Crown

Last year's chase for the Triple Crown ended when trainer Doug O'Neill stepped to a microphone stand in a patch of fenced-in grass next to a barn near the Belmont Park track. Brushing back tears, he announced that a tendon injury would prevent I'll Have Another - the 12th horse to win the first two legs of the Triple Crown since Affirmed last completed the trifecta in 1978 - from going to post the next day. On Saturday, a full field of 20 is expected for the 139th running of the Kentucky Derby and to begin the quest anew.

No. 7 Loyola took great joy in snapping a 13-game losing skid to No. 13 Johns Hopkins with Saturday's 8-4 victory. But even happier times could just be down the road. Saturday's win may have further strengthened the reigning national champion's pursuit of an at-large berth to the NCAA tournament regardless of what occurs in the Eastern College Athletic Conference tournament being held at Hobart in Geneva, N.Y. later this week. According to Laxpower.com which compiles its own Rating Percentage Index (RPI)

When Heat Press last ran in Maryland, he finished third in a three-horse race. Yet his owner - the same man who managed to turn the idea of quick-drying fabric into an athletic apparel empire that brought in nearly $2 billion in revenue last year - spent much of Monday touting the horse's chances against the best 3-year-olds in the country. Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank has never been one to pay the odds much mind. On Monday, he bounced from interview to interview, assuring each camera and recorder of his faith in the inconsistent colt.

Reigning national champion Loyola's showdown with top-ranked Denver this Saturday at Ridley Athletic Complex will probably be the first of two meetings between these Eastern College Athletic Conference rivals and potentially the first of three contests. The No. 8 Greyhounds (9-2 overall and 5-0 in the league) and the Pioneers (9-2, 4-0) are vying for the top seed in the conference tournament, and a loss for either team will likely mean a No. 2 seed. But coach Charley Toomey said a victory would enhance Loyola's RPI, which is ranked 10th in the first list released by the NCAA.

  "Things happen for a reason. " Potomac's Nana Meriwether, the reigning Miss USA, says that a lot. Especially when she talks about the road she followed to her title: two runner-up finishes at the Miss California pageant before being crowned Miss Maryland last year; another second-place finish, this time in June's Miss USA competition; then - finally - the Miss USA crown, but only after the woman who beat her, 20-year-old Olivia Culpo...

Led by Tony Donatelli's hat trick, the Blast earned a victory Thursday night over the Missouri Comets in Game 1 of the MISL championship series. Ptah Myers, Adauto Neto and Machel Millwood added two goals each for the Blast, and goalkeeper William Vanzela recorded 18 saves. Game 2 is set for Saturday night at 1st Mariner Arena , with a deciding mini-game to be played immediately after regulation, if needed. The Comets are no strangers to an opening loss, having rallied in the semifinals to beat the Milwaukee Wave in Game 2 and the mini-game.

Aberdeen point guard Kierra Palmer doesn't usually have to carry the load for her teammates, but in Saturday night's Class 3A girls basketball championship, the sophomore played the key roles of leading scorer and defensive spark. In the title game rematch against a No. 10 River Hill team completely undaunted by their opponent's speed and quickness, Palmer sparked the late run that gave the No. 2 Eagles enough room to hold on for a 51-47 victory and their second straight state title at UMBC's RAC Arena.

With 6 minutes, 33 seconds left in a game tied at 33, Western Tech (19-6) had three starters on the bench, and hopes for a repeat trip to the state tournament looked problematic against host New Town (19-7). But the two remaining starters, Daija Coles and Autumn Tapley, and clutch performances by reserves Christina Spliedt, Ashley Gourdine and Bria Johnson helped the Wolverines girls basketball team outscore host New Town 13-9 the rest of the way en route to a 46-42 victory in the Class 1A North championship game.

Howard Thomas "Has" Sachs, a retired Crown Cork and Seal manager and a coach, died of Alzheimer's disease complications Feb. 24 at Anne Arundel Medical Center. He was 77 and lived in Pasadena. Born in Baltimore and raised on Sidney Avenue in Westport, he was a 1953 graduate of Southern High School, where he earned varsity letters in baseball, football and basketball. Family said he played on the same team as Al Kaline, a Westport friend who went on to play for the Detroit Tigers and is in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

For the second straight year, No. 1 McDonogh's Jack Clark is returning to Maryland as a National Prep wrestling champion. The junior won a 7-2 decision over freshman Mason Manville of Blair Academy (N.J.) in the championship at 145pounds for his second consecutive national title. Clark finished second at 130 pounds as a freshman in 2011. St. Paul's junior Jack Mutchnik (126) and McDonogh sophomore Myles Martin (160) also won titles, while St. Paul's sophomore Ryan Friedman (113)