ing his career," Lions general manager Wally Buono said in a statement. "He was an incredibly durable player, a tremendous lead

Angus Reid is at peace with the most difficult football decision hes ever had to make. The B.C. Lions veteran centre announced his retirement Friday, ending a 13-year CFL career. "As an athlete you know this day will always come but you never want to think about it and never want to know its real so youre forced with facing that reality," Reid said. "But Im good with it because it was my decision and most athletes dont get that opportunity, their careers end because of various factors out of their control. "Sure, in the youthful part of my mind Id love to play football forever but I know I cant give the game what Id want to give it in terms of what I have left physically and I wouldnt be happy with that. I have nothing but happy memories and theres nothing more I couldve achieved. I think I over-achieved and Im proud of what I was able to get done in this sport." The six-foot-one, 305-pound Reid appeared in over 200 regular-season games, 11 playoff contests and three Grey Cups with the Lions (winning two). Heady stuff indeed, considering the inauspicious start to his pro career. The 37-year-old native of Richmond, B.C., was selected fourth overall in the 01 CFL draft by the Toronto Argonauts. However, the former Simon Fraser star was released during training camp and spent time on the Montreal Alouettes practice roster before being dealt to B.C. later that year. "I vividly remember that first year after getting home to the Lions saying, Wow, I guess this is probably it. Im a journeyman after one season. This is not what I planned," Reid said. "But true to my character and who I am I just sort of kept focusing on what I could do, kept working and didnt let what was happening dictate what I was going to do. "I think Im a pretty good example that continuous hard work does pay off. Life is going to be up and down and its going to be a bumpy road but you just have to stay on that roller-coaster longer because most of us want to get off when it gets rough. I just stayed on and it worked out well." Reid was a West Division all-star on three occasions and he earned league honours in 2011. He was also actively involved in community events. "Few players have made the kind of impression both on and off the field as a member of the B.C. Lions that Angus has during his career," Lions general manager Wally Buono said in a statement. "He was an incredibly durable player, a tremendous leader in our dressing room and he will be missed by everyone in our organization." Former CFL players Doug Brown and Bryan Chiu took to Twitter to offer their congratulations to Reid. "Throughout college & the pros, there arent many Ive lined up against that I respected more," tweeted Brown, a native of New Westminster, B.C., who was a standout defensive tackle with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. "Congrats on ur retirement." Added Chiu, a Vancouver native who played centre for the Montreal Alouettes: "Congrats on a great career. Proud of you bro. Who wouldve thought we would both be centers in the CFL back at @vcrfootball." But Reid definitely saw the signs it was time to retire, most notably missing last season after undergoing major back surgery. "That was a wakeup call to me saying Im 37 now, not 27," Reid said. "Theres going to be life after football whether you like it or not and you want to be as healthy as you can so you can do other things in life and still have a lot of enjoyment and fun. "I have a wife and were trying to start a family and you have to look forward to more things." And then there was the realization that many of Reids former Lions teammates had long since moved on. "Half the guys I played with are my coaches now and you look around and say, Did I not get the memo," Reid said with a chuckle. "The good thing is I have no regrets looking back. "Im not leaving anything on the table. In that regard I dont want to say it was an easier decision but it gives me comfort that I can leave looking back with really proud, happy memories of my time in this sport." Especially with the majority of those memories having come at home. "There was some luck involved, obviously, that I got to play my career in B.C.," he said. "I grew up going to Lions games, my brother, Mark, was a long-snapper with the Lions in 1990 so I looked at it as a kid thinking, This would be amazing to do. "Well, I actually got to do it in the stadium I grew up going to watch games in. You really couldnt write a better career in terms of happiness, to be able to do it with your parents and family being able to come to almost every single game. You dream of a career like that and no matter how good it is it often doesnt come as close to what you would envision as a youth but mine really did and Im thankful and proud of that." As for what lies ahead, all Reid knows for sure is he wont be suiting up for the Lions in 2014. "Thats a good question, thats what Im trying to figure out right now," he said. "I did a pretty good job during my career of building bridges and good networks of people and so I do have a lot of opportunities. "However, Im trying to be careful to not to rush into the first opportunity, Im trying to look at them all." Reid has thought about a few different options when it comes to his future. "Id love to stay involved in the sport in some way but the probability of being a coach is slim right now," he said. "I think Id like to stay involved maybe in the sports media, be it TV, radio, newspapers. "But I have a feeling Ill also be doing other things in the business community. Im a Vancouver guy, this is where Ill be. Ill be busy, probably busier than I was when I played and went to work every day, put on sweats and ran around for a few hours. Now Ill probably be all over the place." 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Casey Janssen was placed on the 15-day disabled list Sunday due to a strain in his left abdominal area and lower back.WASHINGTON -- It took the Toronto Raptors a little while to get going in their first game since the All-Star break. Guard Kyle Lowry eventually provided a jump start. Lowry had 24 points and 10 assists as the Raptors broke open a close game in the third quarter and held on for a 103-93 win over the Washington Wizards on Tuesday night. "He took the game over in the middle of the third quarter and willed us to a win," Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. Leading by six at halftime, the Atlantic Division leading Raptors pushed the lead to 17 as DeMar DeRozans driving layup started a 15-2 run midway through the third quarter. Lowry scored nine of the 15 points with a variety of shots, including a driving lay-up, a short fall-away jumper and a corner 3-pointer that made it 78-61 late in the period. He played the entire 12 minutes scored 14 points in the quarter. "I just was getting more looks, trying to attack a little more" said Lowry, who wasnt named an All-Star, but came in averaging 16.7 points 7.6 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game. "That first game out of the break is always tough and I didnt want to let that be an excuse for us to lose the game." Five Raptors joined Lowry in double figures, including Amir Johnson, who returned after missing two games with a sore right ankle. He scored 14 points. The Raptors, who have won three straight, also got 14 from Greivis Vasquez and DeRozan, who addressed the team before the game. "Just (told) everybody to be focused," DeRozan said. "Each and every single game matters from here on out especially if we want to do something special. We cant take any nights off. These thirty games are going to be big and we have to start tonight." The Raptors led by as many as 20 midway through the fourth quarter, before being held without a field goal for the final 7:36. The Wizards pulled to within 99-90 on a 3-pointer by Martell Webster with 2:04 left. Following a steal, Nenes layup made it 99-92. After John Wall collected a steal, Nene made one of two free throws with 1:32 left, but Lowry hit a pair of free throws, however, to make it 101-93 with 1:02 left. Toronto shot 57 per cent from the field (42-of-74) for the game, and finished with 60 points inside.dddddddddddd "We had trouble guarding off the dribble tonight," Wizards coach Randy Wittman said. "We defended pretty much a lot of their sets and then it gets down to seven, eight seconds on the shot clock and they break you down off the dribble. Thats how they get 60 points in the paint." Wall led the Wizards with 22 points, but went 0-for-7 from the field in the second half, and Marcin Gortat added 18 points and 11 rebounds. Washington has lost three straight and five of six. The Wizards are 0-3 against Toronto, and fell to 13-14 at home this season. "They stayed with it," Wittman said of the fourth quarter rally. "We got the floor spread, made some shots. Uncharacteristically, (we) turned some shots down tonight. I thought we werent as aggressive from our perimeters with Brad (Beal), Trevor (Ariza) and Martell. Beal played nearly 37 minutes and went 2-of-10 from the field, finishing with nine points, while Webster finished with seven and Ariza six. "I was just taking what they were giving me. I found my teammates open," Beal said. "We just didnt make shots and thats all it was. Did I have a few? Maybe. But Im the one whos taking them and feeling comfortable and I didnt feel comfortable taking them." The post All-Star Break opener paired the teams currently in third place (Toronto) and sixth in the Eastern Conference when play began. The score was tied after one, but reserves Tyler Hansbrough and Vasquez (four points each) manufactured an 8-2 Toronto run early in the second quarter. The Raptors scored 38 of their 55 first-half points in the paint, on 19-of-26 shooting. Wall, coming off a win in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest and 12 points in his first All-Star Game, kept the Wizards close. After scoring 10 points in the opening quarter, he added nine more in the second, hitting 9-of-12 field goals in the half. NOTES: Wittman was ejected after picking up two second technical fouls with 4:39 remaining and Washington trailing 98-82. . Wizards F Al Harrington, who has missed the last 46 games (right knee), practiced for the first time Monday. . The teams final meeting is Feb. 27 in Toronto. 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