Parella, Nasseri lead Ursuline over Spire

January 18, 2016 at 12:00a.m.

NORTH CANTON

Greg Parella had five 3-pointers among his game-high 24 points and Armon Nasseri added 23 points to power the Ursuline boys basketball team to a 71-53 victory over Spire Institute on Sunday.

Mathias Kelly led Spire Institute with 27 points.

The game was part of the Mercy Medical Center Classic at Hoover High School.

MLK tourney today at McKinley Lanes

NILES

Twenty boys and girls high school bowling teams are expected to compete today in the 13th annual McKinley Lanes Martin Luther King Bowling Invitational.

The tournament is set to begin at 10 a.m. at McKinley Lanes, 2666 Robbins Ave., Niles.

Correction: Nagy led J-M boys in scoring

NORTH JACKSON

Braden Nagy led Jackson- Milton with 14 points in the Bluejays’ 62-44 loss to Mathews in a boys basketball game on Saturday night.

Nagy’s name was omitted from a game report in Sunday’s Vindicator sports section.

United victory sparks talk of title challenge

LIVERPOOL, England

Manchester United relied on brilliant goalkeeping by David de Gea and a late, opportunistic finish by Wayne Rooney to snatch a 1-0 win at rival Liverpool on Sunday, sparking talk of an unlikely run at the Premier League title.

With Arsenal only drawing 0-0 at Stoke a few hours later to return to first place on goal difference above Leicester, United trimmed the gap to the leaders to seven points — with 16 matches still to play in one of the most erratic title races in years.

Talk of United even challenging for the title would been dismissed as fanciful at the end of 2015, when the team was on an eight-game winless run and manager Louis van Gaal’s future looked precarious.

Things look very different now.

“Our competitors (for the title) have lost points,” said Van Gaal, whose side climbed one place to fifth. “When the gap is like this, seven points, you can overcome that. We started 2016 very good, with a lot of wins and a draw, and we didn’t lose. I think this will give a big boost to players, fans, everyone in the environment of Manchester United.”

Finishing in the top four and qualifying for the Champions League is the minimum requirement for United, and Tottenham is only two points away in fourth place.

Barcelona’s Messi substituted at halftime

BARCELONA, Spain

Lionel Messi was substituted after suffering what Barcelona coach Luis Enrique called a “slight pain” during halftime of Barcelona’s 6-0 rout of 10-man Athletic Bilbao on Sunday.

Messi showed no signs of being slowed down as he helped Barcelona build a 2-0 lead after opening the scoring with a penalty in the seventh minute.

Luis Enrique replaced the Argentina playmaker with Arda Turan at halftime.

He said Messi “will have the necessary tests, but he has a slight pain. We preferred not to take a risk.”

Noah’s future with Bulls in doubt after injury

CHICAGO

Joakim Noah likely has played his last game this season. Now the question is whether the two-time All-Star has played his last game for the Chicago Bulls.

Noah dislocated his left shoulder Friday and will undergo surgery. The team estimates the recovery period at four to six months, which means his season is probably over.

The 30-year-old Noah also is in the final year of a five-year, $60 million contract and will be an unrestricted free agent after the season. Before the injury, there was talk the team would explore dealing the eight-year veteran.

Noah was moved to a reserve role by new coach Fred Hoiberg this season. He has been bothered by a variety of injuries the past two years and struggled on the court when healthy.

Staff and wire reports