Here are the final standings for all boys basketball districts involving Big Country schools:
Month: February 2019
Big Country boys basketball playoff pairings, results (March 2)
Here are the updated Big Country boys basketball playoff pairings:
Continue reading “Big Country boys basketball playoff pairings, results (March 2)”
PHOTO GALLERY: Colorado City-Brock girls basketball playoff (48 images)
Photos may be purchased for $7 each by clicking the small shopping cart emblem beneath the lower right corner of the gallery.
PHOTO GALLERY: Jacksboro-Cisco girls basketball playoff (52 images)
Photos may be purchased for $7 each by clicking the small shopping cart emblem beneath the lower right corner of the gallery.
GAME STORY: Cisco holds off Jacksboro, earns region quarterfinal date with Jim Ned
MINERAL WELLS — With a big and talented frontcourt that featured three players at 5-foot-10 or taller, the Jacksboro Tigerettes were a dangerous matchup for a Cisco squad that starts just one player taller than 5-7.
But at the end of Friday’s Region I-3A area-round matchup at Ram Gym, it was the Lady Loboes celebrating a hard-fought 58-54 win to advance to the I-3A quarterfinals, where they’ll face off with perennial Big Country power Jim Ned.
Coach Brent Kilpatrick’s team executed its game plan well enough early to build a 10-point halftime lead and hit one big shot after another to hold off multiple Tigerette rallies in the second half.
GAME STORY: Lady Badgers season comes to an end, but future is bright
GRAHAM — While it wasn’t how coach Laura Lange or her squad envisioned it ending, the Merkel girls basketball season came to a close with a 63-47 loss to Nocona on Friday night.
The loss marked the end of Mireya Salazar’s career at Merkel, but the future is bright for the Lady Badgers as the remaining nine players return for next year — a number that includes just two juniors.
GAME STORY: Brock eliminates Colorado City 36-18 behind big defensive effort
BROWNWOOD — How good was Brock’s defense in Friday’s 36-18 area round win over Colorado City?
Good enough for the Lady Eagles to score only 36 points, yet dominate the game from start to finish.
Olivia Lewis, Kasaundra Boxell and Evan Roberts scored seven points apiece and Jessica Leek added six to lift Brock (31-8), which advances to face Nocona (31-3) in the Region I-3A quarterfinals next week.
FEATURE: Size, skill make Westbrook’s Goswick a near unstoppable force
At 6-foot-1, Westbrook post Miranda Goswick stands taller than most of her peers.
But it’s the skilled and versatile game that comes with her height that makes the Hardin-Simmons-bound senior stand out.
A dominant force on both ends of the court for Westbrook, Goswick creates matchup problems that few Class 1A teams are equipped to contend with. And she relishes the go-to role she plays for the Lady Wildcats, who are set to take on Benjamin in the area round Friday after knocking off Hamlin 52-38 to open the playoffs.
FEATURE: Goldthwaite Lady Eagles a model of balance
Basketball coaches love to take away the opposition’s best player when mapping out a game plan.
If one or two players are clearly better than the rest, they make for easy targets while studying game film. And more often than not, the aforementioned players can count on getting plenty of defensive attention after the tipoff.
When scouting the Goldthwaite Lady Eagles, however, one may have difficulty deciding exactly where to employ this age-old tactic. Better-stated, they may have to pick their proverbial poison.
FEATURE: Defense, experience propel Forsan girls into second round
FORSAN — They’ve labored through streaks of inconsistent scoring output throughout the season. But the Forsan Lady Buffaloes have had one key advantage all along to act as compensation — experience.
Heading into Friday’s Class 2A area round matchup with Plains, Forsan has been held under 40 points no fewer than 10 times. Yet through combination of solid defense and the ability to adjust on the fly, the Lady Buffs enter this week at 22-6 while allowing only 30.8 points per game.
The Lady Buffs may not shoot the lights out. But chances are, neither will you.
ABILENE HIGH SIGNINGS: Four Lady Eagles make college plans official
Abilene High’s Eagle Gym was packed with fans Wednesday afternoon, but there was no game scheduled to be played.
Instead, family and friends of four Lady Eagle athletes were there to watch and show support as the quartet made their college decisions official.
Senior soccer player Estafany Hernandez signed her letter of intent to play collegiately at Abilene Christian University, while tennis players Lauren Schaeffer and Hannah Vermillion solidified their commitments to Hardin-Simmons and volleyball player Allison Pierce — the daughter of AHS volleyball coach Didi Pierce — filled out her paper work to play at Austin College in Sherman.
BCP Podcast No. 33: Brownwood boys coach Nadir Dalleh visits with Evan, Daniel
With his team riding a 15-game winning streak with a District 7-4A championship in its back pocket, Brownwood coach Nadir Dalleh found time to speak with Big Country Preps’ Evan Ren and Daniel Youngblood.
Evan and Dan also take a quick look at the girls playoff picture and how the boys basketball scene is shaping up in this week’s Capital Farm Credit Wednesday Night Podcast.
PHOTO GALLERY: Cooper-Wylie boys basketball (38 images)
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GAME STORY: Wylie boys outlast Cooper in slugfest, lock up No. 2 playoff seed
The Wylie Bulldogs overcame a slow start and a three-point halftime deficit to defeat Cooper 43-38 on Tuesday at Bulldog Gym, completing a season sweep of the Cougars and clinching the No. 2 playoff seed in District 4-5A.
Wylie needed an Austin Brewer jumper at the first-quarter buzzer to trim Cooper’s lead to 13-8 and saw a Deven Bailey 3-pointer right before halftime send them to the locker room down 25-22.
But the Bulldogs used a 14-7 run through the third quarter to grab the lead and held off a Cougar rally in the fourth to earn a hard-fought victory.
GAME STORY: Hico rally falls short in bi-district loss to Windthorst (video, box score & photo gallery w/14 images included)
MINERAL WELLS — A dash of early foul trouble led to a bad second quarter for the Hico Lady Tigers, and eventually, a 39-35 bi-district loss to Windthorst on Tuesday.
Kora Pennartz scored 11 points and Mollie Kirk tossed in eight more to lead Windthorst (19-11), which advances to face Valley View in the 2A area round.
Forced to sit starter Lauryl Stegall in the second quarter due to early foul trouble, Hico saw an 11-11 deadlock become a 27-19 halftime deficit which would prove costly by game’s end.
GAME STORY: Nervous Goldthwaite settles down to dominate Electra (Video, box score and photo gallery w/22 images included)
MINERAL WELLS — It took them better part of two quarters to get over a case of the jitters. But after the 14th-ranked Goldthwaite Lady Eagles settled into a rhythm, a three-year postseason drought ended with a 56-36 win over Electra on Tuesday.
Ally Hopper and Jordan Carr both scored eight points each to lead Goldthwaite, which had 11 different players score while improving to 27-6.
GAME STORY: Colorado City uses explosive second quarter to eliminate Eastland
In a season that has seen the Colorado City girls basketball team struggled to score at times, the Lady Wolves had their fourth best offensive output of the year Tuesday night.
Riding a 20-point second quarter, the Lady Wolves took a 57-50 win over Eastland in a Region I-3A bi-district matchup at Hardin Simmons University’s Mabee Complex.
GAME RECAP: Short-handed Wylie girls fall to Plainview in OT
SNYDER — Playing without standout guard Skylar Williams, who injured her ankle in practice over the weekend, and her logical replacement in the starting lineup Karis Christian, who was battling illness, the Wylie girls basketball team saw its season come to end Tuesday with a 48-42 overtime loss to Plainview in a Region I-5A bi-district playoff at The Coliseum.
Wylie, the No. 2 seed out of District 4-5A, led District 3’s third seed 35-32 heading into the final quarter after strong showings in the middle two periods, but Plainview rallied to outscore coach Amy Powell’s squad 7-4 in the fourth quarter and 9-3 in overtime to win and advance to the area round.
PHOTO GALLERY: Forsan-Stamford girls basketball playoff (35 images)
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LOCAL HOOPS ROUNDUP: Arlington Bowie too much for AHS girls in bi-district
GLEN ROSE — The Abilene High girls basketball team saw its season come to an end Monday with a 71-43 loss to District 4-6A champion Arlington Bowie in a Region I-6A bi-district playoff.
Bowie raced out to an 18-9 lead after one quarter, extended that to 39-18 by halftime and cruised in the second half to the comfortable win.
PHOTO GALLERY: Westbrook-Hamlin girls basketball playoff (60 images)
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GAME STORY: Goswick leads Westbrook girls past Hamlin, into second round
MERKEL — Miranda Goswick and the Westbrook Lady Wildcats were too much for Hamlin on Monday, riding an early 14-2 lead to a 52-38 win in a Region II-1A bi-district playoff at Badger Gym.
Goswick, a 6-foot-1 senior post, put on a clinic inside, hurting the Lady Pipers for 26 points to help her team improve to 18-8 and advance to take on District 16-1A champion Benjamin (25-5) later this week in the area round.
GAME STORY: Forsan eliminates Stamford 48-37 (box score and photo gallery included)
HERMLEIGH — With Stamford’s leading scorer and rebounder, Brooklyn Woodard, out with a knee injury, it was up to a group of four freshman to carry the load for the Lady Bulldogs in Monday’s 2A bi-district game with Forsan.
Unfortunately for Stamford, Forsan’s roster comes stocked with five seniors — which is five more than SHS could suit up with Woodard sidelined.
The difference in experience showed in a 48-37 Forsan win at Hermleigh High School.
Big Country Preps Player of the Week: Cisco’s Adame is the Man of the Hour
When Cisco’s Izzy Adame gets the hot hand, there are few players in the Big Country capable of putting up more points in a short time than this senior guard.
Last week was a prime example of this, when he helped the Loboes to a 70-48 win over Dublin with 31 points, seven 3-pointers and six rebounds.
Three nights later, he hurt Coleman in an 86-68 victory that saw him drop 30 points on the Bluecats with six boards and four more treys.
DANIEL YOUNGBLOOD: This week in Big Country boys basketball (Feb. 10-16)
With just one more game re—maining on the regular-season boys basketball schedule, most district championships have already been decided and many teams have already locked up their playoff spots and seeding.
But as is always the case this time of year, a few league title and district playoff races have come down to the final week, which means Tuesday’s slate of games will have an enormous importance for those teams.
Let’s take a look at some of the biggest matchups this final week has to offer and review some of the developments last week that put us in this position, shall we?
EVAN REN: This week in Big Country girls basketball (Feb. 10-16)
It’s time to dance.
From El Paso to Texarkana and from Harlingen to Dalhart everything is now do-or-die in girls basketball, with the common goal of reaching the Texas high school equivalent to the Final Four in San Antonio in early March.
As always, the Big Country has its share of entries, some of which have a legitimate shot at getting to the Alamodome.
Big Country girls basketball playoff pairings, results (Feb. 23)
Here are the updated Big Country girls basketball playoff pairings:
Continue reading “Big Country girls basketball playoff pairings, results (Feb. 23)”
FEATURE: Merkel standout Pursley will likely choose track over hoops
MERKEL — The general consensus is she’s good enough to play basketball at the college level and is likely to get her share of attention from recruiters.
But chances are you won’t see Merkel’s Kaydi Pursley suiting up for any collegiate hoops program at any level.
It’s simply not in her plan.
LOCAL HOOPS ROUNDUP: Cooper boys snap skid with home win over Aledo
The Cooper boys basketball team snapped a five-game losing streak and gave their playoff hopes a major boost Friday with a 48-37 win over Aledo at Cougar Gym.
The Coogs, who moved to 14-15 overall and 2-5 in District 4-5A with the victory, now hold a one-game lead on Wichita Falls High for the district’s fourth and final playoff spot heading into their regular season finale at Wylie on Tuesday. WFHS, meanwhile, must beat league-leader Wichita Falls Rider (23-7, 7-0) on the final day of the regular season to force a district playoff.
PHOTO GALLERY: Euless Trinity-Abilene High boys basketball (28 images)
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GAME STORY: AHS’ upset bid comes up short against Trinity in regular season finale
Playing first-place Euless Trinity for a chance to finish the second half of District 3-6A play at 5-1, the Abilene High boys basketball team came within a break or two of pulling off the feat Friday. But the Trojans went 12 of 12 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter to hold off an AHS rally in a 59-55 win at Eagle Gym.
Trailing 28-26 with 2:30 remaining in the third quarter, coach Justin Reese’s team absorbed a 13-3 run over the next three minutes to cut the Trinity lead to three points on three occasions in the fourth quarter. But the Trojans had the answer for each AHS push to thwart the upset bid and put the Eagles’ playoff hopes in limbo.
PHOTO GALLERY: Colorado City-Merkel girls basketball (41 images)
Photos may be purchased for $7 each by clicking the small shopping cart emblem beneath the lower right corner of the gallery.
GAME STORY: Lady Badgers rally to top C-City in tiebreaking thriller (w/ box score, photo gallery)
It’s not often that sharp-shooting Merkel guard Kaydi Pursley is held scoreless for an entire half. But in Friday’s District 4-3A tiebreaker at McMurry, that’s precisely what Colorado City managed to do.
Pursley, however, made up for lost time after the break, leading Merkel to a come-from-behind 39-36 win with 12 second-half points.
Kinzie Hays added 12 more points and Alaunna White tossed in eight for the Lady Badgers (19-12, 10-3), who as the No. 2 seed, will open with Coleman in the bi-district round on Monday at 6:30 in Winters.
GAME STORY: Lady Eagles earn playoff berth with win over Euless Trinity
WEATHERFORD — The Abilene High girls basketball team defeated Euless Trinity 50-47 on Friday at Kangaroo Gym to clinch the fourth seed out of District 3-6A for the playoffs.
The Lady Eagles (17-18) split the district games against the Lady Trojans (13-19), winning 40-38 to open district play at home before falling 57-35 on the road in January.
AHS took a 50-47 lead with under 20 seconds to play on a free throw by sophomore Trakenya Roberson. Trinity had a chance to tie the game at the end of regulation, but missed a 3-pointer with five seconds to play and never got a shot off after a timeout with four seconds left.
FEATURE: Tennison-led Lady Bucks bringing pride back to Breck girls basketball
Second-year Breckenridge girls basketball coach Chris Robertson and senior guard Carly Tennison didn’t exactly hit it off right away.
In fact, the war of wills that took place last year when Robertson introduced some new ways of doing things to a struggling Lady Buckaroo program is one the two joke about today.
Robertson and Tennison can make light of those clashes now because of the bond they eventually helped forge. And after butting heads through much of 6-23 campaign in 2017-18, the pair have combined to spearhead a girls basketball renaissance in Breckenridge this winter.
FEATURE: Jaybird tandem has ties to Jayton hoops that go waaaaaay back
JAYTON — The last time Jayton guards Pecos Smith and Tye Scogin weren’t regulars on the Jaybird bench during basketball games was so long ago, one may have to examine a photo archive to accurately lock it down.
In the case of both, it’s roughly eight years, though the details are a bit sketchy.
No, Smith and Scogin are not in violation of UIL rules. Nor are they at the tail end of the world’s longest high school term.
Both players are former team managers, who assisted the Jaybirds while still in elementary school until they themselves became players as freshmen.
If that sounds unusual, it is.
De Leon’s Yeager headlines Big Country signees (w/ complete list of Big Country signings)
For months, it had been speculated on where De Leon quarterback Kevin Yeager would spend his collegiate days playing football.
That became official on Wednesday, when he signed with Incarnate Word, as one of the top area athletes to commit to college programs on National Signing Day.
“It was a great day for the Yeagers and I’m super proud for Kevin earning this opportunity to play at the next level ,” De Leon coach David Yeager said of his son. “I’m really proud of the career he’s had at De Leon and I’m looking forward to the next chapter at Incarnate Word.”
BCP Podcast No. 32: Cisco’s Kevin Hearne talks hoops with Evan, Daniel
Cisco boys basketball coach Kevin Hearne has his Loboes at 25-3 after clinching the District 6-3A championship with a win over Dublin on Tuesday.
This week, he took some time chat with Big Country Preps’ Evan Ren and Daniel Youngblood about the season his Cisco squad is having, growing up as a coach’s son and coaching his own sons for the Capital Farm Credit Wednesday Night Podcast.
Also in this episode, Evan and Daniel discuss the biggest developments and top matchups on the Big Country boys and girls basketball scene.
Six local football players make college decisions official, four choose HSU
Six local football players made their college decisions official during signing day ceremonies Wednesday, and four of those will be continuing their playing careers right down the road as members of the Hardin-Simmons Cowboys.
Abilene High receiver Reese Pettijohn and cornerback Tyler Simpson will join Cooper receiver Mason Reynolds and linebacker Tavian Bonds as members of the Cowboys’ 2019 recruiting class, while AHS offensive lineman Stevie Sifuentes will walk on at Division I Colorado State and Cooper O-lineman Ricardo Rios will take his talents to Cisco College.
The six became the most recent Abilene products to commit to playing collegiately, earning opportunities that AHS coach Del Van Cox and Cooper’s Aaron Roan said are all well-earned.
PHOTO GALLERY: Paducah at Jayton doubleheader (47 images) 2-5-19
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LOCAL HOOPS ROUNDUP: AHS girls top Weatherford, earn fourth-place playoff against Trinity
WEATHERFORD — The Abilene High girls basketball team rallied from a 10-8 first-quarter deficit Tuesday to defeat Weatherford 44-37 and earn a playoff with Euless Trinity for the fourth and final playoff spot out of District 3-6A.
The Lady Eagles (16-18 overall, 5-7 in district) will take on the Lady Trojans at 6 p.m. Friday in Weatherford for a spot in the Class 6A playoffs next week.
PHOTO GALLERY: Brock-Breckenridge basketball doubleheader (58 images)
Photos may be purchased for $7 each by clicking the small shopping cart emblem below the lower right corner of the gallery.
GAME STORY: Jayton, Paducah split consecutive thrillers
JAYTON — With Jayton’s gym packed to near capacity, Friday’s doubleheader between Paducah and JHS was expected by many to produce two games with playoff intensity.
It delivered, with the Jayton girls taking Game 1, 34-32 and the Paducah boys edging JHS in the nightcap, 45-43 in a pair of late-season nail-biters.
Both games decided playoff seeding in District 15-1A, the latter of which iced the league title for Paducah, which holds a two-game lead and a tiebreaker over Jayton with two games to play.
GAME STORY: Brock girls fend off scrappy Breckenridge squad for 38-35 win
BRECKENRIDGE — Entering Tuesday’s District 7-3A matchup with Breckenridge, the Brock Lady Eagles had won all but one of their last 14 games with an average margin of 29.6 points in those 13 victories.
Things didn’t come quite so easy in their regular season finale against the Lady Buckaroos, however.
Brock (28-8 overall, 12-2 District 7-3A) picked up the win it needed to share the district title with Jacksboro, edging Breckenridge 38-35 at the BISD Athletic & Fine Arts Center. But the Lady Eagles trailed early in the fourth quarter and needed a game-tying 3-point attempt at the buzzer to rim out to avoid overtime.
GAME STORY: Cisco sweeps Dublin for a pair of 6-3A championships
CISCO — After watching the girls team clinch a share of the District 6-3A championship, the Cisco boys went out and did the same Tuesday night with a second half rally for a 70-48 win over Dublin.
The Loboes benefited from Izzy Adame’s game-high 31 points and withstood a cold shooting first half in improving to 25-3 overall and staying undefeated in 12 district games.
The win was Cisco’s 21st in its last 22 games.
FEATURE: Stamford’s Edwards isn’t about the numbers
STAMFORD — At age 47, Stamford boys basketball coach Dean Edwards has already reached a coaching milestone that most people his profession never approach.
With last week’s 79-35 win over Cross Plains, Edwards notched his 400th career victory, giving him an average of 20 victories per season over a 20-year career.
To put those numbers into perspective, if Edwards were to continue winning at his present pace until age 67, he would top the ultra-rare 800-win plateau, putting him in elite company.
FEATURE: Elite man defense the name of the game for No. 3 Haskell Maidens
With a quick look at the Haskell girls basketball team’s defense, you can be fooled pretty easily into thinking the No. 3 Maidens run some variation of a zone.
But make no mistake about it, Haskell coach Blake Eddleman is a man-to-man guy through and through.
While heavy sagging and switching can give his ‘D’ a unique look and feel, it’s those hard-nosed man-to-man concepts and principles that rest at the heart of the Maidens’ identity. And it’s that identity — and his girls all-in approach to it— that Eddleman credits for his team’s success during his Haskell tenure.
Big Country Preps Player of the Week: Eastland senior Stacy snags accolade
In a week that saw multiple performances worthy of Big Country Preps Player of the Week honors, it was the magnitude of one win, in particular, that shifted the award to Eastland senior guard Hailee Stacy.
Stacy averaged 26 points and 9.5 rebounds for the week, including 19 points and eight boards in a 56-42 win over highly touted Cisco to force a first-place tie in the district race.
She followed that with a 33-point, 11-rebound performance in a 71-26 win over Comanche.