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Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: Lubbock Monterey-Cooper basketball doubleheader (56 images)”
Jim Ned lost to eventual 3A state champion Holliday in last year’s regional finals.
The Lady Indians brought back starting guards Riley Grohman, Lexi Wishert and Gracee Cooley among seven returning lettermen.
They’ve helped Jim Ned pick up where it left off in the 2023 playoffs. The Lady Indians are ranked No. 2 in the state with only a pair of losses to Class 4A No. 1 Glen Rose.
An exciting postseason is expected in Taylor County. But longtime coach Hunter Cooley said the Lady Indians don’t draw on last year’s near-miss with state as a motivating factor.
CISCO — Traveling to Cisco with a chance to take firm control of the District 10-2A boys race with a win, the Hawley Bearcats did exactly that Tuesday, riding a strong defensive effort and big third quarter to a 57-48 victory and two-game lead in the loss column over both Cisco and Albany with three games to play.
Hawley, which limited Cisco to just one first-quarter point and led 20-13 at halftime, outscored the Loboes 23-11 in the third quarter and increased its lead to a game-high 23 points in the fourth before holding off a furious Cisco rally late.
The victory completed a season sweep of Cisco for the Hawley boys, who secured a split of Tuesday’s doubleheader after the 14th-ranked Lady Loboes doubled up the Lady Cats 64-32 in the girls game.
COMANCHE — With high-flying, high-scoring Eastland coming to town on Tuesday, the 12th-ranked Comanche Maidens never even considered slowing tempo or limiting possessions.
They simply did what they always do — keeping their foot on the gas pedal to hand the Lady Mavs a 79-62 loss at the Comanche ISD Special Events Center.
J’Lee Salinas scored 22 points and Kinsey Glasgow added 21 more to pace the Maidens (27-3, 10-2 District 8-3A) who have forced a second-place tie with Eastland in the league race.
The Cooper boys basketball team entered Tuesday night’s game against Lubbock Monterey at Cougar Gym knowing that it had its back against the wall in the hunt for one of the four playoff berths out of District 4-5A.
After a 50-40 loss, the Cougars’ playoff hopes are now in dire straits as CHS will need to win its final four games to have a shot at the postseason.
First-year coach Michael Bacon knows how tough the challenge is ahead of his squad.
Here are the standings for all Class 2A-5A boys basketball districts involving Big Country schools (through Jan. 29):
Continue reading “Big Country Boys Basketball Standings (through Jan. 29)”
Here are the standings for all Class 2A-5A girls basketball districts involving Big Country schools (through Jan. 29):
Continue reading “Big Country Girls Basketball Standings (through Jan. 29)”
The 15th-ranked Eula Pirates (22-3) needed sweep of Baird and Cross Plains to finish the first half of district play at 5-0 and they did just that with the help of our Big Country Preps Player of the Week.
Senior forward Clayton Gray posted big numbers in both contests, beginning with a double-double of 32 points and 14 boards in the Baird win.
As a fan of high school basketball, I generally have no trouble finding area matchups I find interesting. Browsing this week’s slate, I had more trouble finding games that weren’t.
As we continue to barrel toward the boys basketball playoffs, we’ll see a number of Big Country district races take shape this week as league leads will be on the line in a number of marquee matchups.
If, like me, you enjoy hoops action, there should be plenty to pique your interest on both Tuesday and Friday. Here’s a look at the week to come:
We’re nearly in the home stretch for girls basketball and soon, we’ll be combing over this year’s pairings and deciding who has a shot at the state tournament and who doesn’t.
Last week brought its share of excitement around the area, as will this week. Below you’ll find some of the top matchups from next Tuesday and Friday, along with a quick recap of last week’s top games.
So dive in and let’s get going. I’ll see you on the road!
In addition to raising eyebrows every Wednesday and Saturday as fans check the boys basketball scores from the previous night’s District 5-4A games, a group of players wearing red and white have embarked on an even more meaningful quest this winter.
“We would love to be able to put Sweetwater basketball back on the map,” first-year head coach Dillon Gainey said.
So far, so good for the Mustangs, who defeated San Angelo Lake View 73-66 on Friday to improve to 4-1 in district play. Halfway through league action, they are sitting in second place and hold a 15-10 overall record. Sweetwater’s only league loss was to state powerhouse Lubbock Estacado in a game that was close for most of three quarters before the Matadors pulled away.
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Continue reading “Lubbock High-Abilene High basketball doubleheader (102 images)”
Digital photos, prints and keepsakes may be purchased by clicking the link below. The “BigCountryPreps.com” watermark will be removed from all purchased photos.
Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: Miles-Roscoe basketball doubleheader (102 images)”
Digital photos, prints and keepsakes may be purchased by clicking the link below. The “BigCountryPreps.com” watermark will be removed from all purchased photos.
Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: Cooper-Wylie basketball doubleheader (134 images)”
Entering Friday with just a one-game lead on crosstown rival Cooper after the Lady Cougars upset Wylie on Tuesday, the Abilene High girls basketball team needed to protect its home court against Lubbock High to maintain a comfortable hold on District 4-5A’s fourth playoff spot.
Led by junior guard Myra Thomas and senior forward Samara Padgitt, the Lady Eagles did just that, fending off a spirited effort from the Lady Westerners to secure a 66-61 win at Eagle Gym.
Thomas scored a game-high 17 points, while Padgitt came off the bench to provide 15 points — 13 in the second half — to kick off a doubleheader sweep for AHS, which saw its boys cruise to 54-21 win Friday’s late game.
ROSCOE — The Roscoe boys and girls basketball teams entered Friday’s doubleheader with Miles in the thick of their respective District 8-2A title races. And both needed to earn wins to solidify their positions heading into the stretch run.
Miles, however, didn’t arrive in a cooperative mood —defeating Roscoe 49-44 in an intense girls game before falling 49-46 in another nail-biter on the boys’ side.
With its win in the girls game, Miles (21-7, 6-1) retained a piece of first place in District 8-2A (tied with Coleman), while pushing Roscoe (16-12, 4-3) to two games behind the lead in third place. With their win in the nightcap, the Roscoe boys (14-11, 5-0) took sole possession of first place in the league race with five games to play, while dropping Miles (20-9, 4-1) to second.
A move that has been discussed as a possibility for several years became official on Friday afternoon as Wylie announced it would be splitting the jobs of athletic director and head football coach into separate roles.
Clay Martin, who has served WISD in both capacities since 2020, was the one who went to the district and suggested it was time, Wylie Superintendent Joey Light said.
Light said Martin was given an option of which job to fulfill moving forward and the veteran coach chose to remain on the sidelines.
Below are the current season statistical leaders for Big Country boys basketball through Jan. 25.
This database will be continually updated for our subscribers throughout the regular season, using only those statistics submitted by area coaches.
Below are the current season statistical leaders for Big Country girls basketball through Jan. 25.
This database will be continually updated for our subscribers throughout the regular season, using only those statistics submitted by area coaches.
After Tuesday’s 49-34 win over the Anson Lady Tigers, Cisco stands as “the team to beat” in District 10-2A. With a 9-0 mark in league play and a 24-5 record overall, the 14th-ranked Lady Loboes have already clinched a postseason berth. The only question is whether they’ll be the district’s No. 1 or 2 seed.
How deep they’ll go in the playoffs next month is a matter of conjecture. This isn’t: Brooklyn Hurtado is prepared to lead the way.
The 6-foot-3 senior is averaging 16 points, eight rebounds and two blocks per game while providing stellar, “old school” center play for the Lady Loboes, who have registered double-digit wins in each district game so far.
That latter numeric notation would suggest, rightly, that Cisco is not a one-person team (more on that shortly). But Hurtado is definitely one person on the team that opponents have tried — and consistently failed — to contain.
There’s not a lot separating the Wylie and Cooper boys basketball teams. That much is clear is after two meetings between the squads.
But thanks to WHS’ 51-49 home victory over the Cougars on Tuesday, which avenged a 56-52 overtime loss to CHS on Dec. 19, the Bulldogs now hold a two-game edge on their crosstown rival for one of District 4-5A’s final two playoff spots.
Paced by junior point guard Isaiah Carrillo, who scored a game-high 19 points, Wylie rallied from a 43-39 fourth-quarter deficit to snap a mini two-game losing streak and hand the Cougars their second consecutive one-possession loss.
With their playoff hopes hanging by a thread following a lopsided 79-46 home loss to archrival Abilene High on Friday, the Cooper Lady Cougars entered Friday’s Southtown Showdown at Wylie needing a spark in the worst possible way.
Trailing 24-16 in the second quarter, they got it from do-it-all power forward J’Lee Sloan.
The talented senior scored 15 of her game-high 36 points in that second period to keep her team within striking distance at halftime, before sparking a 24-8 run through the third quarter to propel Cooper to a 66-60 upset of Wylie at Bulldog Gym.
GORMAN — For more than four weeks, the Gorman Lady Panthers hoped to avenge a 39-27 loss at Gordon on Dec. 19. And Tuesday night with the venue switching to Gorman High School, the Lady Panthers were well on their way to doing just that, after building 27-17 first-half lead.
There was just one problem: The 13th-ranked Lady Panthers suddenly went ice cold after the break, seeing the game slip away in an 18-5 second-half run by Gordon, which rallied for 35-32 win.
Caitlyn Parsons scored 17 points and Audrey Hawkins added 10 more to lift ninth-ranked Gordon (22-8, 9-0), which now has a commanding two-game lead atop District 19-1A with only three games left.
She’s third in the Big Country in scoring (17.9 points per game). She’s tied for 10th in the area with more than 40 made 3s. She hits 74 percent of her foul shots (12th in the Big Country). She’s second in the area in steals at 5.8 per game and she’s second the Big Country in pass deflections at 6.0.
So is anyone really surprised that Comanche junior Kinsey Glasgow has put forward another effort worthy of our Big Country Preps Player of the Week award?
We’ve reached the midway point of the district schedule in most area boys basketball leagues, and district championship and playoff races are heating up.
As one might expect with February approaching, the Big Country slate is full of meaningful games.
With that in mind, it’s time to renew our winter custom of taking a look at the most important games on the horizon and a peak back at last week’s most important results.
We hope you enjoy.
As always, the Big Country has its share of intriguing matchups this week.
Here’s a quick peek at next week’s marquee games on the girls’ side long with the most important results from a week ago.
We’ll see you on the road!
Digital photos, prints and keepsakes may be purchased by clicking the link below. The “BigCountryPreps.com” watermark will be removed from all purchased photos.
Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: Stamford-Cisco basketball doubleheader (95 images)”
Digital photos, prints and keepsakes may be purchased by clicking the link below. The “BigCountryPreps.com” watermark will be removed from all purchased photos.
Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: Abilene High-Cooper basketball doubleheader (122 images)”
Digital photos, prints and keepsakes may be purchased by clicking the link below. The “BigCountryPreps.com” watermark will be removed from all purchased photos.
Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: Albany-Hawley basketball doubleheader (36 images)”
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Continue reading “PHOTO GALLERY: Wylie-Abilene High basketball doubleheader (108 images)”
Following his team’s 68-58 win over Wylie on Tuesday, Abilene High boys basketball coach Justin Reese said he was expecting a tough road test from crosstown rival Cooper on Friday.
As it turned out, he and his Eagles got that and then some from the Cougars.
But at the end of a hotly contested game that featured eight ties and 11 lead changes — seven of those in the final quarter — AHS maintained its unbeaten status in District 4-5A play with a gutsy 45-44 win in front of a capacity crowd at Cougar Gym.
The victory, which capped a perfect 6-0 run through the first half of league play for the Eagles, secured a doubleheader sweep for Abilene High, which saw its girls team rout the Lady Cougars 79-46 in Friday’s early game.
CISCO — A pair of fast starts led to consecutive wins for Cisco in Friday’s varsity doubleheader with visiting Stamford.
The Cisco girls opened the evening with a 49-27 win over the Lady Bulldogs, using a 21-5 first quarter before cruising to the win. The Cisco boys then handed SHS a 91-43 loss in the nightcap after taking control of the game with a 27-12 first quarter.
HAWLEY — With Hawley, Albany and Cisco locked in a tight battle at the top of the District 10-2A boys basketball race, one constant has emerged in that any of them can win on any given night.
Friday night at Bearcat Gym, Albany had the hosts on the ropes with a 27-13 lead at halftime as Adam Hill and Chip Chambers each scored nine points in the first 16 minutes.
The second half was a different story as Hawley switched to a full-court trap that the Lions struggled to break through against and the Bearcats were able to pull away in the fourth quarter for a 42-35 win.
Here are the standings for all Class 2A-5A boys basketball districts involving Big Country schools (through Jan. 18):
Continue reading “Big Country Boys Basketball Standings (through Jan. 18)”
Here are the standings for all Class 2A-5A girls basketball districts involving Big Country schools (through Jan. 18):
Continue reading “Big Country Girls Basketball Standings (through Jan. 18)”
After graduating a pair of talented post players who helped Roscoe earn a collective 53 wins and back-to-back district championships, the Plowgirls’ quest for a three-peat appeared to be a tall order at this season’s outset …
… Especially considering that coach Shella Arnwine didn’t have any tall players returning or moving up from junior varsity to fill the aforementioned void. That’s “not any” in the literal sense — Roscoe’s lineup this winter averages 5-foot-5 in height.
What Arnwine did have coming back, however, was Kaidy Ornelas. Consequently, Coach knew her team had a chance to do big things, even if it couldn’t do tall things. Sure enough, some 25 games into the season, one of the smaller players in District 8-2A is having one of the larger impacts on her team’s fortunes.
Kooper Darby was already going to have a sizeable role in his final season at Merkel.
But when the Badgers lost Maddox O’Malley to a broken fibula in the last football game, it put even more pressure on Darby’s shoulders.
The 6-foot-3 senior has certainly rose to the occasion, averaging 27.7 points, 6.8 rebounds and four assists as Merkel fights for a playoff berth in District 6-3A.
“He’s had to put the ball in the hoop for us a lot more,” Merkel coach B.C. Lee said. “Every time he puts the ball on the ground, he’ll have multiple guys trying to shut him down. Every night he gets the other team’s best defender, which makes what he’s doing even more impressive.”
Below are the current season statistical leaders for Big Country girls basketball through Jan. 18.
This database will be continually updated for our subscribers throughout the regular season, using only those statistics submitted by area coaches.
Below are the current season statistical leaders for Big Country boys basketball through Jan. 18.
This database will be continually updated for our subscribers throughout the regular season, using only those statistics submitted by area coaches.
Most high school football teams have that one player acknowledged by the coaching staff as the prime example of what a teammate should be.
He’s the guy who seldom misses any practice time and is a regular in the weight room. He’s early to arrive. He’s late to leave and takes pride in being coachable, though he seldom needs direction.
He always sets the right example for younger players. He doesn’t complain and above all else, he’s tough enough to make all the aforementioned traits consistently possible.
Know someone like that? Here is where they are honored.
Welcome to Big Country Preps’ “True Grit” team — a collection of area players nominated by their head coaches and Big Country Preps staff, who exemplify the character traits football mentors want throughout their roster.
Here are our superlative award winners for the 2023 All-Big Country Preps football team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.
Here are our first-team selections for the 2023 All-Big Country Preps football team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.
Here are our second-team selections for the 2023 All-Big Country Preps football team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.
Here are our selections for the 2023 All-Big Country Preps Football Team (Third-Team roster). For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.
Here are our selections for the 2023 All-Big Country Preps Rising Stars Team — an honor reserved for the area’s top freshman and sophomore football players. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.
Entering Tuesday night alone atop the District 4-5A standings at a perfect 4-0, the Abilene High boys basketball team took Wylie’s best shot early in its first of two crosstown matchups this week. But trailing 16-12 after one quarter, the Eagles outscored the Bulldogs 39-18 over the middle two periods to build some separation for a key 68-58 victory at Eagle Gym.
Abilene High, which will head across town to take on Cooper on Friday, stretched its lead to 18 points on two occasions in the second half — at 49-31 late in the third quarter and 52-34 late in the fourth — before holding off a late Wylie run that saw the Bulldogs pull within nine in the final minute.
The Eagles’ victory, which came in front of a packed crowd at Eagle Gym, capped a doubleheader split, as Wylie took down the AHS girls 52-34 in Tuesday’s early game.