Month: January 2024

by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Cooper’s Sloan takes this week’s top spot

Nobody needed a pair of district wins more than the Cooper Lady Cougars last week, and with the help of our Big Country Preps Player of the Week, J’Lee Sloan, they did just that. 

After starting their district slate at 0-4, the Lady Coogs had to have a win over Lubbock, which they achieved, 60-53, behind 27 points and 17 boards from Sloan. 

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by Zach Duncan, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: Eastland’s Wesley lighting up opposition, leading Lady Maverick resurgence

By Zach Duncan, Special to Big Country Preps  

Eastland is the biggest girls basketball surprise in the Big Country this year.  

And if you’re searching for how the Lady Mavericks made such a turnaround in a short stretch, look no further than Mya Wesley.  

The 5-foot-6 combo guard is making up for lost time. After playing JV last season because of her transfer from Stephenville, Wesley is averaging 23.2 points and shooting 44 percent from the field as a senior.  

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by Zach Duncan, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: Versatile Gray, Eula’s all-time leading scorer, hopes to play at next level

By Zach Duncan, special to Big Country Preps
Photos contributed by Becky Cauthen   

Clayton Gray has been a mainstay on Eula’s boys basketball team the past four years.  

Coach Shae Sanford has watched his 6-2 guard/forward improve every year. And now Eula’s coach is witnessing Gray blossom into a well-rounded player for the No. 15 Pirates.  

“We’ve known since he was a freshman that he could score from a lot of different areas, but we needed him to improve his rebounding and on the defensive end,” Sanford said. “He’s a kid who puts in the time ever since junior high. He spends hours and days in the weight room, and it’s fun to see it pay off.”  

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: Shooting guard Hallmark a key component for surging Wall basketball team

Photo courtesy of Travis Dawson

Wall High School senior Augden Hallmark has spent the past three school years gamely hitting the target, regardless of where it is placed, indoors or out.

During this time of the year, Hallmark takes aim at the basketball goal. The 6-foot-1 senior is averaging 15 points per game as Wall’s primary shooting guard, and it’s a rare postgame report that doesn’t include the words, “Wall senior Augden Hallmark scored in double figures once more to lead the Hawks …”

Nowhere is his keen knack for making baskets more noteworthy than in the District 6-3A standings, where the Hawks loom above everyone else with a 5-0 record after Friday’s 50-34 win over Merkel that bumped the season record to 16-7.  And, lest you wonder, Hallmark went for 17 points in that one.

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by Daniel Youngblood

FEATURE: Deep, unselfish Abilene High boys squad enjoying remarkable turnaround

Last year at this time, a young Abilene High boys basketball team was in the early stages of grinding its way to a forgettable 4-8 record and sixth-place finish out of seven schools in District 4-5A.

Twelve months later, with most of the same players in their rotation, the Eagles find themselves at 18-7 overall and alone atop the district standings at 4-0 in league play.

The turnaround from last year’s 12-17 product, while surprising to some, hasn’t necessarily caught those part of it off-guard. Coach Justin Reese, who’s now in his sixth season as the Abilene High boys coach, views this year’s success more as the natural progression of a deep and unselfish group of players who have just collectively dedicated themselves to competing at a higher level.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Bulldogs come up just short in wild loss to Lubbock Cooper; Wylie girls fall 60-49

The Wylie boys basketball team climbed out of an early 19-2 hole to lead Lubbock Cooper by two at halftime. But in a wild game of runs that saw both teams land and absorb haymakers, the Bulldogs came up one bucket short in a 51-50 loss Friday at Bulldog Gym.

Wylie, which trimmed a 37-29 third-quarter deficit to 42-39 by the start of the fourth, found itself down seven with just under four minutes remaining in the game. But the Bulldogs rallied to pull within one on Derrick Evans’ layup with 41 seconds remaining and threatened to regain the lead on the exact same play on their final possession.

Unfortunately for coach Gregg Ruffin’s squad, Evans couldn’t get a tough inside look to go down a second time, allowing the Pirates to celebrate a narrow road win and cap a doubleheader sweep for Lubbock Cooper, which rallied for a 60-49 win in the girls game.

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by Evan Ren

GAME STORY: Wall posts important doubleheader sweep at Merkel

MERKEL — The Wall girls and boys basketball teams both came to Merkel on Friday needing wins to solidify their league title chances in District 6-3A, and both succeeded in a varsity doubleheader sweep at MHS. 

The Wall girls opened the evening with a come-from-behind 52-44 win, after which the WHS boys took the nightcap by a 50-34 tally. 

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by Zach Duncan, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: Stephenville’s Chamberlain enjoying seamless transition 

Photos courtesy of Valerie Hill 

Stephenville lost two senior all-state players from last year’s regional semifinalist basketball team that won 32 games.  

The Honeybees also lost junior point guard Lucy Espinoza before the season began to a torn ACL.  

But Stephenville also gained a valuable senior. After playing in two state tournaments at nearby Huckabay, Chayni Chamberlain has stepped up to the 4A level and not missed a beat.  

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by Evan Ren

Big Country Boys Basketball Statistical Leaders (through Jan. 11): Scoring, rebounding, assists, steals, FT Pct., pass deflections and blocks

Below are the current season statistical leaders for Big Country boys basketball through Jan. 11.

This database will be continually updated for our subscribers throughout the regular season, using only those statistics submitted by area coaches.

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by Evan Ren

Big Country Girls Basketball Statistical Leaders (through Jan. 11): Scoring, rebounding, assists, steals, FT Pct., pass deflections and blocks

Below are the current season statistical leaders for Big Country girls basketball through Jan. 11.

This database will be continually updated for our subscribers throughout the regular season, using only those statistics submitted by area coaches.

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: Talented guard group leading turnaround for Coahoma girls

Following a disappointing season last year, the Coahoma girls basketball team has positioned itself for a likely playoff return this winter.

The biggest impetus for the notable “180” isn’t a guarded secret. In fact, it is the play of the team’s vast array of talented backcourt players that has an enthusiastic brood of Coahoma fans — and the team’s coach, Joe Mireles — eager to find out just how significant an exclamation point the Bulldogettes can put on the turnaround as the District 6-3A schedule approaches its midpoint.

Though the team fell to Wall 55-51 on the road Tuesday night, Coahoma is still in a prominent place in the prospective postseason picture with a 17-7 overall record and a 4-2 district mark. The pair of district defeats came against league favorite Jim Ned and Wall, another perennial power. The team’s strong effort against a good Lady Hawks squad only fortifies Mireles’ belief that his team could wind up playing some meaningful games in February.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Fast start propels Cooper boys to blowout win over LHS; Lady Coogs score first district win

The Cooper boys basketball team bounced back from its first district loss with a dominant wire-to-wire effort against Lubbock High on Tuesday, using a game-opening 11-0 run to set the tone for a 53-30 romp at Cougar Gym.

The Cougars, who were coming off a 60-50 road loss at Lubbock Monterey on Friday, were challenged only briefly by the Westerners, who pulled within 13-10 with back-to-back 3-pointers by Ray’ovion Mackey late in the first quarter. But coach Michael Bacon’s squad closed the opening period on an 8-3 run before shutting Lubbock High out in the second quarter to take a 30-13 lead into halftime that it would only increase after the break.

The victory, which improved the Coogs to 9-13 overall and 2-1 in District 4-5A play, capped a doubleheader sweep for Cooper after the Lady Cougars took down the Lady Westerners 60-53 for their first district win of the season in Tuesday’s early game.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Benjamin’s Ridgon claims first award of 2024

Benjamin LogoWhile our Big Country Preps Player of the Week returns from its annual holiday break, there is nothing new about our first winner of the 2024 calendar year. 

Benjamin junior Grayson Rigdon, generally considered one of the top six-man level athletes in Texas high school history, has claimed our accolade with back-to- back monster performances. 

For starters, the Mustangs opened the week with an 82-47 rout of Crowell, during which Rigdon tallied 43 points, 13 boards, seven steals and four assists. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Colley’s big game fuels Eagles past Coronado; AHS girls win second straight

Connel Colley scored 21 points to lead a balanced offensive effort for Abilene High, and the Eagles cruised to an 84-58 win over Lubbock Coronado on Friday at Eagle Gym to claim their third consecutive victory to open District 4-5A play.

Only Jatyran Smith (12 points) and Tyson Thompson (11) also reached double figures for AHS, but 11 Eagles players cracked the scoring column as coach Justin Reese’s squad improved to 17-6 overall and 3-0 in league action.

The boys victory completed a doubleheader sweep for Abilene High, which enjoyed a 55-37 win in girls action in Friday’s early game.

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by Evan Ren

GAME STORY: Jayton boys top Sweetwater; Lady Jays rout Motley County

JAYTON — With a solid Class 4A team from Sweetwater coming to town, the second-ranked Class 1A Jayton Jaybirds were facing challenges across the board on Friday night — specifically in size, depth, speed and athleticism.

The Jaybirds, however, overcame every obstacle from their big school counterparts in an impressive 55-40 win at the Jayton High School gym.

Sean Stanaland scored 26 points and Colt Gentry added 15 more to lead Jayton (20-3), which never trailed after the 4:22 mark of the opening quarter.  The Jaybirds, despite having no 3-pointers, found compensation by keeping the Mustangs off the offensive glass and converting several SHS turnovers into points. 

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by Zach Duncan, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: Brock’s Mathews showing the versatility her coach had hoped for

A Swiss Army knife. 

That’s what Brock girls coach Alex Stephenson wanted junior Keira Mathews to become this season.  

Already a proven commodity with her scoring and rebounding abilities, Mathews accepted her coach’s challenge, and it has paid off for the No. 13 Lady Eagles.  

In addition to averaging 12 points and 11 boards, Mathews is chipping in five assists and four steals a game for a young Brock team that is currently undefeated in district.  

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Wylie boys rout Monterey to even district record at 1-1; girls fall to No. 9 Lady Plainsmen

After opening District 4-5A play with an overtime loss to crosstown rival Cooper on Dec. 19, the Wylie boys basketball team needed a home win over Lubbock Monterey on Tuesday to avoid falling in an 0-2 hole. 

Fueled by a balanced offensive effort and stingy defensive performance, the Bulldogs got exactly that, leading the Plainsmen from a 5:35 mark of the first quarter on in a comfortable 60-41 victory at Bulldog Gym.

The win, which followed a 58-43 victory by the Monterey girls in the first game of Tuesday’s doubleheader, pulled Wylie back to .500 overall at 11-11 and, more importantly, evened the Bulldogs’ district record at 1-1 heading into Friday’s road game against Lubbock High. 

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by Evan Ren

GAME STORY: Perennial power Brock slows red-hot Comanche with 47-32 defeat

COMANCHE — The road to winning a district championship in girls basketball often runs through Brock. And after an impressive 47-32 win by the Lady Eagles at Comanche on Tuesday, it does again.

Unranked by the Texas Girls Coaches Association (13th by the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches) and suiting only seven players, Brock used lockdown defense and broke Comanche’s full-court press to rally for the win at the Comanche ISD Special Events Center. 

Jacee Riddle scored a game-high 19 points, including six 3-pointers and Keira Mathews added 12 points to lead Brock (15-8, 4-0), which overcame a 17-13 first-quarter deficit by limiting Comanche to only 15 total points over the last three quarters. 

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