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Month: February 2019
GAME STORY: Chapel Hill dodges a last-second bullet to eliminate Wall in overtime (box score and photo gallery w/29 images included)
SAN ANTONIO — With the game knotted at 48 in the final seconds of regulation, Wall’s Sawyer Lloyd canned a jumper as time expired to give the Lady Hawks a would-be 50-48 win over Mount Pleasant Chapel Hill in Thursday’s 3A state semifinal in the Alamodome.
There was, however, a problem — did the ball leave her hands before time expired?
After a few intense minutes of video replay study, game officials determined that Lloyd’s shot wasn’t released in time, forcing overtime where Chapel Hill eventually prevailed 53-49.
GAME STORY: Nazareth eliminates Hermleigh girls 48-17 (Video, box score and photo gallery w/29 images included)
SAN ANTONIO — For the second straight year, the Hermleigh Lady Cardinals squared off with perennial power Nazareth in the Class 1A state semifinals.
And for the second straight year, HHS had difficulty keeping pace with Swiftettes, falling 48-17 on Thursday in the Alamodome.
Held to just 18 percent shooting, Hermleigh didn’t score a field goal until the 7:20 mark of the second quarter when a Makia Gonzales layup broke the Lady Cardinals’ cold spell. By that point, Hermleigh trailed 14-3 and never managed to cut the lead under single digits.
BCP Podcast No. 35: Wall’s Lombard, Hermleigh’s Hopper talk state hoops
The Wall Lady Hawks and Hermleigh Lady Cardinals are state-bound. But before they arrived in San Antonio for Thursday’s semifinals, their coaches — Wall’s Tate Lombard and Hermleigh’s Duane Hopper — took some time to talk to Big Countr Preps’ Evan Ren and Daniel Youngblood for this week’s Capital Farm Credit Wednesday Night Podcast.
Also in this episode, Evan and Daniel discuss the boys basketball playoff picture.
STATE TOURNAMENT PREVIEW: Wall, Hermleigh carry Big Country torch to San Antonio
With the Texas High School equivalent to the Final Four kicking off in San Antonio with this week’s UIL state tournament, two Big Country representatives — Wall and Hermleigh — are among the survivors.
And as one might suspect, any further advancement will be a major challenge for both.
Ninth-ranked Hermleigh (30-5) will take the stage first, taking on top-ranked perennial power Nazareth (30-6) in a Class 1A state semifinal at 10 a.m. Thursday in the Alamodome.
Wall (32-1), ranked No. 1 in Class 3A, will hit the floor at 1:30 p.m. against No. 2 Mount Pleasant Chapel Hill (35-0).
PHOTO GALLERY: Huckabay-Eula boys basketball playoff (37 images)
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PHOTO GALLERY: Jayton-Munday boys basketball playoff (55 images)
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GAME STORY: Jim Ned boys fall to Childress in double-overtime thriller
STAMFORD — Tuesday night’s Region I-3A quarterfinal between Jim Ned and Childress at Bulldog Gymnasium had more back-and-forth momentum swings than a pendulum.
In a game that featured both squads trading haymakers and taking the best punch the other side could offer, it was the Bobcats who came away with a 51-46 double overtime win.
GAME STORY: No. 9 Jayton boys rally to beat Munday, earn spot in II-1A tourney
Trailing Munday by seven points with less than two minutes remaining in the third quarter Tuesday, Jayton finished the game on a 28-7 run to defeat the Moguls 53-39 and advance to the Region II-1A tournament this weekend at Abilene Christian University.
After pulling within one point to close the third quarter, the Jaybirds opened the fourth with back-to-back 3-pointers, kick-starting a 20-5 final period that turned what had been a battle to that point into a comfortable victory at McMurry’s Kimbrell Arena.
GAME STORY: Pirate defense pushes Eula into regional semifinals (video, box score and photo gallery w/37 images included)
EASTLAND — The Eula Pirates may have been a bit streaky on the offensive side in Tuesday’s Region III-1A quarterfinal with Huckabay. But coach Josh Fostel’s crew made up for it with a wire-to-wire defensive effort in a 60-26 win at Eastland High School.
Cade Smith scored 17 points while Dakota Boles and Matthew Booth added 11 each to pace the 11th-ranked Pirates (28-6), who now push on to the Region III-1A tournament, where they will meet No. 6 Slidell at 5 p.m. Friday in Mansfield.
PHOTO GALLERY: Abilene High baseball, softball (31 images)
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PHOTO GALLERY: Brock-Holliday boys basketball playoff (36 images)
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GAME STORY: Top-ranked Brock throttles Holliday, advances to I-3A tourney
GRAHAM — The top-ranked Brock boys basketball team jumped on Holliday early and never let up Monday, punching its ticket to the Region I-3A tournament with a 60-25 blowout at the Graham High School gym.
Coach Zach Boxell’s Eagles raced out to a 17-5 first-quarter advantage and pushed its lead to 45-11 by the end of the third quarter, before cruising in the fourth to the lopsided victory.
Big Country Preps Player of the Week: Eastland’s Foster snags the award
Softball and baseball are officially here. And cold weather or not, we’re already seeing performances worthy of consideration here.
Case in point: Eastland’s Brynna Foster, our Big Country Preps Player of the Week for the week ending Feb. 23.
Foster, who is only a junior, tossed four shutouts in last week’s Stephenville tournament to help the Lady Mavs improve to 10-2.
DANIEL YOUNGBLOOD: This week in Big Country boys basketball (Feb. 24-March 2)
The first two rounds of the boys basketball playoffs weren’t kind to the Big Country, leaving just nine area teams standing this week in the region quarterfinal round.
With two games involving a pair of Big Country schools — both at the Class 1A level — we’re certain to have at least two teams playing in this weekend’s regional tournaments. But when you get to the third round of the playoffs, little else is guaranteed.
With that said, let’s take a look at what the area’s nine survivors are up against this week.
UIL girls basketball state tournament results (March 2)
Here are the results from the UIL girls basketball state championships:
Continue reading “UIL girls basketball state tournament results (March 2)”
PHOTO GALLERY: Hermleigh-Rankin girls basketball playoff (56 images)
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GAME STORY: Hermleigh runs away from Rankin, claims second straight state berth
After edging Veribest 44-39 with a sluggish effort in Friday’s Region II-1A semifinals, the Hermleigh Lady Cardinals left no doubt in Saturday’s region title game.
Coach Duane Hopper’s team roared to a 15-5 first-quarter lead and held off a third-quarter surge to top Rankin 58-46 and clinch its second consecutive state tournament berth at Abilene Christian University’s Moody Coliseum.
PHOTO GALLERY: Wall vs. Idalou Regional Championship (42 images)
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GAME STORY: Lady Hawks punch their ticket to the Alamo City with win over Idalou (w/ two videos, box score)
PLAINVIEW —A slight edge in every major statistic added up to a convincing 52-36 win for the Wall Lady Hawks in Saturday’s Region I-3A championship game with Idalou.
Jayden Fiebiger scored 16 points and Samantha Rocha added a dozen more to lift Wall (32-1), which took control of the game shortly after the outset of the second half.
The Lady Hawks now advance to the UIL State Tournament in San Antonio on Feb. 28. Their opponent in the state semifinals should be announced on Sunday.
PHOTO GALLERY: Jim Ned-Idalou girls basketball playoff (35 images)
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PHOTO GALLERY: Brock-Wall girls basketball playoff (37 images)
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PHOTO GALLERY: Snyder-Argyle boys basketball playoff (34 images)
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GAME STORY: No. 8 Argyle ends Snyder’s dream season in area round
BRECKENRIDGE — For three of the four quarters Friday, the No. 17 Snyder Tigers went toe-to-toe with eighth-ranked Argyle.
But it was the one quarter for which that wasn’t the case that proved to be the difference in a 45-32 loss to the Eagles in a Region I-4A area-round playoff at the Breckenridge ISD Athletics and Fine Arts Center.
Leading 5-4 midway through the first quarter, Snyder was outscored 14-0 the rest of the period and forced to play catch-up for the remainder of the game — a task that proved difficult against a talented and disciplined Argyle squad.
GAME STORY: Hermleigh one win away from return trip to state
Coming off its first appearance in a University Interscholastic League state tournament under first-year coach Duane Hopper in 2017-18, the Hermleigh girls basketball team knew it was going to take everyone’s best shot this season.
The Lady Cardinals are now one win away from giving Hopper state tournament berths in each of his first two seasons as a coach after knocking off Veribest 44-39 in a Region II-1A semifinal Friday night at Abilene Christian University’s Moody Coliseum.
Hermleigh’s performance wasn’t always pretty, but it was enough to earn the Lady Cardinals a spot in Saturday’s region championship game against Rankin.
GAME STORY: Aspermont’s season comes to disappointing end in II-1A semis
Slow starts were fairly common for the Aspermont girls basketball team throughout the 2018-19 season. But until Friday night, the Lady Hornets had displayed a knack for digging their way out of early holes.
Aspermont’s luck finally ran out, though, in a 56-45 loss to Rankin at Abilene Christian University’s Moody Coliseum.
Rankin advanced to Saturday night’s region championship game against Hermleigh, a 44-39 winner over Veribest, for the right to advance to next week’s state tournament in San Antonio.
GAME STORY: Jim Ned falls to Idalou in overtime heartbreaker (box score, video & photo gallery w/35 images included)
PLAINVIEW — Missed opportunities. Missed free throws. Turnovers.
It may take a while for the sting of Friday’s 41-36 overtime loss to Idalou in a Region I-3A semifinal to finally subside for the Jim Ned Lady Indians, who staged an improbable comeback at Wayland Baptist University, only to see their season slip away in the end.
Shaylee Stovall scored game-high 22 points to pace Idalou (31-5), which squares off with Wall (31-1) in the Region I-3A title game at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
GAME STORY: Wall girls rally to eliminate Brock (w/ two videos, box score & photo gallery w/37 images included)
PLAINVIEW — In the end, it all came down to how many extra shots were taken.
Pounding the glass for 14 offensive rebounds, the top-ranked Wall Lady Hawks got 16 extra shots in their 56-49 win over Brock in Friday’s Region I-3A semifinal at Wayland Baptist University.
That, combined with a 15-7 disparity in turnovers, was a handicap that Brock had no answer for as Wall (31-1) advanced to Saturday’s regional title game. There, they will face third-ranked Idalou (31-5), which closed the semifinal doubleheader with a 41-36 overtime win over Jim Ned.
PHOTO GALLERY: Merkel-Holliday boys basketball playoff (26 images)
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GAME STORY: Gutty effort not enough for Merkel in area-round loss to Holliday
STAMFORD — Merkel’s zone defense gave Holliday fits all evening Thursday, but the Badgers’ own struggles from the field and free-throw line forced them to play from behind throughout in a 52-43 area-round playoff loss at Bulldog Gym.
Coach B.C. Lee’s team limited Holliday to just 13 field goals, but they made just 11 of their own and missed three more free throws than the Eagles in three fewer attempts.
Despite that, Merkel had the deficit down to one possession on a pair of occasions in the second half, before their opponent eventually pulled away and sealed the win from the foul line.
PHOTO GALLERY: Colorado City-Brock boys basketball playoff (35 images)
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GAME STORY: Brock uses huge third quarter to eliminate Colorado City (w/ two videos, box score and photo gallery)
CISCO — For two full quarters, the unranked Colorado City Wolves played No. 1 Brock to a near standstill at Ray Saunders Gym, heading into the locker room trailing 27-24.
The third quarter, however, brought a stark reminder of why Brock entered this week sitting atop the rankings, with a backbreaking 20-3 run to put the game out of reach in just eight minutes.
Bradon Smith scored 19 points and Scott Thomas tossed in 18 more to lead Brock, which then cruised to a 60-47 win.
EVAN REN: What area girls teams will make it to the Alamo? Big Ev makes his picks.
The final answer will be displayed in San Antonio’s Alamodome beginning on Feb. 28.
The question, however, is still on the table.
How many, if any, Big Country teams will reach the Texas high school equivalent of the Final Four?
There are two factors at play here, the first of which is obvious: team quality. The second, however, is quantity.
BCP Podcast No. 34: Snyder’s Scott talks Tiger turnaround with Evan, Daniel
The Snyder boys basketball team is in the midst of one of the most dramatic turnarounds the Big Country has seen in quite some time, and at the helm of the ship is coach Lee Scott, a former Snyder Tiger himself.
Recently, Scott took some time to chat with Big Country Preps’ Evan Ren and Daniel Youngblood about the dream season his squad is enjoying, what it means to him as a Snyder graduate and how far this group can go in the playoffs for this week’s Capital Farm Credit Wednesday Night Podcast.
Also in this episode, Evan and Daniel take a look at the area boys and girls basketball playoff picture, recapping the previous week’s results and spotlighting some of the most intriguing upcoming matchups..
PHOTO GALLERY: Cisco-Coahoma boys basketball playoff (22 images)
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PHOTO GALLERY: Cisco-Jim Ned girls basketball playoff (31 images)
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LOCAL HOOPS ROUNDUP: Wylie, Cooper boys fall in bi-district round
GAIL — The Wylie boys basketball team saw its first season in Class 5A come to an end Tuesday with a 58-50 bi-district loss to Lubbock Monterey at Borden County High School.
The Bulldogs played the Plainsmen to a 50-50 tie in the fourth quarter, but Monterey finished the game on an 8-0 run to secure the win and advance.
PHOTO GALLERY: Colorado City-Dublin boys basketball playoff (62 images)
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GAME STORY: Boone, Monroe lead Colorado City past past Dublin
The Colorado City boys basketball team beat Dublin at its own game Tuesday, matching the Lions’ breakneck pace and outshooting coach Will Parker’s squad from 3-point range to claim a 74-59 win in a Region I-3A bi-district playoff at Cooper’s Cougar Gym.
The Wolves led wire to wire, scoring the game’s first five points and racing out to a 22-12 first-quarter lead that they’d stretch to 18 points by halftime.
After seeing the deficit reach 21 in both the second and third quarters, Dublin rallied to pull within 12 in the fourth, but a hot-shooting C-City team never let the Lions get any closer than that.
GAME STORY: Cisco pressure overwhelms Coahoma in 68-39 win (box score, video and photo gallery w/22 images included)
Perhaps it was a case of first-round nerves for Cisco, or perhaps Coahoma was simply better than some in the Big Country basketball community believed.
Either way, the heavily favored Loboes (28-3) had to overcome a sluggish start before taking control of Tuesday’s 3A bi-district matchup at ACU’s Moody Coliseum, and eventually dominating it in a 68-39 win.
Gibson Hearne tossed in 27 points and Izzy Adame added 11 more to lift Cisco, which advances to face Childress in the area round.
The Loboes trailed twice in the early going, and as late as the 2:00 mark in the first quarter when a Bryson Cline layup gave the Bulldogs an 11-10 edge. From that moment forward, however, Cisco’s full-court defensive pressure was a game changer, leading to 17-0 run which spanned to the 5:12 mark of the second quarter.
GAME STORY: Eula falls short against Lipan in regional quarterfinals
EASTLAND — Cruel. Unbelievable. Heartbreaking.
All three words are perfect descriptions of how the season came to an end for the Eula girls basketball team on Tuesday night at Maverick Gymnasium in a 37-34 loss to Lipan in a Region III-1A quarterfinal.
The Lady Pirates forced a turnover with 5.01 seconds to play when attempting to commit a foul, setting up a chance for Anna Masonheimer to take a game-tying 3-pointer as time expired.
Her off-balanced attempt went off the backboard and then bounced off the rim three different times before bouncing away to end Eula’s season a game shy of the regional tournament. Two of the three bounces appeared to hit the inside of the rim to add to the disappointment.
GAME STORY: Jim Ned girls advance to regional tourney with win over Cisco (box score, video & photo gallery w/31 images included)
A few short runs, coupled with a heavy dose of consistent defense lifted the Jim Ned Lady Indians to a 46-31 win over Cisco in a Region I-3A quarterfinal on Tuesday.
With a large contingent of fans backing both clubs at Abilene Christian University’s Moody Coliseum, Jim Ned (29-5) earned a trip to the regional quarterfinals behind 13 points from Libby Tutt and eight each from Claire Graham and Jenna Moore.
Clinging to a 15-13 lead late in the second quarter, the Lady Indians gained a permanent upper hand with a 7-0 run to close the first half. They gradually stretched their lead to 34-22 by the end of the third period, never allowing Cisco to score more than single digits in any quarter.
Cisco closed its season at 30-4, led by Katelyn Bird with 10 points and Leigh Anne Montell with 8.
PHOTO GALLERY: Early-Jim Ned boys basketball playoff (42 images)
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PHOTO GALLERY: Burkburnett-Big Spring boys basketball playoff (32 images)
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GAME STORY: No. 25 Burkburnett boys outpace ‘Showtime Steers’
STAMFORD — The curtains fell on the ‘Showtime Steers’ on Monday night … but not without a fight.
The Big Spring boys basketball team trimmed a 21-point fourth-quarter deficit to 11 with 3:07 to play before ultimately running out of steam in an 85-69 loss to No. 25 Burkburnett in a Region I-4A bi-district playoff at Bulldog Gym.
The loss ended the Steers season at 18-14, marking a stark turnaround from last year’s 5-25 campaign.
GAME STORY: Jim Ned escapes Early upset bid (box score, two videos & photo gallery included)
COLEMAN — Cruising along with a comfortable 37-25 lead after three quarters in Monday’s 3A bi-district game with Early, the Jim Ned Indians were poised to advance into the area round.
There was just one problem: The Early Longhorns.
Staging a furious rally through the final quarter, Early opened the period with a 10-0 run to cut the gap to 37-35 with 17 seconds to play, only to see Jim Ned escape the upset with a 39-35 win at Coleman High School.
FEATURE: Success a complete team effort for senior-led Cisco girls
When you look at the Cisco girls basketball team’s success this year, you’ll find the senior trio of Katelyn Bird, Lauren Underwood and Leigh Anne Montell at the heart of it.
But the thing that really makes the Lady Loboes special is that every player on coach Brent Kilpatrick’s roster has a valuable role and is made to feel important by those seniors.
The confidence the team’s fourth-year players have and instill in their younger teammates empowers those girls to perform at high level when called upon. And it’s largely thanks this dynamic that No. 14 Cisco (31-3) is getting ready for a Region I-3A quarterfinal clash with sixth-ranked Jim Ned on Tuesday.
Big Country Preps Player of the Week: Hermleigh’s Roemisch takes this week’s accolade
While the Hermleigh girls basketball team has garnered much of the media’s attention in recent years, there’s a subtle little secret leaking from the HHS campus: The guys aren’t so bad either.
As of this week, the Hermleigh boys are 20-7 overall following back-to-back wins over Loraine (80-53) and Anton (70-65) — helped in no small part by our Big Country Preps Player of the Week, junior guard Kobe Roemisch.
DANIEL YOUNGBLOOD: This week in Big Country boys basketball (Feb. 17-23)
The high school boys basketball playoffs are finally here, and the Big Country will be well represented as always.
After a long and entertaining regular season, we’ve reached the “win or go home” stage, where the ultimate prize is a trip to the Alamodome for a spot in the UIL state tournament.
There will be added urgency to every game, with a heightened sense of celebration/relief with each win and tears after every loss. But this is the time of year that all of these coaches and kids have been working toward — and we as fans of high school basketball have been waiting for.
EVAN REN: This week in Big Country girls basketball (Feb. 17-23)
With the regional semifinal round just one victory away, a dozen Big Country teams are still alive with hopes of reaching the Texas high school equivalent of the Sweet 16.
This week’s regional quarterfinal round will be accompanied by two things: pure elation and pure devastation once the final horns blow. And not all of our area clubs will be among the survivors.
Nonetheless, I’ll go out on a limb and say no fewer than six Big Country teams will retain a pulse after Tuesday night.
That said, let’s have a look what’s on tap.