Jim Meehan

Clarkston native Joel Dahmen capped a down-and-up round with three birdies over the last seven holes for a 1-under 69 at Hamilton Golf and Country Club. He shares fifth place at 9-under 201 with Tommy Fleetwood, Sam Burns and Trace Crowe.

Clarkston native Joel Dahmen carded a 5-under 65 Friday to move into contention at the RBC Canadian Open.

In the finest tradition of Drew Timme, Anton Watson and Julian Strawther, Michael Ajayi provided some deadline day drama for Gonzaga basketball followers before withdrawing his name from the NBA draft. Ajayi’s decision hit social media Wednesday afternoon, 6-plus hours before the withdrawal deadline for early entrants. ESPN’s Jonathan Givony’s was first with the news on X (formerly Twitter) and it was quickly reposted by Ajayi.

Gonzaga’s approach was different than the others. The Zags’ depth chart was pretty much set with four returning starters, including the backcourt of seniors Ryan Nembhard and Nolan Hickman, and the addition of three transfers, including 6-5 guards/wings Khalif Battle and Emmanuel Innocenti. GU was very interested in Smith but told the Seattle native up front it wanted him to redshirt for the upcoming season with the Zags’ senior-heavy roster and then have two seasons of eligibility remaining.

When she trailed by two shots or led by two shots, when it was raining sideways or the sun showed up on the back nine, Melia Cerenzia kept hitting quality golf shots and chatting with her playing partners. The West Valley sophomore brushed off tough weather conditions in the morning, stuck to her game plan and was rewarded with an individual 2A state championship trophy.

Connor Griffin is adding another interesting chapter to his unique career path in the sports world. Griffin, a Gonzaga walk-on forward in 2014-15 before walking on to the University of Washington football team, has landed an assistant coaching position with the NBA Brooklyn Nets.

Jalen Suggs posted career bests in scoring average and shooting percentages, but it was his tenacious defense that often was a tone-setter for the Orlando Magic. That didn’t go unnoticed around the NBA as Suggs on Tuesday was named to the All-Defensive second team

Area high school golfers are going to have to come from behind if they want to claim individual titles at Washington state tournaments.