am Phillips. Joris Daudet of France, the reigning world champion, also got knocked

Wigan saw off a second-half fightback from Catalans Dragons as they ground out a 12-6 win in the opening round of Super League. St.Louis Blues Gear . Michael McIlorum scored two tries to give the Warriors a 10-0 lead at half-time at the DW Stadium on Friday night, and though Dragons hit back with a try of their own within three minutes of the start of the second half, the visitors were unable to orchestrate a famous fightback in their first outing of the new campaign.Matty Smith then added a penalty to close out a game that was plagued by poor weather from the outset. The heavens had opened in the minutes that led to kick-off, and the weather remained a constant damper on the game throughout.It was the Dragons who were most bothered by the slippery conditions initially, as handling errors eroded several attacking opportunities. Ben Flower is tackled by Jason Baitieri of Catalans Dragons McIlorum then opened the scoring when one such handling error from the visitors saw the ball spilled right in front of their line in the tackle, and the hooker pounced to cross the whitewash. The video referee was asked to check that there had been no foul play to free the ball but he confirmed there had been none, and Wigan led 4-0 after the conversion was missed.Catalans were not deterred in their desire to play running rugby, but perhaps should have been, as more handling errors decorated their opening quarter.The Perpignan sides problems were then compounded when McIlorum scored his second. The Warrior passed to George Williams, who stepped the defence before offloading to McIlorum in support, with the latter diving over for the try. Matty Smith slotted the conversion to give his side a 10-point lead. Wigans Michael McIlorum scores his second try against the Dragons The Dragons threatened to come back into it but the Wigan defence was resolute in the mud, and the visitors were unable put any kind of dent in the deficit as the score remained 10-0 at half-time.However, Catalans started the second half with purpose, and Richie Myler spotted a gap behind the defence early on to put a perfectly weighted kick into the in-goal area.Wigans Lewis Tierney looked comfortable in his attempt to shepherd the ball out, but Justin Horo squeezed through and grounded the ball to hand former Wigan star Pat Richards an important conversion attempt. The conversion was sent over, and it looked like Catalans were back in the game. Reaction from man-of-the-match Michael McIlorum, Warriors coach Shaun Wane and Catalans counterpart Laurent Frayssinous They continued to grow into the encounter, looking the more threatening of the two sides for long periods, but the Warriors defence held out to frustrate the opposition.When the Dragons were penalised in front of the poles in the 54th minute, Matty Smith opted to kick for goal and landed the opportunity to take a 12-6 lead.The pressure seemed to tell for the Dragons, who then began to suffer again from the handling errors that kept them out in the first half, and with conditions deteriorating even further, neither side was able to add another score.Watch Wigan in Super League action away to Huddersfield next Friday, live on Sky Sports 1 HD from 7.30pm. Catalans host Hull FC on Saturday, February 13, live on Sky Sports 3 HD from 4.55pm. Blues Jerseys China .ca NBA Power Rankings, ahead of the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs. St.Louis Blues Pro Shop . Jeff Green scored 13 points and Kris Humphries 12 for the Celtics, who nearly blew an 18-point, second-half lead. Sullingers 20-20 was the first by a Celtics player since Kevin Garnetts first game in Boston in 2007. Garnett was dealt -- along with Paul Pierce -- to Brooklyn during the off-season. https://www.cheapblues.com/ . -- Arizona knocked off some quality opponents, rolled over a few overmatched ones and grinded out victories even when things didnt go so well. RIO DE JANEIRO -- In the unpredictable sport of BMX cycling, where races last just about 40 seconds, a strong start means a lot.Get to the front after the first turn, and theres a good chance a rider will be able to avoid the kind of wreck-filled chaos that marked the action in the mens quarterfinal round at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics on a breezy afternoon.Its always the key, Australias Sam Willoughby said, but especially ... when its windy like this and theres carnage out there.An early lead will come in handy for riders in the mens and womens semifinals beginning Friday afternoon, with the medal races later in the day.Willoughby is on a roll headed into the semis after winning all three of his heats in the quarters on Thursday . Australian teammate Anthony Dean also had a strong quarterfinal round, while the United States and the Netherlands each sent all three of their cyclists into the mens semis.We dont have lanes and its a full-contact sport, so the start is very important, Willoughby, the 2012 silver medalist, said this week. To get out front at the first corner, you can run your own race from there and create your own destiny a bit.Its tough enough just to have a chance to lead the pack after the first turn.The action begins with cyclists released from a starting gate at the top of a ramp three stories tall. They pedal furiously down the ramp and pick up speed to jump hills and maneuver through turns on the roughly quarter mile--long course. St.Louis Blues Shirts. .S. rider Alise Post said she thinks riders reach a speed of 35 to 40 mph just a few seconds into the race. Theres no suspension on the bikes, either.Its very demanding for sure, Post said.The series of jumps after the starting ramp leads into the wide first turn. Inside position is important. Stay out in front and there is a greater likelihood that a rider wont get caught up in the pack of cyclists desperately trying to catch up.And this all might happen in a span of 10 seconds, maybe less.The alternative is to scramble from behind, which isnt uncommon, though less desirable.A contenders day can end in a hurry. In the quarterfinals on Thursday, two-time gold medalist Maris Strombergs barely missed the cut after getting set back from a crash in his first heat that also involved Britains Liam Phillips. Joris Daudet of France, the reigning world champion, also got knocked out after crashing.Theres still 800 feet of track that you cant mess up on ... because seven guys will pass you, no problem, U.S. rider Nic Long said. Its never easy. But yeah, winning to the first jump, the winning to the second jump, then winning the first turn, makes winning to the finish line that much easier.---Online:AP Summer Games: http://summergames.ap.org/---Follow Genaro Armas at: https://twitter.com/GArmasAP ' ' '