Photos may be purchased for $7 each by clicking on the small shopping cart emblem below the lower right corner of the gallery. The “BigCountryPreps.com” watermark will be removed from all purchased photos.
Month: February 2020
GAME STORY: Westbrook girls withstand cold quarter to knock off Hamlin
MERKEL — The Westbrook girls basketball team might have earned a bi-district win in 2019, but this postseason they plan to enjoy everything a little bit differently.
After picking up a 51-42 win over Hamlin in a Region II-1A bi-district game at Merkel’s Badger Gymnasium, coach Jeff Bontrager gave simple instructions to his squad on how to properly cut down the nets from the rim.
“We won last year in bi-district, but we didn’t do this,” Bontrager said of cutting down the nets. “We are going to celebrate everything, every victory, especially in the playoffs. Some teams might wait a little longer, but we are going to show them how fun it can be and hopefully put a run together.”
GAME STORY: Merkel defense shines in 42-16 bi-district win over Bangs
It took the Merkel girls basketball team a little time to get going offensively in its playoff opener against Bangs on Monday, but a stifling defensive performance made that point moot in a 42-16 victory at McMurry University’s Kimbrell Arena.
The Lady Badgers, the District 5-3A runner-up behind No. 2 Jim Ned, held Bangs to six first-half points and used a 16-4 run through the third quarter to put the Lady Dragons away and earn an area-round date with District 8-3A champion Nocona.
Senior guard Kaydi Pursley led the Merkel effort with 14 points, all after the first quarter, while sophomore Alyssa O’Malley added 12 to help the Lady Badgers move to 26-8 on the year.
GAME STORY: Cisco withstands Coahoma rally, foul trouble to advance
MERKEL — The Cisco girls basketball team started off on fire from the field, saw Coahoma put together a second-quarter rally and then hit a barrage of fourth-quarter free throws to earn a 68-56 Region I-3A bi-district win Monday night at Merkel’s Badger Gymnasium.
Landry Edgar led three Lady Loboes in double-digits with 20 points, while Sophie Hurtado had 16 points before fouling out and Savannah Dycus added 10.
Makynlee Overton had a game-high 24 points for the Bulldogettes, while Caitlyn Corley, the subject of a weekend feature, added 16 points.
GAME STORY: Lady Mavericks use defense to eliminate C-City, advance to area round
CLYDE— The most painful loss of the year is often the last one. And in Monday’s Class 3A bi-district matchup between Eastland and Colorado City, it was the C-City locker room that had a somber tone in the game’s aftermath.
Backed by intense half-court defensive pressure that limited C-City standout Mia Monroe to just four points, the Lady Mavericks advanced with a 45-33 win at Clyde High School.
Makena Moreno score 11 points and Jordan Mayes added eight more to lead Eastland (23-12), which held the Lady Wolves to just nine points after halftime. The Lady Mavericks now advance to face the winner of Tuesday’s bi-district matchup between Brock (27-7) and Holliday (18-13) in the area round.
Colorado City (23-9) was led by Kaci Hudson with 12 points and Kirsten Koch with eight.
“We started off playing a little zone and then we started playing some man (to man),” Eastland coach Troy Doyle said. “In the second half, we ran a little half-court trap and that gave them some problems.”
BCP Softball Position Rankings: Pitchers
With softball season kicking off this week, it’s time to learn the names of or be reintroduced to the players you’ll be reading about throughout the 2020 campaign.
For the first installment in a five-part series that will cover all position groups on the area softball scene, we’ll be taking a look at the Big Country’s top pitchers, ranking our top 10 with a list of others to watch this fall.
We hope you enjoy reading through our list.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK Brownwood’s McCarty earns this week’s top spot
He might be better known as a football player.
But Baylor-bound defensive back Adonis McCarty Jr. is more than capable of lighting things up on the hardcourt as well. Just ask Glen Rose and Mineral Wells, both of which were torched by the BHS senior last week.
Averaging 25.5 points and 7.5 rebounds through two games, McCarty helped Brownwood clinch the district title with a 33-point, eight-rebound, five-assist performance in a 71-67 win over Glen Rose.
FEATURE: Thompson a welcome addition to Brownwood girls’ basketball
A family situation brought unknown girls’ basketball talent Matyha Thompson from Nacogdoches to Brownwood prior to the 2018-2019 season. With the 2019-2020 season entering the playoffs this week, Thompson has worked her way onto a short list of the top players in the Big Country.
The 5-foot-10 senior leads the Lady Lions in scoring at 18.8 points per game, rebounding at 5.5 per game, steals with 67 for the season, blocked shots with 27 and field-goal shooting at 49 percent.
Brownwood, 19-12 and the runner-up in District 7-4A, will play Decatur, 27-6 and the No. 3 seed from District 8-4A, in a bidistrict game at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Breckenridge.
DANIEL YOUNGBLOOD: This week in Big Country boys basketball (Feb. 17-23)
It’s hard to believe, but we have reached the final scheduled date of the boys basketball regular season. After Tuesday, all that will separate us from the playoffs are a handful of seeding games and coin flips.
But while most Big Country districts have already crowned their champions, plenty of intrigue remains heading into this final night of district games.
Without further ado, let’s take a look at this week’s top matchups and outcomes last week’s key results.
EVAN REN: This week in Big Country girls basketball (Feb. 17-23)
The first round of the playoffs are here, with a slate of 14 area games on Monday night and 15 on Tuesday.
By Friday the field will be cut in half throughout most brackets and by this time next week, we’ll be looking at regional quarterfinal matchups to determine who’s going to the regional tournaments.
Let’s take a quick peek at the headliners.
Continue reading “EVAN REN: This week in Big Country girls basketball (Feb. 17-23)”
FEATURE: Coahoma’s Caitlyn Corley works her way to collegiate ranks while helping CHS to playoffs
Photos courtesy of Lyndal Moody
COAHOMA — Now in her senior year at Coahoma, Caitlyn Corley is one of the most unlikely stories in the Big Country for 2020.
While gradually working her way to a position of prominence from her freshmen year to today in a struggling basketball program, Corley had two big goals to reach before someone handed her a diploma. First, she wanted to help Coahoma snap a playoff drought that dated back to 2016. Secondly, she wanted a collegiate program to take notice of her and allow her to play at the next level.
Both missions have been accomplished.
Not only is Coahoma (21-10) set to play Cisco (26-6) in a Class 3A bi-district matchup on Monday, but Corley has also been spotted on the collegiate radar screen. Having officially committed to Sul Ross State, the 18-year-old will join the SRSU basketball program later this year.
FEATURE: Moguls, Mogulettes on a roll after sluggish starts
PHOTOS courtesy of Mandi Perry
Munday’s two head basketball coaches never had doubts despite rocky starts.
First-year girls coach Richard Ramsey didn’t panic during a slow debut because he knew learning his system would be a process with point guard Carlie Willison injured and four new starters.
Boys coach Adrian Daniel knew a difficult football season wouldn’t necessarily translate to hardwood struggles either, not after the Moguls’ playoff success a year ago.
It’s a critical week for both squads as the girls will face either Highland or Roby after a first-round bye, while the boys host Knox City Tuesday night with an outright District 16-A title on the line.
The Mogulettes (20-13) already went undefeated in 16-A and ascended to No. 22 in the state after persevering through a rocky start. Since Wilson’s return from a fractured foot, Munday has won 17 of 19 games with its only losses coming to Guthrie and No. 15 Abbott.
Big Country girls basketball playoff results (March 1)
Here are the updated Big Country girls basketball playoff results (through March 1):
Continue reading “Big Country girls basketball playoff results (March 1)”
FEATURE: Expectations sky high for Cooper freshman Speights
First-year Cooper girls basketball coach Arsenio Geter isn’t shy in his praise of point guard Kyla Speights. Nor is he particularly worried about overloading the freshman’s plate.
In fact, he’s already calling her the future of his program.
But Geter only puts those expectations — and the accompanying pressure — on Speights because he firmly believes she can handle it. And because he wants to make sure she understands the types of things she’s capable of and the enormous potential she has.
PHOTO GALLERY: Eula-Baird boys basketball (58 images)
Photos may be purchased for $7 each by clicking on the small shopping cart emblem below the lower right corner of the gallery. The “BigCountryPreps.com” watermark will be removed from all purchased photos.
PHOTO GALLERY: Wichita Falls Rider-Wylie boys basketball (22 images)
Photos may be purchased for $7 each by clicking on the small shopping cart emblem below the lower right corner of the gallery. The “BigCountryPreps.com” watermark will be removed from all purchased photos.
PHOTO GALLERY: Wylie-Cooper girls basketball seeding game (30 images)
Photos may be purchased for $7 each by clicking on the small shopping cart emblem below the lower right corner of the gallery. The “BigCountryPreps.com” watermark will be removed from all purchased photos.
LOCAL HOOPS ROUNDUP: Fourth-quarter woes doom AHS boys in loss to Trinity
EULESS — Playing Euless Trinity on Friday with a chance to clinch at least a share of the District 3-6A championship, the Abilene High boys basketball team suffered a disappointing setback in its final game of the regular season.
Leading 31-28 at halftime and 42-40 after three quarters, the Eagles were outscored 22-9 over the final eight minutes to fall 62-51 for just their second district loss of the season.
GAME STORY: Wylie boys push District 4-5A champ Rider before falling 44-38
Coming off a disappointing 44-41 loss to Wichita Falls High, the Wylie boys basketball team gave District 4-5A champion Wichita Falls Rider all it could handle Friday before falling 44-38 at Bulldog Gym.
The Bulldogs took a 27-24 lead into halftime and were still within three points in the final minute, before the Raiders finally closed out the come-from-behind win at the free-throw line.
GAME STORY: Cooper girls stifle Wylie down stretch to take District 4-5A’s No. 3 seed
Leading Wylie 40-37 with 4½ minutes remaining Friday at Abilene High’s Eagle Gym, the Cooper girls basketball team kept the Lady Bulldogs off the board for the next four minutes to secure a 46-42 win and lock up the No. 3 seed out of District 4-5A.
The Lady Cougars, who shared the district title with Wylie, Aledo and Wichita Falls Rider, bounced back from a 32-24 loss to Aledo on the first day of a four-team seeding tournament Thursday to beat their crosstown rival a day later and avoid a first-round playoff matchup with top-ranked and defending state champion Amarillo High.
That burden will instead fall to the Lady Bulldogs, who dropped a 48-32 decision to Rider on Thursday.
GAME STORY: Eula escapes Baird with district-clinching win
BAIRD — When perennial power Eula came to Baird on Friday with a No. 7 statewide ranking and a 24-5 record, few gave the upstart Bears, with three players overcoming illnesses, much of a shot.
By evening’s end, however, the Pirates were counting themselves as fortunate to escape with a 58-47 win and Eula coach Josh Fostel was pleased to see his top-seeded crew get a much-needed challenge.
Jayton Jones scored 21 points, including six 3-pointers and David Phillips dropped in 18 more to lead Eula (25-5, 9-0 District 20-1A), which locked up the district title with the win.
Baird (15-6, 7-2), which whittled a 27-point first-half deficit to only four by the 3:00 mark of the fourth quarter, was led by Max Dayton with 13 points and Aaron Halburton with 11.
FEATURE: Reynolds, O’Shields giving basketball touch to football-heavy Hawley
HAWLEY — It could be argued that the Hawley basketball team is more a collection of highly athletic football players than a refined group of hoopsters.
That point has been made, and in some circles, it’s even agreed upon.
But there are two undeniable facts about this Hawley club that may push it deep into postseason play. Firstly, the Bearcats, regardless of style, are good — entering Friday’s game at Haskell with a 12-7 overall record and a 6-2 mark in District 8-2A.
Secondly, the backcourt tandem of Jaron Reynolds and Kason O’Shields has enough basketball polish to compensate for any lack of finesse Hawley’s bruising frontcourt may have. But they are not carrying as much of the load as one may think.
GAME STORY: Wylie, Cooper girls fall to open District 4-5A seeding tournament
GRAHAM — It was a rough night for local teams on Day 1 of the District 4-5A girls basketball seeding tournament, and both Cooper and Wylie will have a Day 2 as a result.
Hoping to win their semifinal game to earn one of the district’s top-two playoff seeds and avoid having to play on Friday, the Lady Bulldogs dropped a 48-32 decision to Wichita Falls Rider in Thursday’s first game before the Lady Cougars fell 32-24 to Aledo in the nightcap.
Cooper and Wylie, which earned a four-way share of the district title with Rider and Aledo, will now meet at 5:30 p.m. Friday at Abilene High to decide who takes 4-5A’s No. 3 seed and avoids top-ranked Amarillo High in next week’s bi-district playoff.
Aledo and Rider flipped for the No. 1 seed, with the former taking that distinction.
FEATURE: Abilene High’s McGee stepping out of brother’s shadow, into spotlight
As a seventh-grader in 2016, Abilene High point guard Jalen McGee got to watch his brother, Calvin, lead the Eagles to a 31-5 record and a district championship in his final high school season.
With a win Friday at Euless Trinity, the younger McGee and his AHS teammates would get to celebrate the school’s first district title since then.
That feat would add yet another parallel between the high school careers of the McGee brothers, who bear their share of similarities — both in playing style and achievement. But as inevitable — and, to a certain degree, flattering — as the comparison is, Jalen would just as soon be judged on the merits of his own play.
The junior standout, who like his big brother made the Eagles varsity as a freshman, has been working since then to make his own name at Abilene High. And much of the success of the 2019-20 AHS squad, which enters Friday’s matchup at 23-9 overall and 10-1 in District 3-6A play, can be attributed to the strides McGee has made in that pursuit.
BIG COUNTRY BOYS STATISTICAL LEADERS (Scoring, rebounds, assists and steals through Feb. 13)
Big Country Preps publishes area boys and girls basketball statistical leaders each Thursday at 7 p.m.
This database will be continually updated for our subscribers throughout the remainder of the season, using only those statistics submitted by area coaches.
Teams that do not submit their statistics in a given week will not be listed when our stats are posted, but will be added to the lists below as they are received in the coming days.
BCP Podcast No. 81: Evan, Daniel talk Ballinger boys hoops with coach Jamal Anene
In his four years as Ballinger’s boys basketball coach, Jamal Anene has built the Bearcats into a consistent playoff team. The same is true this year of BHS, which enters a big game Friday against San Angelo TLCA at 23-8 overall and 8-2 in District 4-3A.
Earlier this week, Anene took a few minutes to chat with Big Country Preps’ Evan Ren and Daniel Youngblood about this season, his goals for the program and his unique background for the Capital Farm Credit Wednesday Night Podcast.
Also in this episode, Evan and Daniel discuss the end of the girls basketball regular season and some of the biggest storylines in the final week of boys district games.
FEATURE: Haskell Maidens say goodbye to Teepee; boys to follow next week
HASKELL — Since 1956, the Haskell boys and girls basketball teams have been housed in what has often been described as the noisiest venue in the entire Big Country.
Known unofficially in some circles as “The Teepee,” the Haskell gym, with its angled walls at the baseline and pitched roof, does bear some resemblance to the conical tents once used by Native American tribes of the Great Plains.
The sound inside, however, is closer to that of a 747 at takeoff than a powwow.
Those days are rapidly coming to a close and by next week, the facility will have hosted its last varsity game.
PHOTO GALLERY: Breckenridge at Brock (123 images) 2-12-20
Photos may be purchased for $7 each by clicking on the small shopping cart emblem below the lower right corner of the gallery. The “BigCountryPreps.com” watermark will be removed from all purchased photos.
LOCAL HOOPS ROUNDUP: Wylie girls rout Wichita Falls High, Bulldogs drop close one
The Wylie girls basketball team wrapped up the regular season with a dominant performance Tuesday at Bulldog Gym, blasting Wichita Falls High 57-27 to improve to 18-14 overall and 5-3 in District 4-5A play.
The victory, combined with Aledo’s 41-36 win over Wichita Falls Rider on Tuesday, put the Lady Bulldogs in a four-way tie for first in the 4-5A standings with Aledo, Rider and Cooper. Those four teams will play a seeding tournament later this week at site to be determined.
GAME STORY: Abilene High boys, girls sweep Weatherford on Senior Night
It took the Abilene High boys basketball team a little while to find a rhythm Tuesday against Weatherford’s zone defense. But once the Eagles got going, points came in bunches in a 72-29 win at Eagle Gym.
Leading just 10-6 after a quarter and 24-13 at halftime, AHS exploded for 29 points in the third quarter to run away from the Kangaroos for a blowout victory on Senior Night.
GAME STORY: Brock sweeps Breckenridge in district doubleheader.
BROCK — The Breckenridge Buckaroos arrived in Brock ready to play on Tuesday, with a No. 2 seed in the playoffs in the balance.
They left in third place, after seeing a strong early effort was gradually whittled away by a Brock inside game for which they had no solution in a 58-41 win for the Eagles.
Brock’s win in the boys game capped a two-game varsity sweep for the Eagles, who also took the girls game 68-20 before the boys took the floor.
Nathan Jones scored 15 points and Zane Cook added 12 more to pace Brock (24-9, 10-2), which holds a one-game lead on Breckenridge for the No. 2 seed in district with two games to play, along with a tie-breaker by virtue of a season sweep of the Buckaroos.
FEATURE: Stamford girls have won 22 games with extremely young lineup
Coaching or following a sports team that is talented but still young can feel like a double-edged sword. Or taste sweet and sour at the same time. Or look beautifully in sync one minute and completely chaotic the next.
There are a lot more successes than failures, but the losses are tough because the team is working its way through growing pains.
The Stamford Lady Bulldogs were 22-7 overall and 7-2 in District 8-2A games through last week. Despite starting four sophomores and one freshman, they have secured a solid No. 2 seeding for the upcoming Class 2A playoffs behind perennial power Haskell, 27-3 and ranked No. 8 in the state.
BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Priddy’s Evans takes award after leading Lady Pirates to district title
While the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches does not have the Priddy girls basketball team ranked at the moment, the Lady Pirates (20-7, 11-0 District 17-1A) are making enough noise to get noticed.
And with last week’s sweep of Lometa (51-29) and Cherokee (59-52), it’s beginning to look as though PHS is capable of doing some postseason damage.
Our Player of the Week, senior Linda Evans, led that charge with a combined 60 points through two games, including a 36-point effort with four assists in a district-title clinching win over Cherokee.
FEATURE: Versatile forward Lenard does it all for Snyder
The Texas weather that dumped 12 inches of snow on Snyder last week and postponed the District 5-4A boys basketball showdown against Midland Greenwood until Saturday may be unpredictable. But the performance of Snyder senior Teafale Lenard is always consistent regardless of the weather.
Known simply as “T” around his hometown, the 6-foot-6 Lenard leads the Tigers in scoring at 15 points per game, steals at 2.5 per game and blocked shots at 2.3. He ranks second on the team in rebounds at 4.6 per game and assists at 2.7.
Lenard scored 11 points Saturday as defending district champion Snyder avenged an earlier district loss to Greenwood, 53-44. Both teams are 5-1 in district with two games remaining and could be headed toward a seeding game for the upcoming playoffs.
EVAN REN: This week in Big Country girls basketball (Feb. 10-16)
With the first round of the playoff slated to begin Feb. 17, we now enter the final week of the regular season on the girls side.
By the end of the week, Big Country Preps will be gathering pairing information and monitoring area tie-breakers, of which there will be several.
In the meantime, let’s have a quick look at what’s on tap:
Continue reading “EVAN REN: This week in Big Country girls basketball (Feb. 10-16)”
DANIEL YOUNGBLOOD: This week in Big Country boys basketball (Feb. 10-16)
It seems like basketball just started a few weeks ago, but — believe it or not — we’re down to the final two weeks of the boys hoops regular season.
And with just three more dates remaining before the playoffs begin, the urgency has never been higher for area teams. Whether they’re fighting for a district title, jockeying to improve playoff seeding or just trying to find a way into the postseason bracket, Big Country squads will have plenty to play for in jam-packed Tuesday and Friday slates this week.
Without wasting any more time, let’s take a look at what the schedule has in store.
FEATURE: Big Spring star Seymore’s game shaped by ceaseless work ethic
Coming off a sophomore season in which he averaged 15.6 points, 4.2 assists, four rebounds and three steals per game, Big Spring’s Kyler Seymore entered this season as an established standout.
And playing an even bigger role for coach Kris Hise’s squad as a junior, he’s been defended like one by opponents.
But if the extra attention or responsibility have been an issue for the 6-foot-2 guard, he’s done an awfully good job of hiding it. In fact, last year’s All-Big Country Preps Newcomer of the Year is playing more like an MVP candidate this year for the “Showtime Steers.”
FEATURE: Young Lady Hawks growing in new system under Richardson
WALL — When first-year Wall girls basketball coach Kevin Richardson was hired to replace the highly successful Tate Lombard in June, he knew he was being given the keys to a basketball Ferrari.
He knew there would be expectations. He knew there would be pressure.
And that’s just the way he wanted it.
Lombard, who resigned last spring to join the staff of his father (legendary girls coach Joe Lombard) in Canyon, charted more than 200 wins and two Class 3A state titles during his tenure at Wall.
That left Richardson with one of the toughest acts to follow in all of Texas high school girls basketball.
Richardson, however, who had coached at Class 3A Canadian for 18 seasons prior to coming to WHS, was comfortable with it all. So comfortable, in fact, that he didn’t hesitate to introduce a new system at a place that had known nothing but success for decades.
PHOTO GALLERY: Midland Greenwood-Snyder basketball doubleheader (88 images)
Photos may be purchased for $7 each by clicking on the small shopping cart emblem below the lower right corner of the gallery. The “BigCountryPreps.com” watermark will be removed from all purchased photos.
FEATURE: Breckenridge’s Medina given the green light to attack at any time
BRECKENRIDGE — He has quietly become the top scorer in the Big Country, at least from the perspective of most area fans.
But make no mistake, opposing coaches are keenly aware of Breckenridge senior guard Aaryn Medina, and have utilized virtually every known method to slow him down, to no avail.
Medina, who tops the area scoring chart with a 23.7 point-per-game average, may not be on your personal radar screen. Having missed much of last basketball season with a broken tibia suffered during football, his name seldom surfaced in media circles. And even after he did return, he was less than 100 percent while still recovering from the injury.
He is also notably efficient. So efficient, in fact, that he is taking a rather inconspicuous 15 shots per game — far fewer shots than most top scorers would take over the course of 32 minutes.
GAME STORY: Snyder boys rally for big win over Greenwood, grab share of 5-4A lead
SNYDER — Needing a win over Midland Greenwood to earn a share of District 5-4A lead, the Snyder boys basketball couldn’t have gotten off to a much worse start Saturday at Tiger Gymnasium.
Fortunately for coach Lee Scott’s squad — and those in the stands cheering loudly for it — games last 32 minutes, not 12.
Trailing 25-16 at the 4:35 mark of the second quarter, after falling behind by as many as 11 in the opening period, the Tigers closed the first half on a 12-2 run to take their first lead just before the halftime buzzer and controlled the second half from start to finish to score a 53-44 win.
The victory pulled Snyder (15-13 overall, 5-1 in district) even with Greenwood atop the 5-4A standings with two games remaining.
PHOTO GALLERY: Wall-Ballinger basketball doubleheader (125 images)
Photos may be purchased for $7 each by clicking on the small shopping cart emblem below the lower right corner of the gallery. The “BigCountryPreps.com” watermark will be removed from all purchased photos.
GAME STORY: Wall sweeps big doubleheader at Ballinger (w/ box scores, videos)
BALLINGER — Wall locked up one district title and put itself into the driver’s seat in another with a varsity doubleheader sweep at Ballinger on Friday.
Facing a pair of upstart programs on the road, WHS opened the evening with a 41-26 win in the girls game, and followed that with a 52-45 boys victory in the nightcap.
Kamryn Williams scored 15 points and Kylie Phillips added 10 more to lead the Lady Hawks (22-7, 12-0 District 4-3A), which concluded an unbeaten run through district play with the win.
LOCAL HOOPS ROUNDUP: McGee’s buzzer beater lifts AHS boys over Haltom
HALTOM CITY — Jalen McGee hit a long pull-up jumper just before the buzzer on Friday to lift the Abilene High boys basketball team to a 46-44 win over Haltom City Haltom in a key District 3-6A road game.
With the game tied at 44-all, the junior point guard dribbled the ball past midcourt and hesitated for a moment before driving just inside the 3-point line and pulling up just beyond the right elbow. A Haltom post player contested the shot, but McGee’s jumper found nothing but net to help the Eagles improve to 22-9 overall and 9-1 in league play.
Those points, McGee’s 18th and 19th of the game, completed a come-from-behind win for the Eagles, who trailed 17-5 after a rough first quarter.
https://twitter.com/ahseaglehoops/status/1225984878291963904