Give it up for Orlando Magic forward Matt Barnes, who like it or not deserves a ton of credit for helping the home team escape Amway Arena on Sunday with a 96-94 win over Kobe Bryant and the defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers.

Following a 66-59 win over Barry in the Sunshine State Conference title game, the No. 17 Rollins men’s basketball team makes its ninth trip to the NCAA Division II Tournament. Myk Brown earned SSC Tournament Most Outstanding Player.

In front of family and friends at UCF Arena, former Olympia standout Dexter Fields played his best collegiate basketball game to date. Fields drained four 3-pointers and went 1-for-2 at the line in helping UAB notch a victory over the Knights.

In the third game between these two rivals, the comeback attempt for Edgewater was not enough as Winter Park’s Brett Comer dropped 23 points to help the Wildcats move to the region finals – on Saturday at Jacksonville First Coast – with a 70-59 win.

After least week’s tournament-opening win on the road against the No. 2 team in the state, the No. 1 Winter Park Wildcats look poised to be in the running for a Class 6A state title. That is if they can escape Edgewater with a win on Tuesday.

Recent wins over Barry and Tampa a week ago kept the men’s basketball team at Rollins College – ranked No. 18 in Division II – atop the Sunshine State Conference standings with a 20-4 mark overall and an 11-2 record in league play.

A week ago the women’s basketball team at Rollins College upended No. 14 Tampa after three previous attempts to notch a win against a Division II Top-25 team. The Lady Tars currently sit at No. 2 in the Sunshine State Conference.

Magic center Dwight Howard made several big plays Sunday night at the NBA All-Star Game as he teamed up with coach Stan Van Gundy to help lead the East to a narrow 141-139 win over the West at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Local pro sports teams are hosting a variety of events throughout the area over the next two months as the Predators hold tryouts, the Titans put on a lacrosse clinic, and the Magic keep kids busy over spring break with basketball camps.

District tournaments are in full swing for local boys basketball teams as the likes of Winter Park and Edgewater look to advance to states. On Saturday, the 6A-4 title will be decided and the Eagles and Wildcats are the favorites to play for it.