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MINNEAPOLIS -- In a championship series filled with stars, Alana Beard sometimes can get lost with so much attention on Minnesotas four Olympians and the two MVPs in Los Angeles.Thats exactly what happened in the closing moments of Game 1 of the WNBA Finals, and Beard hit a jumper from the baseline just before time expired to lift the Sparks to a 78-76 victory over the defending champion Lynx.With the defense collapsing on Candace Parker and Nneka Ogwumike in the paint, Beard found herself all alone in the corner. She took the pass from Chelsea Gray and knocked down jumper with Maya Moores in her face.As the ball splashed through, Moore put her head in her hands, and the Sparks celebrated a thrilling victory, their second on Minnesotas court this season.You may not recognize the importance of her statistically for us a lot of times, Sparks coach Brian Agler said. But her presence, her leadership, obviously how disruptive she can be defensively, and then for her to hit a shot like that, it was incredible.Kristi Toliver scored 19 points to lead Los Angeles and Parker had 14 points and nine rebounds in her finals debut. League MVP Ogwumike added 19 points for the Sparks in the opener of the best-of-five series.Sylvia Fowles had 18 points and 13 rebounds and Lindsay Whalen scored 18 points for top-seeded Minnesota. Moore scored all 18 of her points in the second half to move into first place on the WNBAs career finals scoring list, but the Lynx committed 16 turnovers and got caught scrambling on the final possession of the game.I think we were more worried about not letting anyone get to the hole, Fowles said. Im not sure exactly what happened on that last play to make her get wide open. But we learned from this.There was a time not too long ago when Beards name belonged on the marquee with players Parker and Ogwumike or Lynx stars Moore, Sylvia Fowles, Seimone Augustus and Lindsay Whalen. She was the national player of the year at Duke, the No. 2 overall pick by the Washington Mystics in 2004 and a four-time All-Star before injuries set her back.She re-emerged in Los Angeles as a defensive specialist, but she took center stage in Game 1. Before she hit the game-winner, Beard also had a spectacular block of a shot by Whalen and then a steal off an inbounds to set up Ogwumikes bucket for a 76-72 lead.Moore scored on a coast-to-coast layup to tie the score at 76 with 24.7 seconds to play, but she helped aggressively on Grays drive on the other end, leaving Beard open for just her second bucket of the game.I dont think Ive ever hit a game-winner, Beard said quietly. So its pretty cool. Pretty cool.NEW LOOK: In years past these two teams never could have met in the finals because both are in the Western Conference. But the league changed its playoff format this year and seeded all of the teams based on record, not geography. The result in the first year could not have been better for the league with the top two teams throughout the season meeting.I dont think its a fluke that were here now in the finals, Fowles said. Im loving this new format.PARKERS DEBUT: Parker has been one of the leagues brightest stars for years, but has never been able to reach the leagues biggest stage. She hit 5 of 12 shots and had three assists.At first obviously theres some nerves, but you kind of get lost in the game and just trying to execute, Parker said. We had to take it possession by possession because you never know whats going to happen.MOORES MARK: The Minnesota star was 0 for 4 in the first half, but made 7 of 10 shots in the final two quarters to move past Diana Taurasi for first place on the WNBAs career scoring list for the finals. She set the mark with 5:20 to play after hitting a jump shot and converting the three-point play.TOP 20: The WNBA hosted more than a dozen members of the top 20 players in league history for a halftime ceremony. Each player was presented with a ring to commemorate it. Whalen, Moore, Parker and Augustus all participated in the ceremony, and the league extended the length of halftime to allow them to receive their rings and then get back to the locker room to meet with coaches and teammates.UP NEXT: Game 2 is on Tuesday in Minneapolis. Custom Carlos Lee Jersey . 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Fellow centre Pavel Datsyuk remains out because of a concussion. Zetterberg has 11 goals and 19 assists for a team-high 30 points, and Datsyuk has a team-high 12 goals and 11 assists. Former?South Carolina?All-America running back Marcus Lattimore was named the head coach of Heathwood Hall Episcopal School, a high school in Columbia, South Carolina, on Monday. Lattimore replaces Steve Victory, who is returning to his home state of Louisiana to tend to family matters after serving as Heathwood Halls head coach for two years.This fall, Lattimore served as Heathwood Halls varsity running backs coach and was the head coach for the schools B-team coach in his first year with the school. Under Lattimores direction, the B-team won the South Carolina Independent School Association AAA Region I state championship after it had gone winless in 2014 and 2015.Heathwood Hall is a special community that I am thrilled to be a part of, Lattimore said in a statement. The kindhearted people make this place feel like home. The genuine care for our students is evident, and it all starts with great leadership from our Head of School, Chris Hinchey. The sport of football has provided me with a platform to motivate and inspire thousands of kids over the years, and this will give me an opportunity on a daily basis to continue to make an impact on the lives of our young men. Our coaching staff will immediately began to create a uniform system, developing the program from top to bottom, with the foundation built on an emphasis of accountability. Our young men will know they represent something bigger than themselves. Our players will work with pride to have people respect the name on the back of their jersey and more importantly, the name on the front.Lattimore was one of the SECs most outstanding players during his time at South Carolina. He rushed for 2,677 yards and had 41 touchdowns during his three years with the Gamecocks (2010-12). His football career was cut short by a pair of devastatting knee injuries suffered at South Carolina, and while he was taken by the San Francisco 49ers in the fourth round of the 2013 NFL draft, his knee injuries kept him from ever playing a down in the NFL.ddddddddddddLattimore left the football field but continued to be heavily involved with the sport after his retirement through his foundation, which he was able to run directly out of Heathwood Hall this year. The Marcus Lattimore Foundation, started in August 2013 with $15,000 of Lattimores money from his NFL signing bonus, was created with the goal of helping high school athletes who might have trouble paying for treatment and rehabilitation for major injuries. It also provides college and life preparation.Lattimore and various speakers meet with high school students to discuss topics such as NCAA rules, preparation for the ACT and SAT, how to work with school guidance counselors, how to conduct job interviews, résumé-building and the importance of credit, debt and loans.Its fun being able to go to a city and see your work and feel the pride in what you do, Lattimore told ESPN earlier this year. I can tell you Ive never had that feeling on the football field. In addition to his head-coaching duties, Lattimore will serve as Heathwood Halls school advancement associate. He will begin both roles in January of 2017.We are extremely pleased that Marcus has accepted our offer to become our head football coach and a member of our staff at Heathwood, Heathwood Hall athletic director Jeff Whalen said. Marcus is very knowledgeable in football but brings to us a more important characteristic in that he understands the importance of developing character and discipline. ' ' '