Saturday, Jan. 11, 2020: Davenport's Preston picks up 700th career victory

   Leading off today: Davenport girls basketball coach Ray Preston registered career victory No. 700 on Friday as the Wildcats rolled past Jefferson 55-14.

   Preston spent about 20 minutes after the game taking pictures with past players, families and other supporters.

   "I enjoy the kids, I enjoy the teaching aspect of it," said Preston, who began coaching in 1978. "Like I tell the girls, 'If I didn't like you guys, I wouldn't be here.'"

   His basketball teams have won 28 league championships and nine Section 4 crowns, reaching two NYSPHSAA title games. He is second to Irvington's Gina Maher (733 victories) on the New York State Public High School Athletic Association wins list. (Jane Morris, in her 47th season at Cardinal Spellman of the CHSAA, is the overall state leader at 800-plus wins.)

   Preston also won 426 girls soccer games and 24 division titles in 32 seasons before relinquishing those responsibilities after the 2013 season.

   When asked about the key to success, Preston focused on expectations.

   "My big thing is I have expectations," Preston said. "I have certain expectations and I want them to work at it as much as I want to see them get to that point."

   "He helps in so many ways people can't even understand," Jenna Lubbers said after finishing with 14 points in the win. "He really connects with all the girls he works with."

   Boys basketball: Fifth-ranked St. Raymond avenged an earlier loss to No. 2 Archbishop Stepinac with a 93-68 romp in CHSAA Class AA action.

   Senior Luis Kortright scored a game-high 33 points and Reggie Hudson chipped in with 21.

   Stepinac, playing without injured junior standout Adrian Griffin Jr., struggled against constant defensive pressure that fed a potent transition game. St. Raymond, has been playing for a month without injured senior star Gary Grant, whose return could come next weekend.

   "The fact that we were able to have so much success in Gary's absence gave us confidence as a team," St. Raymond coach Jorge Lopez said. "We're dying to get him back on the court. We can't wait to get him back."

   Program leader: Though just a sophomore, J.J. Starling is now the all-time leading scorer in boys basketball at Baldwinsville with 1,081 career points. The 6-foot-2 guard broke the mark of Brett Botsford by scoring 18 points during his team's 58-47 loss to Syracuse Henninger.

   Starling already possesses a slew of scholarship offers, including St. John's, Syracuse and Washington.

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   Hockey showdown: James Tilley's goal 3:13 into the third period broke a tie and carried Victor to a 2-1 triumph against Fairport.

   Sam Bresson also scored for the Blue Devils, who got 16 saves from Pieter Bartelse.

   Victor was ranked first in the state and Fairport third in Division I by the New York State Sportswriters Association this week. (Full rankings here.)

   Wrestling: Maxx DeCapua of newburgh won his 200th career wrestling match during 220-pound competition on Friday but was pulled from the quarterfinals of the Eastern States Classic as a precautionary measure.

   DeCapua had placed eighth and sixth at the Eastern States Classic the past two seasons.

   Working again: Former Gates Chili basketball coach Terry Nowden has been hired as head coach of the Rochester Razorsharks in the Premier Basketball League.

   Nowden was dismissed at his alma mater before the season after he traveled with fellow coaches and students to Cleveland to watch an NFL game. Nowden said he and other adults on the trip drank beer at the game, which subsequently cost him his job following a district investigation.

   Nowden replaces Troy Jackson, who had been introduced by the Razorsharks as their new head coach in August.

   Threat against ex-WNY star: A reported death threat directed toward University of Louisville basketball star forward Jordan Nwora is being investigated by authorities.

   Nwora, who had a stellar career at Park School, said someone had threatened him late last month after a disappointing showing during an overtime loss to Kentucky.

   "I had somebody message me and say they wanted to kill me over a $15 bet," Nwora said. "It's a $15 bet. If that's what you're worried about, you've got more issues."

   cardinals coach Chris Mack said the incident is being investigated by "the proper people and the authorities here at Louisville." A spokesman for the basketball program said he was not sure to whom the threat was reported.

   "It's sad to say it doesn't surprise me anymore. People are wild on social media," Mack said. "It's just the way of the world. It's a little sad -- it's really sad -- but it doesn't surprise me in the least anymore. That part's sad to say."

   Or, in the words of the football coach at Fairport:

Twitter, social media is powerful. With such power comes responsibility! Why? Because reading someone else's “thoughts” directly accesses our subconscious. We must use this space for GOOD.

— Marc Vitticore (@MarcVitticore) January 11, 2020