Sochi Olympics begin with a colorful, rollicking opening ceremony.

SOCHI, Russia (AP) -- A crowning achievement of Vladimir Putin's Russia kicked off Friday with a celebration of its past greatness and hopes for future glory, most especially for a raucous group of Russian athletes who marched into the rollicking opening ceremony of the Sochi Olympics with a message.

To the best athletes in the world, who they have invited to the edge of the Black Sea to compete on ice and snow, amid concerns about terrorism and criticism of intolerance of gay people, they sang: you're "not gonna get us."

Just after the sun set over the Caucasus Mountains and along the seashore just outside Fisht Stadium in the wet-paint-fresh Olympic Park, Russian TV star Yana Churikova shouted to a crowd still taking their seats: "Welcome to the center of the universe!"

For the next two weeks, it certainly is for the 3,000 athletes who will compete in 98 events, more people and contests than ever at the Winter Games.

It will be, too, for all those worried the games will be a target for terrorism, fears of which were stoked during the ceremony itself when a passenger aboard a flight bound for Istanbul said there was a bomb on board and tried to divert the plane to Sochi. Authorities said the plane landed safely in Turkey.

The show opened with a hiccup, as the lighting of the five Olympic Rings overshadowed the singing of the Russian national anthem. Five stars on cables drifted together above the stadium, and four of them turned into Olympic rings -- but the fifth never unfurled and they all failed to erupt into white flames as planned.

Also missing from the show: Putin's repression of dissent, those worries of terrorism and inconsistent security measures at the Olympics, which will take place just a few hundred miles (kilometers) away from the sites of an insurgency and routine militant violence. Also looked over: the tensions with the United States over neighboring Ukraine, NSA leaker Edward Snowden and Syria.

And the poorly paid migrant workers who helped build up the Sochi site from scratch, the disregard for local residents, the environmental abuse during construction, the pressure on activists, and the huge amounts of Sochi construction money that disappeared to corruption.

Some world leaders purposely stayed away, but U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and dozens of others were in Sochi for the ceremony. He didn't mention the very real anger over a Russian law banning gay "propaganda" aimed at minors that is being used to discriminate against gay people.

But IOC President Thomas Bach won cheers for addressing it Friday, telling the crowd it's possible to hold Olympics "with tolerance and without any form of discrimination for whatever reason."

For all the criticism, there was no shortage of pride at the ceremony in what Russia has achieved with these games. The head of the Sochi organizing committee, Dmitry Chernyshenko, captured the mood of many Russians present when he said, "We're now at the heart of that dream that became reality."

"The games in Sochi are our chance to show the whole world the best of what Russia is proud of," he said. "Our hospitality, our achievements, our Russia!"

The ceremony was a celebration of Russia and presented Putin's version: a country with a rich and complex history emerging confidently from a rocky two decades and now capable of putting on a major international sports event.

Putin was front and center, accepting the invitation from Bach to open the games from his box high above the stadium floor. Earlier, he looked down as the real stars of the games -- those athletes, dressed in winter wear of so many national colors to ward off the evening chill and a light man-made snow -- walked onto a satellite image of the earth projected on the floor, the map shifting so the athletes emerged from their own country.

As always, Greece -- the birthplace of Olympic competition -- came first in the parade of nations. Five new teams, all from warm weather climates, joined the Winter Olympics for the first time. Togo's flagbearer looked dumbstruck with wonder, but those veterans from the Cayman Islands had the style to arrive in shorts!

The smallest teams often earned the biggest cheers from the crowd of 40,000, with an enthusiastic three-person Venezuelan team winning roars of approval as flag bearer and alpine skier Antonio Pardo danced and jumped along to the electronic music.

Only neighboring Ukraine, scene of a tense and ongoing standoff between a pro-Russian president and Western-leaning protesters, could compete with those cheers.

That is, until the Russians arrived.

Walking in last to a thundering bass line that struggled to overcome the ovations from the hometown crowd, the Russians reveled in all the attention. Their feeling could perhaps best be summed up by Russian singers Tatu, whose hit "Not Gonna Get Us" accompanied them to their seats.

Russians place huge significance in the Olympics, carefully watching the medal count -- their dismal performance in Vancouver four years ago is on the minds of many. These games are particularly important, as many Russians are still insecure about their place in the world after the end of the Cold War and the years since that have seen dominance of the United States and China.

Perhaps cuing on those feelings, it didn't take long for the classic Russian pride to come shining through at the opening ceremony.

As Churikova rallied the crowd to scream "louder than ever," she told the fans in their cool blue seats their keepsakes from the night would last 1,000 years. When explaining the show would be hosted in English, French and Russian, she joked that it didn't matter, because in Sochi, everyone "speaks every language in the world."

The moment of high pride came at the end, when Russian hockey great Vladislav Tretiak and three-time gold medalist Irina Rodnina joined hands to light the Olympic cauldron. He's often called the greatest goaltender of all time by those who saw him play, she won 10 world pairs figure skating titles in a row.

That was how it ended. At the top, the show -- and the games -- cleared the first chance to focus on one of those issues Putin would prefer the world to avoid talking about during the next two weeks without so much as a wink.

The women in Tatu, who put on a lesbian act that is largely seen as an attention-getting gimmick, merely held hands during their performance on this night, stopping short of the groping and kissing of their past performances.

At the MTV awards in 2003, the duo performed with dozens of young women dressed in tightfitting schoolgirl uniforms that they stripped off in the end.

This time? Their lead-in act was the Red Army Choir MVD singing Daft Punk's Grammy-winning "Get Lucky."

___

AP Sports Writers Stephen Wilson and Jon Krawczynski contributed to this report.

MENTOR, Ohio -- She scores. She rebounds. She steals. Mentor senior forward Kayla Gabor is a well-rounded player who Mentor coach Steve Thompson often finds as the first and the last one in the gym, always working on her shot.

MENTOR, Ohio -- She scores. She rebounds. She steals.

Mentor senior forward Kayla Gabor is a well-rounded player who Mentor coach Steve Thompson often finds as the first and the last one in the gym, always working on her shot.

Each Friday, Northeast Ohio Media Group girls basketball reporters Stephanie Kuzydym and Mark Kern will spotlight a player who is a candidate to win cleveland.com's Player of the Year award.

With all of the debate over top players, it's important to get your voice heard. Who do you think are the top candidates to win player of the year? Do you want to nominate a player you think should be in the discussion? You can do all of that in the comments section below. To register, go to the top of the page and create an account. It's free and takes just a few moments.

There's also a poll at the bottom of the post. But remember, those votes are just for fun and won't determine who wins the award at the end of the season.

And now here's one player who had stood out as a player of the year contender.

Kayla Gabor, Mentor

Year: Senior.

Position: Small forward.

Mentor senior small forward Kayla Gabor boxes out Stow center Madi Baer (Stephanie Kuzydym, Northeast Ohio Media Group)

2013-2014 stats: 19.4 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 3.7 apg, 2.1 spg, as well as, 25 3-pointers on the season.

Team record: 13-5.

Why she stood out to us: You'll find Gabor almost anywhere on the court - beyond the arc, off the elbow, in the face of the opposing ball handler. But she also understands the value of crashing the boards. She's a full-packaged player.

When did she start playing: Age six or seven. "My parents both played when they were younger," Gabor said. "So when my sister and I were younger , they got us into sports. We played soccer and basketball. We ended up liking it."

Favorite part of the game: When the team works together. "When we work together and things go our way, it makes us feel like we've been successful after practicing and working together."

Best win this season: Against Twinsburg. "We've never beat them since I've been here and it was nice because we beat them at their home. I know they're not the team they were before, but they're still a really good team."

On averaging just under 20 points per game this season: "It's pretty cool, but it's not all about the points. ...  I really am just trying to keep the team in the game and win the game and it just kind of happens. I don't really realize, 'Oh wow, I had 20 points' until I look up at the end of the game and see it." 

Known for: Rebounding and making the right reads. "I go for offensive rebounds a lot because a lot of people on our team don’t go in for the offensive rebounds and second chances and that’s what a lot of the points I score are off of offensive rebounds and putbacks.

"Also I think Coach Thompson likes when I make the right read, whether to know if I should drive or I should kick to an open shooter."

Person who taught her the value of offensive rebounds: Thompson. 

"We watch a lot of film and just seeing how often people don’t box out, it kind of really made me open my eyes. You can just go in there and get an offensive rebound because it’s not always one and done.

"When I take shots you never know if it’s going to go in or be off the back so I always make sure I try to crash the boards. Even when you’re shooting a layup and you think it’s in, I always make sure I follow it. You just never know."

Personal goals: Being a team player. "But I also want to make sure I'm attacking on court. I want to be somebody our team looks up to so we can continue to be strong and go as far as we can."

Team goals: Win districts.

Other big goal: Meet up with Solon again. "I think that would be in the regional final. Since I've been at Mentor, we haven't beaten them and I think that'd be the perfect time to beat them."

Models game after: Kobe Bryant. Kevin Durant.

Other sports: Three-year Cardinal soccer player. "I didn't this year because I wanted to focus on basketball because I knew that's what I was going to do in college."

College: Lake Erie, where she'll play with Mentor teammate Christine Dawson.

When she actually first started playing with Dawson: Fifth grade. 

"We’ve been good friends since then. I think we work off of each other really well. We’ve talked about it before we always kind of know where each other is and we work off of each other to score. I’m excited to play with her for four more years in college."

Contact high schools sports reporter Stephanie Kuzydym by email (skuzydym@cleveland.com) or on Twitter (@stephkuzy). Or log in and leave a message in the comments section below.

Team USA plays Finland in women's hockey at 3 a.m. Saturday will see competition in nine sports, and medals will be awarded in five events, starting with men's slopestyle.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Here's what's happening at the Sochi Winter Olympics tonight and tomorrow:

The Opening Ceremony, which took place this afternoon, will be broadcast on NBC tonight. Coverage begins at 7:30 p.m.

There was no competition today.

The Olympics hit full stride Saturday with Kelli Stack, Brianne McLaughlin and the U.S. women's hockey team in action at 3 a.m. against Finland. The game will be broadcast live on NBCSN. Click here for The Plain Dealer's preview.

Saturday will see competition in nine sports, and medals will be awarded in five events: men's snowboard slopestyle, men's speedskating 5,000 meters, women's skiathlon (7.5 kilometer classic, plus 7.5 K freestyle), men's biathlon 10K sprint and women's moguls.

First up is the men's slopestyle semifinals at 12:30 a.m. The finals, for the first medals of the Winter Games, begin at 3:45 a.m. All events will be live streamed on nbcolympics.com.

At Shayba Arena, Stack is to start at center alongside forwards Hilary Knight and Alex Carpenter. McLaughlin will be in a reserve role. If she is the No. 3 goalie, she will not dress.

Finland features a pair of Ohio State graduates, defenseman Emma (Laaksonen) Terho and forward Minttu Tuominen. Finland upset the U.S. in the Four Nation's Cup, 3-2, last fall.

Come to our Tweetup with the Lake Erie Monsters on February 21.

Cleveland.com and the Lake Erie Monsters are partnering for a night of networking and giveaways during our TweetUp on February 21 at Harry Buffalo on East Fourth Street, prior to the Monsters' game against Iowa that night.

Details:

When: Friday, February 21
5:00-7:30 p.m.

Where:
Harry Buffalo

2120 East Fourth Street

Cleveland

Follow Harry Buffalo on Twitter and like them on Facebook.

Follow cleveland.com on Twitter and like us on Facebook.

You can RSVP and share on our Facebook Event Page.

Christina McHale earned the United States' No. 2 seed despite having the lowest world ranking among her teammates, and she'll play the first match Saturday against Italy's No. 1, Karin Knapp.

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Christina McHale felt as if she won a raffle when a tennis ball affixed with her name was selected from a bowl filled with three others just like it Friday afternoon.

Except it's the strangest kind of raffle, where the winner of the draw is charged with setting the tone for a weekend of Fed Cup play against Italy, and for a United States team otherwise made up of first-time athletes.

McHale is the only player on the United States team with previous Fed Cup experience, and that's a big reason captain Mary Joe Fernandez named her Friday as the No. 2 singles competitor – despite holding the lowest ranking of any of her teammates, currently sitting at 62^nd in the world.

McHale will face Italy's No. 1 seed, Karin Knapp, in the first match of the tie Saturday, followed by U.S. No. 1 Madison Keys against Italy No. 2 Camila Giorgi.

On Sunday, the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds from each country will play each other in the best-of-5 affair. If necessary, doubles play could determine the outcome, with Cleveland native Lauren Davis pairing with Alison Riske against Italy's Nastassja Burnett and Alice Matteucci.

That McHale was named the United States' No. 2 was a minor upset considering the other American players all currently have higher rankings – Keys is 37, Riske is 46 and Davis is 59. But Fernandez liked McHale's experience in a group whose average age is 20.5 years.

"That was definitely a big part of it," Fernandez said. "I've had Christina many times. As she's mentioned, she's actually led the team the first day the first match. It's a different experience playing for your country. Christina has been there before. She knows what's coming her way. We're at home, I think that's great. We'll have the crowd support. I think that makes a big difference for the ones that have not played Fed Cup before, to have that as your first experience. But it is different, and I definitely had to consider that. "

McHale is 4-3 in Fed Cup play, all singles. She defeated Knapp the only time they have faced each other on the WTA Tour, topping her 7-5, 6-2 on clay in Rome in 2013.

"That's definitely my goal is to hopefully start us off strong and then Madison will finish us up strong," McHale said. "But, yeah, it's going to be a tough match. Karin plays really well. I'm going to play my best and try to get us off to a good start."

Coincidentally, Italy is in a similar position to the Americans – among their four players, only Knapp has previous Fed Cup experience. She is 0-1 in singles and 1-1 in doubles, and currently ranked 40^th in the world.

Fernandez believes that any lineup she chose would be one that could work for the United States this weekend.

"The good news for me is that I have four players that are quite ready to play," Fernandez said. "You can make a case for each one of them playing (Saturday). I look at a lot of different variables, whether it's head-to-heads, matchups, court surface, experience. Then you come up with hopefully the best combination for day one."

Fed Cup

United States vs. Italy

When: Saturday, 1 p.m. – USA No. 2 Christina McHale vs. Italy No 1 Karin Knapp; USA No. 1 Madison Keys vs. Italy No. 2 Camila Giorgi.

Sunday, noon – USA No. 1 Madison Keys vs. Italy No. Karin Knapp; USA No. 2 Christina McHale vs. Italy No. 2 Camila Giorgi; doubles match, USA's Lauren Davis and Alison Riske vs. Italy's Nastassja Burnett and Alice Matteucci.

Where: Public Auditorium.

TV: Tennis Channel.

Tickets: Single-day tickets for $25 per day are available at usta.com/fedcup or by calling 888-334-USTA (8782).

NFL assistants coaches are often disposable and left scrambling after regime changes.

BEREA, Ohio – As Chris Tabor and his daughter, Paityn, arrived at a recent high school basketball game, the subject of the family’s nomadic existence was unexpectedly broached.

The Browns' special teams coordinator has been coaching for two decades and has never held the same job for more than four seasons. Paityn is 12 years old, and she's already moved four times. Several days before Tabor was assured he had survived the Browns’ third coaching change in four years, his oldest daughter quizzed him about their uncertain future.

“She said, ‘Dad, what do you think is going to happen to you?’” Tabor recalled. “I said, ‘Honey, I don’t know. Do you like it here?’ And she said, ‘Dad, I love it here. This feels like home to me.’

“As a father that really hit home.”

Coaching purges and front-office shakeups always create big news. Lost in the vortex of blame and speculation are the lives of assistants and their families who often get swept out in regime changes.

Unlike many ousted head coaches and general managers, there are no golden parachutes attached to their departures. Many are left scrambling for work, rushing to the Senior Bowl or national coaches convention to network for a new job hundreds of miles from their previous one.

The firing of Rob Chudzinski and the impact on his staff was particularly tough because it came almost without warning.

Tabor, who knows what it’s like to troll a hotel lobby seeking a minute’s face time with a potential employer, expressed his gratitude to the Browns, new coach Mike Pettine and God at a Thursday news conference.

“I think it says the good Lord is watching over me, to be honest,” Tabor said when asked about being one of five assistants retained from Chudzinski’s staff. “No, I think I’m fortunate. Myself and my assistant Shawn Mennenga, who does an outstanding job with us, it’s nice to be able to stay at a place and continue to coach the guys and keep your system implemented.”

View full sizeSpecial teams coordinator Chris Tabor has survived two coaching purges with the Browns.John Kuntz, The Plain Dealer

The Browns think so highly of Tabor they denied interview requests from other NFL teams for a second straight year. His job wasn’t secure, however, until Pettine agreed to keep him.

It didn’t hurt that the former Buffalo defensive coordinator saw Tabor’s special teams dismantle the Bills in a 37-24 victory on Oct. 5. Punt returner Travis Benjamin set a franchise record with 179 yards in returns that night. Both Benjamin and punter Spencer Lanning captured AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors in what was an up-and-down season for the specialists.

“He's one of the most well-respected special teams coaches in the league as evidenced by the number of requests that came in for him after the season,” said Pettine at a presser introducing his three coordinators. “He was not permitted to leave and I'm glad that happened. ... When I was putting the staff together, a lot of them took a moment and said, ‘Look you've got a real good coach in Chris, that's a solid hire.’’’

Pettine and Tabor are the sons of legendary high school coaches. The 42-year-old assistant who married his high-school sweetheart understands how lucky he was growing up in the same Missouri town and school system.

He credits his wife, Nikki, and two daughters, Paityn and Lainey, 8, for having an "adventurous spirit." When the couple had its first child, the former college quarterback wanted to name it – boy or girl – after Peyton Manning. It’s one of many icebreakers Paityn has had with kids her age while adjusting to new neighborhoods and school systems.

One frequent conversation among coaches, Tabor said, is the ideal time to enroll kids in a new school. The Tabors have done it both ways – withdrawing children midyear and waiting until the summer.

Most NFL assistants work insanely long hours, earning an average of $350,000, with little job security. Tabor ascended from the high school and college ranks to land his first pro position in 2008 as an assistant special teams coach with the Chicago Bears. He’s seen plenty of marriages riven by the stress and demands on family.

“They have been so resilient and understanding,” said Tabor, who joined the Browns in 2011. “My wife is a very special person.”

The 2013 season was a challenging one for the Browns' special teams. Pro Bowlers Phil Dawson and Josh Cribbs were lost to free agency and Benjamin to a devastating mid-season knee injury.

Special teams played key roles in wins over Minnesota and Buffalo and factored prominently in losses to Cincinnati and New England. The Browns finished 25th in the annual special teams rankings compiled by the Dallas Morning News after placing 14th a season earlier.

The constant turnover at the bottom of the roster and key injuries to Benjamin and special teams captain Quentin Groves affected production. The Browns went through four kick returners, four punt returners, four personal protectors.

The low points were easy to identify and naturally drew the most attention. There was a blocked and deflected punt in a 41-20 setback in Cincinnati on Nov. 17. But nothing rivaled the inability to recover an onside kick in the final minutes of a 27-26 loss to New England on Dec. 1. Would Chudzinski still have a job if Fozzy Whittaker comes out of a midfield pile with the ball? It’s a question Tabor doesn’t like to ponder.

“I can’t play the ‘what ifs,’” he said. “I can only play the ‘this is what happened and this is what needed to happen.’

“We didn’t get the ball and we still burn over it.”

Tabor is excited to welcome back a healthy Benjamin. Lanning had a strong season as punter and remains under contract. Kicker Billy Cundiff, who had a good year as Dawson’s replacement, is a free agent.

As usual, his transient units will be stocked with young and unheralded players, like almost every other special teams coach. But how many NFL organizations can say their most tenured coaches reside on special teams?

“I have laughed a little bit about that,” Tabor said. “It goes back to the fact the NFL is always changing. It feels a little different to be the senior guy, but I’m certainly glad. It’s a reflection on the players. They are the ones who have done it. If we keep making it about them, we will be all right.

Recently, one of his daughters remarked that their grandmother has lived in the same Missouri home her entire life. Tabor processed the comment and, thinking about his profession, elected not to respond.

“I didn’t say a word,” Tabor recalled. “What I wanted to say is, ‘Honey, that’s called normal.’”

Ohio State appears to be back on track, following a 1-5 slide by beating two ranked teams on the road. But as the Buckeyes get ready to host Purdue on Saturday, it's worth remembering even their bad isn't so bad. Watch video

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Buckeyes feel like they are back from the brink, after phrases like “rock bottom” were thrown around during a 1-5 slide that turned around with road wins at Wisconsin and Iowa in the last week.

“The mood is way better,” forward LaQuinton Ross said Friday. “The gym, we go into the weight room the mood is better, the locker room everybody is laughing now. A week ago you come in there and everyone is like sad in there. You can almost put on some gloomy music in there.

“But winning cures all.”

That, of course, is always true in sports. So the Ohio State team (18-5, 5-5 Big Ten) that will host Purdue (14-9, 4-6) on Saturday has been reborn. What the Buckeyes and their fans may not understand now, as things tick up -- “Right now I think it’s looking good for us,” Ross said -- is how far removed this really is from rock bottom. And how far removed the Buckeyes have been from a true rebuilding year for so long, and how rare that is.

Over the last four years, Ohio State has been one of the three best regular-season teams in college basketball. That’s judged on seeding in the NCAA Tournament, which is nothing more than a numerical evaluation against the rest of the nation of how your regular season went. Judging only teams that have made each of the last four NCAA Tournaments, and assigning a sum based on adding up a program’s seed each year, only Kansas and Duke have been better than the Buckeyes.

Team, Total (Seed by year '13, '12, '11, '10)

1. Kansas, 5 (1,2,1,1)

2. Duke, 6 (2,2,1,1)

3. Ohio State, 7 (2,2,1,2)

4. Syracuse, 9 (4,1,3,1)

5. Georgetown, 14 (2,3,6,3)

6. Wisconsin, 17 (5,4,4,4)

7. Louisville, 18 (1,4,4,9)

8. Michigan State, 19 (3, 1, 10, 5)

9. Kansas State, 19 (4,8,5,2)

10. Florida, 22 (3,7,2,10)

Ohio State, which has plunged from No. 3 in the rankings to out of the AP poll, has problems. Some good Ohio kids are playing elsewhere. A shooter that would have helped transferred. The big men can still be inconsistent, though they are playing better lately.

But there are problems everywhere. The Buckeyes are one of four programs, along with Kansas, Duke and Syracuse, to earn a top four seed in the NCAA Tournament for four straight years.

The home loss to last-place Penn State on Jan. 29, the worst loss of Thad Matta's 10 years in Columbus, followed the road loss Jan. 20 at Nebraska which at that time was arguably Matta's worst loss. But rock bottom is so much worse than 18-5 and 5-5. The Buckeyes aren’t out of the woods, though they’ll play five of their final eight regular-season games at home, and the three road games (Illinois, Penn State, Indiana) are against teams in the bottom half of the Big Ten.

"The fact you won two games on the road and you're coming home I know means absolutely nothing if you aren't ready to play at the level you need to play at," Matta said.

He needs to say things like that because there are no guarantees with this team, which can make scoring seem so difficult. But when a potential 3-7 Big Ten record was staring them in the face, they responded.

"I think people are just tired of losing, so in those situations we had a lot of people step up," Ross said of the last moments at Wisconsin and Iowa. "I think it was just a combination of guys not accepting losing anymore and guys stepping up to the plate."

Frankly, the Buckeyes are probably overdue for a stepback season, the kind that struck Kentucky last season, when the Wildcats, a year removed from a national title, missed the NCAA Tournament and lost in the first round of the NIT. It was quite a cautionary tale to any program and fan base that might think itself impervious to the possibility of falling off a cliff for a year.

“If you look at that Kentucky team, that was like a whole new group of guys that came in,” Ross said.

OSU guard Shannon Scott pointed out that young Kentucky team was for the most part new to real problems, and when it hit some bumps, the players didn’t seem to know what to do.

Ross said chemistry and toughness is what helps avoid big stepback seasons like that. For a team with two seniors and four juniors among its top six players, maybe it was a surprise that a 1-5 skid came along at all. But if it happens, that’s the kind of group you want when trying to pull out of it.

“We’ve all been through highs and lows here,” Scott said.

But not that low. Asked how often in his previous nine years he reached the end of the season and thought his team, overall, was really not as good as it could have been, Matta paused. This wasn't talking about February bumps, or an Elite Eight loss to Wichita State last season, or the blown chance in the Final Four against Kansas in 2012, or the 2011 team as a No. 1 seed shooting itself out of the tournament in the Sweet 16 against Kentucky.

This was about stepback years.

"I would say I've been pretty satisfied with what we've gotten out of each team," Matta said. "In '08, I didn't like how that team progressed through (the season) – it was more of a mindset, I think, just immaturity. But for those guys to finish the way they did and win the NIT was kind of like, 'Wow, that was pretty good.'"

That was the only season in Matta's OSU career when he had a team eligible for the NCAA Tournament and didn't make it. For a while last week, it was the comparison for this team.

Ohio State is probably due for that kind of team. Even if the Buckeyes beat Purdue and string some wins together to end the regular season, they almost certainly aren't going to win the Big Ten. They almost certainly aren't going to be a top-two seed in the NCAA Tournament again.

But that would just make them like almost every other team in the nation when it comes to navigating a long season from year-to-year. Recently, in that regard, Ohio State has been one of the best.

Ohio Deputy Inspector General Carl Enslen said Friday a controversial decision to absolve 16 wildlife officers of filing inaccurate time sheets was wrongfully made by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Ohio Deputy Inspector General Carl Enslen said Friday a controversial decision to absolve 16 wildlife officers of filing inaccurate time sheets was wrongfully made by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

Enslen said his office has the power to investigate the officers, but not to reinstate or punish them and was not part of the decision to absolve the officers. He questioned the ODNR decision to clear them after the inspector general’s report compared time sheets with deer-harvest records to determine the officers were hunting on the clock. None of the officers agreed to be interviewed by the inspector general, but did cooperate with the ODNR.

“Wrongful acts were committed,” said Enslen. “If an ODNR official wants to now say new information has been found to show the officers were on the job, then the leadership at ODNR failed to cooperate fully with the inspector general’s investigation, as required by law.”

ODNR Communications Director Bethany McCorkle said her agency “cooperated fully with the inspector general’s office. We handed them all of the information they asked for. That included added findings we got from interviewing the officers after (the inspector general’s) investigation.”

The 16 were among 18 wildlife officers being investigated by the inspector general for hunting while on the clock with the Ohio Division of Wildlife. After six weeks of working behind a desk at various district offices of the ODOW instead of afield during hunting seasons, the officers were cleared on Monday by the ODNR. One of the original 18 had retired. Wildlife Officer Jim Carnes of Highland County is still under investigation.

The ODNR reported the time sheets were inaccurate, and therefore unverifiable. The culture at the ODOW required officers to list five 8-hour days, or a "straight 8," every week, no matter what hours were actually worked, according to a spokesman with the Ohio Fraternal Order of Police.

“Our job was to investigate a complaint that the officers were improperly hunting when they were supposed to be working, and we were doing that,” said Enslen. “The question had become whether the procedure in place (at ODOW) was not right. The ODNR has already begun to resolve that.

“If ODNR officials are insisting the records provided to the inspector general by the ODNR were incomplete or wrong, and the actions of the officers was fine, then it only makes sense to say the timekeeping procedures used by ODNR were wrongfully flawed. And ODNR officials were wrongfully permitting the officers to create inaccurate records.”

We tackle every inch of the Cleveland Indians' roster, the AL Central and more in our annual Spring Training preview roundtable. Watch video

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Ignore the bone-chilling temperatures, the obtrusive snow mounds and that devious groundhog, who promised another six weeks of winter woe. Spring (training) is just about here.

The Indians' pitchers and catchers are required to report to Goodyear, Ariz., on Tuesday, with the rest of the squad joining in the following days.

Before we venture to warmer pastures to cover the Tribe, we filmed our annual spring training preview roundtable. We split the heap of analysis, forecasting and discussion into nine innings, as Paul Hoynes, Dennis Manoloff and Zack Meisel broke down the Indians' roster heading into the start of the 2014 campaign.

In the first inning -- seen in the video above -- the guys provide an off-season review, as they assess the organization's winter transactions. Have the Indians been too quiet in the free agent market? Do they have another move up their sleeve?

In the second inning, the guys dissect the starting rotation. Is Justin Masterson a legitimate ace? How much can be expected from Danny Salazar in his first full big league season? After injuries slowed down the promising seasons of Corey Kluber and Zach McAllister, what can be expected of the pair of right-handers in 2014?

The starting rotation proved -- to the surprise of many -- to be the team's strength a year ago. Will it remain that way this season?

In the third inning, the guys evaluate the competition for the No. 5 spot in the starting rotation. Which contender -- between Carlos Carrasco, Josh Tomlin and Trevor Bauer -- will come out on top, and what happens to those who don't get the job? Would Carrasco or Tomlin fit into the bullpen?

Has Carrasco matured enough mentally to warrant the opening? Has Bauer turned the corner, as Francona and pitching coach Mickey Callaway have contended?

In the fourth inning, the guys analyze the competition for the starting third base gig. Does Carlos Santana have a realistic shot at starting at the hot corner? What is in the best interest of both Santana and the Indians? Can Santana handle the new position and still maintain his potent bat?

What would that mean for former first-round draft pick Lonnie Chisenhall? Is it merely a tactic to light a fire under the young infielder?

In the fifth inning, the guys project the type of seasons in store for the rest of the team's infielders, including Yan Gomes, Nick Swisher, Jason Kipnis and Asdrubal Cabrera. Are Swisher and Cabrera due for bounce-back years? Can Gomes maintain his offensive production over a 162-game schedule? Does Kipnis still have potential left to tap?

Will playing first base every day help to keep Swisher healthy? Cabrera can become a free agent at season's end. Will that motivate him to rebound?

In the sixth inning, the guys explore the Indians' outfield and bench. How will manager Terry Francona divvy up the at-bats for right fielders David Murphy and Ryan Raburn? Is center fielder Michael Bourn past his prime?

Could Nyjer Morgan -- he of the multiple identities -- or Jeff Francoeur factor into the equation? How will the bench shape out, and how much of it depends on the third base competition?

In the seventh inning, the guys evaluate the Indians' revamped bullpen, which includes a slew of new faces following the departures of Chris Perez, Joe Smith, Matt Albers and Rich Hill. How will John Axford fare as closer? Can Bryan Shaw and Cody Allen lock down the late innings?

Where does Vinnie Pestano fit? Can the Indians rely on their crop of left-handed relievers after years of inconsistency from pitchers in that role?

In the eighth inning, the guys assess the American League Central. Are the Tigers, without Prince Fielder and Doug Fister, still the team to beat? Is Detroit better equipped with new closer Joe Nathan and second baseman Ian Kinsler in the fold?

Have the Indians or Royals closed the talent gap? Francona referred to Kansas City as the team to watch in the division. How will the AL Central play out?

In the ninth inning, the guys forecast whether the Indians will exceed the 92 wins they amassed last season, as they analyze why Francona said it's so much more difficult to go from 92 to 95 wins than it was to go from 68 to 92.

Will the team be better or worse in 2014, and will that reflect in the win column? Where do they fit in the American League landscape?

Cavaliers coach Mike Brown had a tough day on Thursday when the team fired his good friend and general manager Chris Grant.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Cavaliers coach Mike Brown admitted it was tough to see his good friend, former general manager Chris Grant, get fired on Thursday.

"Because of the friendship, there's an added personal effect to the whole situation,'' Brown said Friday morning after the team shootaround at Verizon Center. Brown and Grant were teammates at the University of San Diego.

All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving was ill and did not participate. His participation in tonight's game against the Wizards will be a game-time decision.

But Brown and players talked about how the team felt on Thursday.

"It was a very tough situation," Brown said. "Chris was great, worked his tail off, worked very hard, was innovative, creative, didn't leave any stones unturned. It was tough.

"We've communicated. He's taking it like a professional. He knows it's a tough business and it's part of the business, but he understands the business also."

Asked if he felt guilty that the team's performance cost Grant, Brown said, "No matter what, we're all accountable. Part of it, you do feel -- especially how close we are -- there's a little bit more coming my way than maybe anybody else."

Brown earned a strong endorsement from owner Dan Gilbert on Thursday despite the team's 16-33 record.

"You appreciate it, but the only thing I can control is working to get this team better, working on our execution on both ends of the floor," the coach said. "That's my primary focus."

C.J. Miles and Dion Waiters appreciated Grant.

"I can’t speak for everybody, but for me, CG gave me a chance," said Miles, who signed a two-year free-agent deal with the team in 2012. "He brought me here to come in and remind people I could still play. He was a great guy, good dude outside of business, too.

"He did some good things for myself, helped me out a lot as far as coming here, presenting me with the opportunity to play basketball, start something new and start something exciting. I thank him for that."

Added Waiters, "Everybody was saddened by it. Some of it you think, 'Is it our fault for the way we've been playing that a man lost his job?' A lot goes into consideration when you think about those type of things, especially for a guy who believed in me and made my dreams come true.

"I don't know how other people feel, but I know how I feel at the end of the day. I feel part of that is because of us, how we've been playing as a team. What could we have done different? Some people may not feel like that. Some people may be sad. I can't tell you. I just know the vibe. It was shocking to everybody. I don't know how people are taking it. For me, CG had a soft spot in my heart.

"So at the end of the day, I'm going to go out there and play every game like it's my last, like I've been doing. It's frustrating to be losing the way we are but I think everybody's going to come today with the mindset of getting the win and just trying to compete out there. It's not forever. That's one thing I had to realize. You're not always going to be able to play this game. At the end of the day go out there and play the game if you're mad or not. We've just got to go out there and try to get wins and pull this thing together and all come together as one."

Cavs at Wizards

Probable starting lineups: Cavs -- F Luol Deng, F Tristan Thompson, C Anderson Varejao, G Jarrett Jack, G Kyrie Irving. Wizards -- F Trevor Ariza, F Nene, C Marcin Gortat, G Bradley Beal, G John Wall.

Injuries: Cavs -- Irving (illness) is a game-time decision. Carrick Felix is out with a left patella stress fracture. Wizards -- Al Harrington (right knee surgery) is out.

Officials: Monty McCutcheon, Eric Dalen, Kevin Scott.

Up next for Cavs: Vs. Memphis on Sunday.

BROOKLYN, Ohio -- The Olmsted Falls hockey team battled back late but West Geauga held on for a 4-3 win in the Baron Cup III semifinals on Saturday at John M. Coyne Recreation Center.  The Wolverines will advance to the championship round on Sunday at 1 p.m. 

BROOKLYN, Ohio -- The Olmsted Falls hockey team battled back late but West Geauga held on for a 4-3 win in the Baron Cup III semifinals on Saturday at John M. Coyne Recreation Center. 

The Wolverines will advance to the championship round on Sunday at 1 p.m. 

Tate Georgevitch gave the Wolverines a 1-0 lead with an unassisted goal with 10:47 to play in the first period. Lightning struck again for the West Geauga at almost the exact same point in the second frame. 

Tom Karrisson scored with 10:45 left in the second on a goal that, like the one by Georgevitch, was also unassisted. 

Olmsted Falls got on the board with 8:24 left in the second when Steve Wilk's shot deflected off the glove of West Geauga goalie Brenden Judson and found its way across the goal line. Jake Norman assisted. 

Both teams began to play with more physicality late in the second period and that style carried over into the third. 

Karisson scored his second goal of the frame with 3:33 left on the clock. James Kern and Andrew Todaro assisted. 

A scuffle in front of the Bulldogs' goal resulted in the Wolverines' goal for Kelly and an assist for Kern, his second of the game. Karisson also assisted on the score. 

Norman scored on a backhand shot a little more than two minutes into the third period. Brady Wertman provided the assist. 

Olmsted Falls got a score on a controversial call with 1:15 to play as a shot by Wilk was ruled it crossed goal line just before the referee's whistle blew play dead. 

The Bulldogs battled to the end, even playing the last moments with an empty net to give themselves an extra scoring threat but West Geauga's defense held strong. 

Note: This post will be updated with quotes, more details and a video. 

Italy's No. 1 seed Karin Knapp topped USA's No. 2 seed Christina McHale, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 in the first match of the day.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Italy's No. 1 seed Karin Knapp pushed her country to an early lead in the best-of-five Fed Cup by taking a 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 match victory over United States No. 2 seed Christina McHale.

Knapp began with strong groundstrokes that propelled her to an early first-set lead. But McHale came to life in the second set by breaking Knapp's serve in the third game, and cruising with a hearty and loud Cleveland crowd behind her.

But the third set was all Knapp as she displayed why she was Italy's No. 1 seed in this Fed Cup tie. McHale managed to win just the fifth game of the set before succumbing.

The United States' No. 1 seed, Madison Keys, takes on Italy's No. 2 seed, Camila Giorgi, in the second match Saturday at Cleveland's Public Auditorium.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – After one round of the state wrestling dual team tournament Saturday, three Northeast Ohio teams are still standing. Division I St. Edward and Brecksvlle-Broadview Heights, and Division II Perry all advanced to the semifinal round, which were scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m., but were pushed back due to the quarterfinals running long. Finals are scheduled...

COLUMBUS, Ohio – After one round of the state wrestling dual team tournament Saturday, three Northeast Ohio teams are still standing.

Division I St. Edward and Brecksvlle-Broadview Heights, and Division II Perry all advanced to the semifinal round, which were scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m., but were pushed back due to the quarterfinals running long. Finals are scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

Perry ousted Padua in the quarterfinals, 48-15. Rootstown was eliminated by Tuslaw, 44-24.

In the Division I semifinals, No. 4 seed St. Edward faces No. 1 Massillon Perry in a rematch of last season's championship dual, won by the Eagles. No. 3 Brecksville-Broadview Heights faces No. 2 Moeller on the other half of the bracket.

In Division II, No. 3 Perry faces Claymont in a rematch of last season's quarterfinal, which the Pirates lost. Top-seeded St Paris Graham faces No. 4 Toledo Central Catholic in the other semifinal.

Click here to follow live updates on today's matches from Northeast Ohio Media Group reporters Scott Patsko and Nathaniel Cline.

In Division III, the semifinals feature No. 1 Delta vs. No. 4 Tuslaw and No. 2 Dayton Christian vs. No. 3 West Salem Northwestern.

St. Edward defeated No. 5 Oregon Clay in its quarterfinal, 35-20. The Eagles trailed 17-16 after nine matches, but then won four of the last five to retake the lead and pull away.

Pins by Jared Campbell (195) and Parker Knapp (220) secured the victory. The Eagles finished with a 9-5 advantage in match victories. 

Brecksville beat Mason, 36-25. The Bees fell behind early in after the Comets opened with two pins, but the they won 10 of the next 11 matches before forfeiting 285. A technical fall by Josh Murphy (195) clinched the win.

After the loss to Perry, Padua coach Dave Morell said facing the Pirates would be a challenge for his young guys.

"(Perry has) seasoned wrestlers, a great group of upperclassmen and also knew they didn’t lose anyone from that state runner-up team,” Morell said. "I knew drawing them in the opening round we were going to have some difficulties.”

Rootstown rallied twice against Tuslaw, drawing within 20-18, then 26-24 after a pin by Travis Linton (182). But the Mustangs won the final three matches to pull away. Brad Trescott (113) and Zack Ladich (160) also had pins for the Rovers.

State Wrestling Dual Team Tournament

Quarterfinal results

Alonzo Gee's two big dunks over the Wizards energized the Cavaliers in Friday's 115-113 victory on Friday night in Washington.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Cavaliers were in the process of pulling away from the Washington Wizards on Friday night in the Verizon Center, and little-used Alonzo Gee was a big part of the reason why.

In addition to his always steady defense, Gee picked some key spots to deliver on offense. His driving layup with 9:08 left in the fourth quarter gave the Cavs their biggest lead of the night at 101-87. A few minutes later, he threw down his second monster dunk of the evening, bringing Kyrie Irving and the rest of his teammates off the bench in celebration.

"I just want to dunk as hard as I can, get the crowd going, get our team going,'' Gee said, laughing. "It helped us win the game.''

Coach Mike Brown singled out Gee for his contributions. Gee finished with a season-high 11 points and seven rebounds in 26:53, his longest stint since he played 34 minutes in a 114-111 victory over Milwaukee on Dec. 20.

"I thought Alonzo Gee was big off the bench giving us great energy defensively and then offensively I think he had a big 3 [in the second quarter], he had a couple putback dunks," Brown said after the game. "I thought he was real key or instrumental in terms of bringing it for us and helping us execute, especially defensively as the game went along."

After starting at small forward earlier this season, Gee had fallen out of the rotation since the arrival of Luol Deng on Jan. 7. But that didn't change the way he practiced or prepared, so when an ill Deng and couldn't play on Friday, Gee was ready.

"After the games, before the games, I'm in the gym with the coaches,'' Gee said. "We work on my game every day. That keeps me going and keeps me ready.''

How badly did the Cavs need the victory after six straight losses and 10 days of controversy?

"We needed it bad,'' Gee admitted. "We always want to win. This was a good win for us. We need to keep building and keep learning from this win.''

Gee, incidentally, is sporting a new beard that may become a permanent fixture.

"I can't shave it now,'' he said after the game. "Everybody seems to like it. I might keep it for a while. If we keep getting wins, I might keep it.''

Bynum speaks: Though he declined an interview with The Plain Dealer last week, former Cavs center Andrew Bynum talked to Indianapolis reporters on Friday about what happened during his short time with the franchise. He was suspended one game on Dec. 28 for conduct detrimental to the team and then traded to Chicago, along with three draft picks, for Luol Deng on Jan. 7.

"It wasn't that it didn't work (in Cleveland)," Bynum told reporters in Indiana. "It's just the atmosphere over there wasn't the one that kind of promoted positive energy in wanting to come in and really — it was just tough at the end of the day.

"There's really nothing to be said about it. They did everything they could for me and I went there and worked hard, got myself into shape and that was the goal."

Cavaliers vs. Memphis

Time: 6 p.m. Sunday at The Q.

TV/radio: Fox Sports Ohio, WTAM/AM 1100.

Notable: First of two meetings between the teams. … The Cavs, 17-33, are coming off a 115-113 win at Washington on Friday, but have lost their last three home games, and five of their last six, to fall to 11-13 at The Q. … Memphis, playing the second game of a back-to-back after Saturday's game at Atlanta, began the weekend 26-22, 13-8 on the road. … The Cavs have lost their last four against the Grizzlies.