Zach LaVine finished with 36 points and Coby White had 25 as the Bulls beat the Pelicans before the All-Star break. Now the hope of the front office is that the two guards can continue causing headaches for the opposition and return the team to the postseason.

Executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas hopes his patience pays off.

He knows that his starting backcourt —Coby White in particular — has some growing to do as a combination, but he’s banking that with Zach LaVine a first-time All-Star, the duo could be a headache for opponents for years to come.

The Pelicans had to break out the aspirin Wednesday after White and LaVine combined for 61 points and helped the Bulls close out the first half of the season with a 128-124 victory at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans.

“Coby has played 32 games at point guard,’’ Karnisovas said this week. “Zach has been unbelievable closing games for us. He has been one of the biggest scorers in the fourth quarter every game. Those guys’ contribution has been unbelievable for us to win games. We’re still looking for combinations. Those [two] guys are still learning how to play with each other. I think they’re just going to get better.’’

They’re not the only players on the roster Karnisovas can say that about, either.

The 16-18 record isn’t ideal going into the All-Star break, but it puts the Bulls in a play-in position for a postseason berth that has been missed since 2017. This despite the roster being mostly incomplete this season.

Otto Porter Jr. (back) is being targeted as another weapon off an already valuable bench, while Lauri Markkanen (sprained right shoulder) gives coach Billy Donovan more spacing on the floor, another threat from long range and a true 7-footer to play some center.

“I think development is the No. 1 thing with all of our players, especially with Lauri,’’ Karnisovas said. “The things that we met before the season and set the expectations for Lauri, I think he met. Obviously, before he got hurt, he was 19 [points per game] and shooting 52% from the floor and 40 from the three. I think that’s what he can do on a daily basis. We can’t wait for him to come back and help this team win games.’’

But even big leads like the Bulls had most of the night against the Pelicans (15-20) turn into unwanted adventures.

White and LaVine certainly carried the load, but it was Wendell Carter Jr. who came through in crunch time. His put-back with 1:05 left gave the Bulls some breathing room at 119-113.

It looked like LaVine had put the game on ice with a layup and only 40 seconds left, but White committed another head-scratching foul on a three-point attempt, pulling the Pelicans to five. It became a free-throw contest for the Bulls after that, but it was a contest they won.

It wasn’t a thing of beauty by any means, but it’s a win to take into the break.

Donovan, however, wasn’t jumping up and down with excitement over how his team has performed this season, even with some really good moments.

“We have a losing record right now,’’ Donovan said. “The record, to me, is more about how we’re playing and if we are making progress. And I think this team has made incredible progress.

“But at the same point, too, we have a long way to go. I’m trying to not have them be satisfied, and we need to keep trying to pull more out of each other. They need to pull more out of me; I’ve got to pull more out of them. And there’s more to give.’’

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The crash happened about 9:25 p.m. in the 8300 block of South Pulaski Road, Chicago police said.

One person was killed and six more were seriously injured in a crash Wednesday in Scottsdale on the South Side.

The crash happened about 9:25 p.m. in the 8300 block of South Pulaski Road, Chicago police said.

One adult was killed, and another was in “grave” condition at Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, Chicago fire officials said. Two more adults were at the same hospital in serious-to-critical condition.

A minor and another two adults were also hospitalized in serious-to-critical condition, fire officials said. The minor was being treated at Comer Children’s Hospital, while the adults were at the University of Chicago Medical Center.

Chicago police could not immediately provide details about the crash, and the Cook County medical examiner’s office has not identified the person who died.

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Boo Buie scored 15 points and Chase Audige added 14

Boo Buie scored 15 points and Chase Audige added 14, and Northwestern scored the last six points of the game to beat Maryland 60-55 on Wednesday night at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, ending the Terrapins’ five-game win streak.

Northwestern (8-14, 5-13 Big Ten) has won two straight since halting a 13-game losing streak. The Wildcats also snapped a five-game skid against the Terrapins and beat them for the first time at home.

Maryland (15-11, 9-10) took its first lead of the second half, 51-50, on Aaron Wiggins’ 3-pointer with 4:50 remaining and led 55-54 with 2:32 to play. The Wildcats’ Ryan Young made a layup and then two free throws with 13 seconds remaining. Darryl Morsell missed a three on the other end and Buie sealed it with a pair of free throws.

Buie and Audige were a combined 10-of-22 shooting and made seven of the Wildcats’ 10 three-pointers. Pete Nance added 12 points.

Wiggins scored a career-high 26 points to lead Maryland. He was 10 of 15 from the floor and made five three-pointers. Morsell finished with 14 points and five assists.

Northwestern’s last win in the series was in the 2017 Big Ten tournament. The Wildcats beat the third-seeded Terrapins 72-64 to advance to the semifinals for the first time in program history.

The teams end their regular seasons on Sunday. Maryland hosts Penn State and Northwestern plays at home against Nebraska.

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Moon Alert

Caution: Avoid shopping or making important decisions from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Chicago time. The moon moves from Scorpio into Sagittarius.

Aries (March 21-April 19)

You will enjoy upbeat discussions with friends and members of groups. In fact, you’re ready to entertain big goals and make big plans! However, do be aware of the restrictions of the moon alert. Don’t make important decisions during that window of time.

Taurus (April 20-May 20)

Discussions with parents, bosses and authority figures will go well because everyone is upbeat and full of positive ideas! However, to make sure that things stay on track in a realistic way, do not agree to anything during the moon alert. Timing is everything.

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

You will enjoy learning or studying anything because you’re keen to expand your world through gaining knowledge. New ideologies, methodologies, belief systems will appeal to you along with chances to travel (for some) and explorations into medicine and the law. (Check moon alert.)

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

Discussions about shared property, banking, taxes and debt look positive and optimistic today. Nevertheless, because of the restrictions of the moon alert, be careful. Do not agree to important financial decisions during the moon alert.

Leo (July 23-Aug. 22)

A conversation with a partner or close friend will be upbeat and enthusiastic. One or both of you are entertaining big ideas! Note: All the more reason to be aware of the limitations of the moon alert. Do not launch an important decision during a bad time.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

Work-related travel plans or dealing with people from other cultures and different countries plus working with groups today will be positive on the whole. However, due to the moon alert, avoid making important decisions during that time.

Libra (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)

You’re full of creative ideas today! These ideas could pertain to sports or dealing with children or creative projects. Write down your creative ideas during the moon alert today because they might be original and worthwhile.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

This is a positive day for family discussions or a group meeting at your home; and possibly, discussions about real estate opportunities? Nevertheless, whatever you are discussing, make sure you do not decide anything important during the interval of the moon alert. Be smart.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)

You have strong energy today because you feel optimistic about your future. This enthusiasm will create upbeat conversations with neighbors, siblings and daily contacts. Nevertheless, check the time of the moon alert and avoid shopping or important decisions during that window.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

You’ve got big money ideas today! You might see ways to boost your income or you might have ambitious financial plans. This is all well and good; however, do not initiate anything or spend money (professionally or personally) during the moon alert.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

Today Mercury is lined up with lucky Jupiter in your sign. This makes you tolerant of other viewpoints. It also increases your ability to see the big picture. It certainly favors business and commerce. However, at the same time, there is a moon alert. Don’t do business during this moon alert window. Be smart.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20)

You will attract favorable situations to you now with both the sun and fair Venus in your sign. (Admittedly, increased chaos on the home front might be demanding.) However, no matter how favorable something looks today, especially behind the scenes, be aware of the limitations of the moon alert.

If Your Birthday Is Today

Actress Catherine O”Hara (1954) shares your birthday. You are mindful and aware. Because of this, you are careful and work slowly and carefully for your success. Lucky you! You have a fun-loving year ahead! Expect increased popularity and warm friendships. Gratitude will be a theme because you will appreciate the everyday joys and beauty around you. This year is the time for an important choice. Choose wisely.

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In the day’s first reported shooting, an 18-year-old man was shot in the 3300 block of West 26th Street.

Nine people were shot Wednesday in Chicago, including a woman who was shot after two males chased her out of an apartment building in Gresham on the South Side.

The woman, 28, was trying to visit a friend about 9:45 p.m. when she ran into the males in the hallway of a building in the 8300 block of South Green Street, Chicago police said. After an argument, the males chased the woman out of the building and shot her in the buttocks as she was getting into her vehicle. The woman drove herself to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn for treatment.

A man was wounded in a shooting in Englewood on the South Side. The man, 31, was standing outside about 7:35 p.m. when someone in a silver sedan drove by in the 1400 block of West 72nd Street and opened fire, police said. The man was struck in the hip and arm and taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center.

Minutes prior, a man was shot in West Pullman on the Far South Side. The man, 20, was traveling in a vehicle about 7 p.m. when a group of males on the corner began shooting at him in the 300 block of East 116th Street, police said. The man was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center for treatment.

About an hour prior in West Elsdon on the Southwest Side a 26-year-old man was shot. He was sitting inside a vehicle about 6 p.m. in the 3700 block of West 51st Street when someone fired shots, police said. The man was struck in the face and showed up at Holy Cross Hospital but was later taken to Mount Sinai Hospital for treatment.

Two teenage boys were critically wounded in a shootout that injured three people in Chatham on the South Side. The boys, both 16, opened fire at each other about 5:10 p.m. from different vehicles traveling in the 300 block of West 83rd Street, police said. One was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center with gunshot wounds to the leg and head, while the other was taken to the same hospital with a gunshot wound to the back. Chicago fire officials said one of the boys was in “grave condition” while the other was in serious-to-critical condition, though officials noted he had stabilized. A third person showed up at the University of Chicago Medical Center shortly after the shooting with a gunshot wound to their back. Their condition was not known.

A ride-share driver was in serious condition after he was shot by his passenger in an attempted carjacking in West Garfield Park on the West Side. The passenger shot the driver at 1:30 p.m. while trying to take the car at the end of a ride in the 4200 block of West Maypole Avenue, police said. Officers found the 48-year-old driver with a gunshot wound to the chest in the back of his Dodge Charger. The man, a Lyft driver, was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where his condition was serious, according to the Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Merritt.

In the day’s first reported shooting, an 18-year-old man was shot in Little Village on the Southwest Side. About 1 a.m. he was walking in the 3300 block of West 26th Street, when someone inside a black sedan open fire, police said. He was struck in the foot and took himself to Mt. Sinai Hospital for treatment.

Four people were shot, one fatally, Tuesday citywide.

Read more on crime, and track the city’s homicides.

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The strangest thing about pandemic football for Phillips isn’t the spring season or the five-game schedule.

For coach Troy McAllister and the Wildcats, it’s moving forward without one of the faces of the program.

Phillips started practice Wednesday afternoon without longtime defensive coordinator Mike Larson, who died unexpectedly in January.

“I can’t lie,” said senior defensive back Deavion Pierce, a Miami (Ohio) recruit. “Not just me, the whole team is still dealing with it right now.

“It’s still early. But we’ve just got to push through it because he wouldn’t want us moping around.”

Willie Jones is another senior defensive back heading off to play in the Mid-American Conference this fall, at Bowling Green. He’s also trying to adjust to the loss of a charismatic coach who cast a long shadow on the Public League’s most successful program.

“He made the game fun,” Jones said of Larson. “The energy, he just made everything exciting.”

Larson also held his defensive players to high standards, which Jones appreciated as he prepares for the next level.

“No (college) coach is going to be nice to you,” Jones said. “They’re going to be hard on you. Him being so hard on us, we got used to it. He kept us motivated.”

Like the players, McAllister is feeling his way forward.

“It definitely was an emotional day,” McAllister said. “You wake up and you’re excited. It’s the first day of football practice. My first response would be calling or texting coach Larson. …

“We have to find a way to push through and lean on each other to get through it.”

The season won’t last long. especially for Phillips and other Public League teams. While opening night for the rest of the state is March 19, CPS teams won’t start till the following weekend.

McAllister said Public League coaches were hoping to play five conference games followed by crossovers based on regular-season standings, kind of like a one-round CPS playoff.

“But we’re going to take anything we can possibly get,” he said. “For us to get these five games, it’s a different type of season and yeah, we want to win.

“But there’s also a development piece for the younger guys. We’ve got a really good junior class, but a lot of them haven’t played varsity before.”

And with state powers Batavia and Mount Carmel looming in the first two weeks of the fall season, it’s critical to get those younger players some game experience.

But for Pierce and Jones, it’s all about the here and now, and having the chance to play a little more football with their buddies after months of waiting and uncertainty.

“At some point in time, it felt like we (weren’t) going to have a season,” Pierce said. “But I never lost hope though. I never lost hope.”

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There’s much to check out online and in person in Chicago in the week ahead.

Pioneering women

Chicago Detours reboots its “Badass Women of History” tour as a live, interactive virtual event, which highlights diverse women who forged groundbreaking paths in science, business, culture and social justice. Each of the women has a Chicago connection, and their stories are told through videos, photos and artwork: aviator Bessie Coleman; dancer Maria Tallchief; sculptor Enid Yandell; Iva Toguri D’Aquino, who gained notoriety as Tokyo Rose during World War II, and Naomi Weisstein, founder of American Women in Psychology. Streams at 6 p.m. March 8 and 12, and 1 p.m. March 20 and 27. Tickets: $20, $35. Visit chicagodetours.com/virtual-tours/.

Royal rules

Lowell Thomas

The Steppenwolf Theatre NOW Series continues with Vivian J.O. Barnes’ “Duchess! Duchess! Duchess!” Soon there will be a royal wedding and rules must be taught and absorbed as a duchess (Sydney Charles) meets and tutors the young soon-to-be duchess (Celeste M. Cooper) in the ways of her future family. Loosely inspired by Meghan Markle’s experience with the British royals, Barnes investigates how society’s institutions of power affect Black women. Directed by Weyni Mengesha, the drama begins streaming March 10. Tickets: $75 includes access to all six Steppenwolf NOW productions. Visit steppenwolf.org/now.

MCA reopens

Provided

It’s time to catch up with exhibits at the Museum of Contemporary Art, several of which opened just as another shutdown began this past December. One of these, “Carolina Caycedo: From the Bottom of the River” (to Sept. 12), surveys the past 10 years of the artist’s practice, which addresses humanity’s relationship with nature via an array of video, drawing, sculpture and photography. Featured in the exhibit is “Be Damned,” an ongoing multimedia project that examines the impact of hydroelectric dams and other infrastructure projects on communities and the environment. Admission: $15. Visit mcachicago.org.

South Asian traditions

Provided

The annual Mandala Makers Festival features a series of streaming performances at 7 p.m. every Friday in March. Each evening showcases musical artists rooted in South Asian traditions both classic and contemporary. The March 5 edition includes Uma Balachandran performing konnakol (the art of performing percussion syllables vocally) accompanied by her father, Murali Balachandran, on mridangam; Pavitra Ramachandran, a Carnatic singer accompanied by her father Prasod Ramachandran on violin, and Rini, featuring Indian electronica and art rock drawing from Carnatic traditions. The festival running through March 26 is free but donations to Mandala South Asian Performing Arts’are appreciated. Visit makersfestival.mandalaarts.org.

Controversial film

Kino Lorber

In 1971, during the Vietnam War, actors Jane Fonda and Donald Sutherland along with other performers took their controversial musical comedy tour “F.T.A.” to Southeast Asia. (The title comes from the original Army recruitment slogan “Fun, Travel, Adventure” and redubbed “Free the Army” or “F— the Army.”) The tour, which was popular with enlisted men and women, was filmed by director Francine Parker for a documentary that was released in 1972 but quickly pulled from theaters due to Fonda’s infamous visit to Hanoi. Now the rarely seen film, with an added introduction by Fonda, has been restored and is available for streaming via Facets through March 25. Tickets: $10. For more information, visit facets.org.

Mind-bending experience

Julie Dietz

The Museum of Illusions (25 E. Washington), where nothing is quite as it seems. is a one-of-a-kind adventure that reveals a lot about how the brain interprets reality. There are more than 80 visual and educational exhibits featuring holograms, stereograms, optical illusions and immersive rooms that are designed to tease the senses and trick the mind. Plus you can learn the mechanics behind each illusion. Admission is $15-$21, children under 5 free. Visit chicago.museumofillusions.us.

Dracula drag

Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus

The Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus ends its season dedicated to famous novels with “Lipstick & Lyrics: Diva Dracula,” featuring 15 drag performers on a journey through the macabre which runs from “scary to hysterical,” according to artistic director James Morehead. The concert streams at 8 p.m. March 6, 12 and 13. Tickets: $15-$40. Visit cgmc.org/lnl.

Virtual stage

PlayMakers Laboratory

Playmakers Laboratory’s online revue “That’s Weird, Grandma: House Par-Tay” continues with adaptations of stories written by students from Chicago elementary schools that celebrate Women’s History Month, St. Patrick’s day and more. Streams through March 29 Tickets: $2-$4. Visit playmakerslab.org. … Actress Betsey Means performs “Democracy in America: A Social Gathering with Jane Addams,” her solo show based on the social justice crusader’s life and writings. Streams at noon March 8. Tickets: $15. Visit driehausmuseum.org. … Vicki Quade’s comedy “Easter Bunny Bingo: Jesus, Resurrection & Peeps” streams through April 4. Tickets: $15. Visit nuns4fun.com.

Mary Houlihan is a Chicago freelance writer.

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What happened at Smith College in 2018 caught my eye partly because I’d had an experience somewhat like it, albeit on a purely personal scale.

Had I not once spent a semester living adjacent to the Smith College campus in Massachusetts years ago, I’d probably never have read Michael Powell’s extraordinary New York Times account of a tragi-comic racial debacle there.

Ho-hum. Isn’t this what they do at these fancy private colleges now: turn themselves inside out in furious arguments about race and sexuality?

Back then, I was teaching at a nearby state university. Our home in the woods had burned down, and a colleague on sabbatical generously offered his Northampton house rent-free.

I don’t believe I ever set foot on the Smith campus, although our beagle, Joan, cleverly turned herself into a campus dog and gained several pounds. It took months to work her back into shape after we moved back to the country.

Nevertheless, what happened at Smith College in 2018 caught my eye partly because I’d had an experience somewhat like it, albeit on a purely personal scale. At Smith, a young Black student was approached by a (white) campus security officer who asked why she was eating all by herself in a dormitory closed for the summer, and was she OK.

Definitely not. The student took to Facebook to complain that the experience had left her near “meltdown.” “All I did was be Black,” Oumou Kanoute wrote. “It’s outrageous that some people question my being at Smith College, and my existence overall as a woman of color.” She mentioned the security guard’s “lethal weapon.”

She accused several college employees of bigotry, publishing their photos and email addresses.

The campus erupted into an episode of moral panic like those that have periodically swept New England since the 17th century. Smith president Kathleen McCartney offered a fulsome, some would say groveling, apology and suspended several employees. The Washington Post, New York Times and CNN reported the outrage at face value. Militant students made denunciations and threats against the suspended employees.

”Racist” was the least of it.

Smith College announced “anti-bias” training for staff and faculty, complete with intrusive psychological queries. The ACLU demanded separate dormitories for “students of color” (a practice formerly known as “racial segregation,” but who’s keeping score?).

Eventually, the college got around to investigating the offended student’s complaints, hiring a law firm experienced in such probes. Uh-oh. Pretty much none of her allegations checked out. The security guard, like all campus cops, was unarmed. The employees she pilloried had been off duty that day.

One falsely accused janitor quit his job. “I don’t know if I believe in white privilege,” he told a reporter. “I believe in money privilege.”

Tuition and fees at Smith College come to $78,000 a year.

The college released the report exonerating its employees, but they got no apologies. They were pretty much all laid off due to COVID anyway. Kanoute seems no longer available for comment, probably best for all concerned.

My own experience at the large state university up the road was comparatively benign, although it could easily have wrecked my academic career. It definitely helped me decide I didn’t want one.

As a graduate of a Southern university (University of Virginia), it took me a while to understand that I’d arrived on campus under suspicion. Granted, I’d met people in Charlottesville who hadn’t gotten over the Civil War, but they were regarded as cranks. And true, certain Massachusetts colleagues openly patronized the person described as my “pretty little wife” due to her Arkansas accent, but ordinary New Englanders asked her questions just to hear her talk. No harm, no foul.

Then I assigned a failing grade to a Black student, basically to be sure she was alive. Mildred had done poorly on the midterm, and then vanished. She submitted no term paper and was a no-show for the final. I figured an “F” would smoke her out if she hadn’t left school. Indeed, she did turn up with a preposterous alibi about cutting her foot on a discarded light bulb.

I agreed to let her make up the work. The paper she turned in was derisory. Her exam revealed no familiarity with the course work. I gave her a minimal passing grade and figured we were done.

The good news is that the subsequent formal investigation was conducted by a senior faculty member not associated with my department’s “radical” faction. After conducting interviews and scrutinizing Mildred’s written work — what little there was of it — he ruled that I’d treated her as strictly as I treated all my students, finding no evidence of racial bias.

That was a joke. I was a pushover.

Mildred, however, was a pioneer. In basketball, it’s called “working the refs.” In academia, it’s known as “critical race theory.”

A few days after my exoneration, a colleague commiserated that an “aristocratic Southerner” like me must find State U’s diverse student population challenging. Ethnically, I am an Irish Catholic from Elizabeth, New Jersey.

I figured I needed to quit before I got fired.

Gene Lyons is a columnist for the Arkansas.

Send letters to [email protected].

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The boys, both 16, opened fire at each other about 5:10 p.m. from different vehicles traveling in the 300 block of West 83rd Street, Chicago police said.

Two teenage boys were wounded, one critically, Wednesday in a shootout in Chatham on the South Side.

The boys, both 16, opened fire at each other about 5:10 p.m. from different vehicles traveling in the 300 block of West 83rd Street, Chicago police said.

One was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center with gunshot wounds to the leg and head, police said, while the other was taken to the same hospital with a gunshot wound to the back.

Chicago fire officials said one of the boys was in critical condition. The condition of the other was not immediately known.

Area Two detectives are investigating.

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