Sister act in Sweet 16
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Karlie and Katie Lou Samuelson spent much of their youth in Huntington Beach dueling one another on the basketball court. They could do the same in the NCAA Tournament final, if things go well for their respective teams in the coming weeks.
Karlie, who played three seasons at Edison High before finishing at Mater Dei, is a 6-foot senior guard at No. 6-ranked Stanford (30-5), which meets Texas (25-8) in the Sweet 16 on Saturday at 6 p.m. at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky.
Katie Lou, who played one season at Edison, then three at Mater Dei, is a 6-3 sophomore guard-forward at top-ranked UConn (34-0), which faces UCLA (25-8) in the Sweet 16 on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. in Bridgeport, Conn.
If Stanford and UConn continue to advance, they would square off in the NCAA championship game, April 2 in Dallas.
Katie Lou is averaging 20.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists and, like her sister, is among the top shooters in the nation. The Gatorade National Player of the Year as a high school senior and named National Freshman of the Year last season by espnW, Katie Lou is shooting 43% from three-point range. Her 114 three-pointers this season are a school record.
She was 10 for 10 from threedom in the All-American Conference Tournament final on March 6, setting an NCAA Division I record for consecutive three-pointers in a game. She had 40 points in that game and was named tournament MVP.
Karlie averages 12.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists for the Cardinal. She has made 48.3% of her 180 three-point tries this season, which ranks second in the nation. In her last six NCAA Tournament games, she is 21 for 35 from three-point range (60%).
Karlie, then a sophomore, helped Stanford defeat UConn, 88-86, in November 2014. The victory halted UConn’s then-47-game winning streak and was the last time the four-time-defending NCAA champion Huskies lost a game.
UConn, which has won 11 NCAA titles under Coach Geno Auriemma and is competing to achieve its seventh unbeaten season, has won 109 straight.
Powell impresses
Former Orange Coast College outfielder Boog Powell is doing his best to expand his opportunities in the Seattle Mariners organization.
Still serving the tail end of an 80-game suspension from Major League Baseball imposed in June last year after testing positive for a banned steroid, Powell had an impressive spring training with the Mariners, before being optioned to Triple-A Tacoma on Friday.
In 16 spring games in Arizona, Powell was 15 for 26, a .577 batting average, with one double, one triple, six runs batted in and one stolen base.
Powell, 24, served a 50-game suspension after testing positive for amphetamines while in the Oakland A’s organization in 2014. He maintains that he did not knowingly take steroids and has said the process of clearing his name continues.
In five minor-league seasons, Powell has hit .301 with nine homers, 122 RBIs and 63 steals in 1,330 at-bats.
Last season before the suspension, he hit .270 with three homers, 27 RBIs and 10 steals in 64 games with Tacoma.
While unable to play at any level last season after the suspension, he hit .245 in 42 games in the Dominican Winter League.
Bergman making pitch
Former UC Irvine pitcher Christian Bergman is attempting to catch on as a non-roster invitee with the Mariners this spring.
Bergman, who was 7-9 with a 5.79 in parts of three seasons with the Colorado Rockies, including 15 starts in 55 appearances, led the Mariners with three saves this spring through Tuesday. But he had allowed 14 hits and eight earned runs in six innings (a 12.00 ERA), and opponents were hitting .452 against him.
Ex-Pirate plugging
Former OCC outfielder Bijan Rademacher has had six at-bats for the Chicago Cubs in spring training this year. He has one hit and one RBI, with one walk and three strikeouts.
In five minor league seasons, he has a combined 31 homers, 214 RBIs and has hit .285 in 1,624 at-bats.
At Triple-A Iowa last season, he hit .286 with one homer, eight RBIs and five doubles in 70 at-bats.
Twitter: @BarryFaulkner5
