Bark, bark, bark. “What is it Lassie? Timmy’s in trouble? He fell down the well? Let’s go, Boy.”

That was one of my favorite 50s sitcom lines and it sort of fits the life and times in 49er town these days. Lassie saving Timmy from the well is the iconic example of an intelligent and skilled compatriot saving a person from danger. Your LBSU athletic teams got some unexpected heroes these days to keep their post season hopes, well, out of the well!

The first example came on Saturday afternoon when the UC Irvine ladies of hoop made life tough for the home gals. The game was as wild as the weather, 14 lead changes, and nervous moments down the stretch. The lassie that rescued the Niners (Injured guard Hallie Meneses) didn’t come off the bench, she was seat belted to the pine because of a season ending injury.

We will let the reliable heroine Alex Sanchez tell the story of her amazing three point dagger that basically ended hope for Irvine. As Alex dribbled along the side line next to the Beach bench Hallie told her healthy teammate that on film she had seen that the Anteaters had a pattern of “going under the ball screen,” said Sanchez.” With the unwitting help of the UCI player Sanchez got an open look for a three. It worked. So. “We ran it twice [in the final minutes] and they did it twice. With that LBSU was able to pull ahead and stay ahead.

The other rescuer was sophomore gunner Lauren Spargo who statistically led the way with a season-high 16 points off the bench (5-for-6 from the field with three 3-pointers) Spargo was a major part of a 30-point effort from the reserves. “Everyone played productive minutes,” said Coach Wynn. “We talked about it this week, about everyone finding a way to contribute. I go pretty hard on Alex and Devin (Hudson) but they aren’t very fragile so I can do it.” The Jody Wynn’s now take their act on the road this weekend at UC Davis and Pacific.

Meanwhile in the nightcap of this Black-and-Blue Rivalry weekend, the Monson men won their game with a misleading 81-59 score. In the first half their normal Lassie to the rescue, senior James Ennis, was shut out in the first half then went nuts in after intermission. Ennis struggled in the first half and only played nine minutes because he collected his third foul with five minutes left until halftime. He exploded offensively in the second half, draining four consecutive three-pointers to help push the 49ers to a 70-55 lead with just over four minutes to play. LBSU would then close out the game on a 19-4 run to keep its win streak alive.

“James was really frustrated after that third foul,” said their head coach. “But, he’s been there before; struggling to get into rhythm and in early foul trouble. In the second half, shots started to fall for him and you could see his confidence start to come back.”

Ennis ended the game with a team-high 17 points, making this his 23rd-consecutive game in double-digit scoring. He was 6-of-9 from the field, including 5-of-8 from behind the arc. Ennis also added two rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal in the game.

He and three other 49ers scored in double-digits, marking the sixth-straight game that has occurred. Jennings and Pappageorge both had double figure efforts and newcomer Keala King rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10, (plus seven rebounds).

As a team, LBSU shot 57 percent from the field (29-51) and 58 percent from behind the arc (11-19). The LBSU men’s bench also had a big night as they outscored UCI’s 28-15. Long Beach also out-rebounded UCI 36-31.

Long Beach State continues their home-stand this coming week when it hosts UC Santa Barbara at the made for TV start time of 9PM on Wednesday, then get a payback chance when Cal Poly comes in at 4:05PM on Saturday.

NORMA’S NAPKIN NOTES–Our faithful readers fuss a bit when we spend a lot of space talking about basketball so our aim to please forces me to bring put another sporting subject, you guessed it, track!

In the prestigious Washington Invitational the Beach sent eight distance runners including the sensational and durable senior Rosa Del Toro who led the LB delegation establishing a school record in the 3000m. Del Toro shattered her own 3000m record by nearly 13 seconds as she clocked in at 9:22.08 to place 11th overall. Her running partner Matt Maldonado finished sixth among collegiate athletes and ninth overall in the mile with a time of 4:07.50. Long Beach State continues the indoor season in two weekends when it heads back to Seattle for the Husky Classic (Feb. 8-9). The 49ers will also make their way to USAF Academy, Colo., for the Air Force Team Challenge on Feb. 9. Oh, you were really asking about tennis, okay, as expected the Beach sweethearts of swing crushed UC Riverside 7-0 and LBSU will play two matches on the road this week. The 49ers will travel to Cal State Fullerton on Thursday for a 2 p.m. match that was rescheduled from Friday, Jan. 25 due to rain. On Friday, Long Beach State will play a 1:30PM match at Loyola Marymount. The other spring sport of note, Men’s volleyball, split on the road last weekend and stays in the religious travel mode at Cal Baptist and BYU.

The rain washed out the annual baseball alumni game Saturday morning but the new kids did play. The team called “Dirt” beat the “Bags” 4-1 in a seven-inning contest highlighted by returning hurlers Landon Hunt and Jon Maciel. On the sidelines were a couple of mound regulars from last year, Ryan Strufing and Kyle Friedrichs. Both are out with the infamous “Tommy John” surgery.

In his post-game presser Skipper Troy Buckley admitted the loss of regulars would be a “real challenge. Those were two important arms coming back. Having the surgery now gives both guys a chance to be able to play next season, which is the best thing for everyone. We have a lot of returning pitchers and some good newcomers, so there will be a lot competition the next few weeks and during the nonconference part of the season.” Translated, it could be trouble.

The Dirtbags open their season Feb. 15 with a three-game series at SEC power Vanderbilt.

Last add from the Leadoff Dinner. Newest Chicago Cub big shot Brandon Hyde got a strong mention from the always insightful Pat West in her pre-dinner prayer. “I know it has been a long time since your team has been in the World Series but my Red Sox felt the same way for a long time too.”

Closing notes, the Bob Wuesthoff and John McConnell scholarship award winners were slugger Juan Avila and pitcher Jon Maciel,, Finally, the good guy giving back award goes to the latest Dirtbag infielder heading to the bigs, Matt Duffy, who left the 2013 team with nice check.—DR. DAN