Sidelines

KUDOS
+ Yanez wins USTA Florida Winter Championships
Eleven-year-old Nikki Yanez competed in the Level 3 USTA Florida Winter Championships the weekend of Jan. 17 and won five matches, winning 60 sets and dropping just seven sets.

Yanez is the No. 2 tennis player in the state in her age group and the No. 4 tennis player in the country in her age group.

The Level 3 tournament happens twice a year and is the highest level for all USTA events.

Yanez has been playing tennis for two years and trains at the Sarasota Racquet Club.

+ Local teams spar on the mat at tournament
Sarasota Military Academy and Booker and Sarasota high schools competed against 10 other schools in the Ryan Bidwell Memorial Tournament Jan. 24. Booker’s Romello Burke took first place in the 285-pound weight class.

Sarasota Military’s Denzel Hurley placed second at 285, while Booker had a second-place finisher with Damon Golden at 220 pounds.

Booker’s John Kincaid placed fourth at 120, with Sarasota Military’s Billy Sadlo finishing third at 145; Xavier Miller fourth at 132; Dalton Burton fifth at 170; Davis Ullrich sixth at 106; and Mason Gordon sixth at 182.

+ McMahon gets kudos on national level
College basketball analyst Dick Vitale was quoted during the Kentucky and South Carolina men’s college basketball game Saturday giving credit to Cardinal Mooney’s Ryan McMahon, who scored a season-high 37 points Friday night in the Cougars’ 72-74 loss to Tampa Jesuit.

“Let me tell you this, there’s no substitute for kids who can make shots. I want guys who can make shots. I got a kid where we live in Sarasota, Ryan McMahon, he had 37 last night. He goes for 8 of 10 against people making threes. I mean, there’s no substitute for that. Man, you got to make shots if you want to win.”

+ Grand Prix teams compete in Qatar Cup
Three area powerboat race teams will be traveling to Doha, Qatar, to compete in the second annual Qatar Cup from Feb. 4 through Feb. 7.

Those three teams round out the 11 teams from the United States competing in the Qatar Cup.

The race will include 45 boats and 30 Jet Skis from around the world in a three-day event.

Along with the thousands of spectators expected to turn out for the event, there will be promotions in Qatar for the 31st annual Sarasota Powerboat Grand Prix Festival, which takes place July 4 and July 5.