Category: Abilene High Eagles

GAME STORY: Garrett outduels Ferguson, helps Wylie take season series from Abilene High

Facing off with Abilene High ace George Ferguson, who had not allowed an earned run all year entering Thursday, Wylie coach Grant Martin knew he’d need a strong start of his own to have any chance of leaving Blackburn Field with a win.

In his pursuit of that, he turned to a senior who had done most of the pitching in his career out of a relief role.

Colby Garrett, who pitched 2.2 scoreless innings of relief to beat AHS on Tuesday, delivered exactly what his coach was looking for in Thursday’s rematch, allowing one run in a gusty complete-game effort to outduel Ferguson in a 5-1 Bulldogs victory.

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GAME STORY: Abilene High rallies out of early hole to down WF Memorial 11-4

Trailing Wichita Falls Memorial 4-1 after two and a half innings, the Abilene High softball team found itself in an unfamiliar spot Thursday at the AHS softball field.

But after mustering just one run through the first two innings, the Lady Eagles scored 10 runs over their final four trips to the plate, chasing Lady Mavericks starter Madi Walker after just 2.1 innings before abusing reliever Sam Lail for seven runs in an an 11-4 win.

The victory, which came on Strikeout Cancer and Teacher Appreciation night for AHS, kept the Lady Eagles (17-9-1 overall) perfect in District 4-5A play at 5-0. With it, they remain game ahead of second-place Wylie, which they’ll face for the second time April 14 after matchups against Cooper (Tuesday) and Wichita Falls Legacy (April 10).

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GAME STORY: McCarty’s homer, patience at the plate lift Wylie to key 7-2 win over Abilene High

For most of five innings Tuesday, the Wylie and Abilene High baseball teams were locked in a thrilling pitcher’s duel, competing with playoff intensity in front of an engaged capacity crowd at Bulldog Field.

With the Eagles leading 2-1 in the home half of the fifth after George Ferguson had broken a 1-all tie with an RBI single in the top of the inning, the outcome of the key District 4-5A matchup was still very much in doubt, and a narrow win one way or the other seemed all but inevitable.

But with two outs in that frame, Wylie freshman Myles McCarty launched a game-tying home run to right field, flipping the momentum on a dime. The blast kicked off a walk-fueled five-run rally that would finally give WHS some separation in a 7-2 win for the Bulldogs.

Continue reading “GAME STORY: McCarty’s homer, patience at the plate lift Wylie to key 7-2 win over Abilene High”

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Wall senior claims this week’s award

As one would expect, the Jim Ned Relays had a quality field of competition last week, opening the door for one of its athletes to snag Big Country Preps Player of the Week honors. 

So it’s not surprising that its top performer sits atop of our weekly list of highlighted competitors from around the area. 

Wall senior Bryson McFarden takes our weekly accolade after medaling five times in Tuscola with four golds and a silver. 

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GAME STORY: Brock rallies past Abilene High for 4-2 win in nondistrict tune-up

Taking a brief break from their respective district races, the Abilene High and Brock baseball teams met for a nondistrict matchup Saturday at Blackburn Field, and the outcome was a competitive game between two league-leading squads.

AHS led 2-1 after four innings, but the visiting Eagles scored the game’s final three runs to leave Abilene with a 4-2 victory and a six-game winning streak that included a pair of run-rule wins over defending regional finalist Graham last week.

Brock (13-3 overall, 2-0 in District 6-4A) took advantage of some shaky defense by Abilene High to pull ahead with a pair of runs  in the fifth, before tacking on an insurance run in the seventh. And that late offense was all the support necessary for Austin Gallogly and Brody Burns, who earned a win and save, respectively, in relief of starter Colton Ripple.

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GAME STORY: Abilene High ace Reyes tosses one-hit shutout to outduel Faries in 2-0 win over Wylie

Wylie junior Avie Faries pitched a good game Friday against crosstown rival Abilene High. AHS senior Avah Reyes pitched a great one.

That was the difference as the Lady Eagles took sole possession of the District 4-5A lead with a 2-0 win on their home field.

Taking a no-hitter into the seventh inning, Reyes worked around one hit and a pair of walks to finish with a complete-game shutout, facing one batter over the minimum to outduel Faries, who allowed single runs in the third and sixth innings to take a hard-luck loss.

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GAME STORY: Abilene High scores early, often in 16-1 rout of Wichita Falls Legacy

Entering Tuesday with a one-game lead on Wylie for first in the District 4-5A championship race, the Abilene High baseball team took care of business against last-place Wichita Falls Legacy, riding a nine-run first inning to a 16-1 run-rule victory at Blackburn Field.

Ten Eagles players had at least one hit as AHS combined for 15 hits as a team, providing plenty of support for starter Gavin Colley, who limited Legacy to two hits and one run over four strong innings to earn the victory.

Tuesday’s outcome, which improved the Eagles to 15-5-1 overall and 5-0 in district play, added a half game to Abilene High’s lead over Wylie (14-3-1, 3-1), which is idle this week. Wichita Falls Memorial (8-13, 2-3) defeated Cooper (9-11-1, 2-3) by a 6-4 margin in Tuesday’s other league game to provide some separation for the Eagles and Bulldogs atop the district standings.

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BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Clyde’s Reynolds is the hands-down winner

In the pitcher’s circle, there are varying degrees of perfection. And in the case of our Big Country Preps Player of the Week, that statement was fully illustrated on Friday in a 6-0 Clyde win over Merkel. 

Yes, CHS freshman Brynli Reynolds threw a perfect game. But this wasn’t your standard, every day, run-of-the-mill, garden variety perfecto. 

In fact, it may have been the most dominating performance by a baseball or softball pitcher the Big Country has seen in the last two decades. 

Aside from retiring 21 straight hitters from a very good Merkel team (19-2), Reynolds fanned the first 17 batters she faced and finished with 20 strikeouts. She also helped herself at the plate, going 1-for-2 with an RBI.

It was the second time this season that the Clyde freshman has taken our weekly accolade.

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GAME STORY: Ferguson dominant again as Abilene High shuts out rival Cooper 7-0

George Ferguson took a no-hitter into the sixth inning before “settling” for a two-hit shutout Friday to lead the Abilene High baseball team team to a 7-0 win over crosstown rival Cooper in a District 4-5A matchup at Cougar Field.

The standout right-hander tallied 12 strikeouts without issuing a walk, pitching around leadoff singles in the sixth and seventh innings to help the Eagles (13-5-1) wrap up the first of three trips through the league play at 4-0.

Behind its hard-throwing starter, AHS took control of the game early, following a one-run second inning with a two-run third to put the Cougars in a hole they had little hope of climbing out of against one of the top junior pitchers in the nation.

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GAME STORY: Missed opportunities cost Abilene High in 3-2 softball loss to Wolfforth Frenship

Trailing by one with runners on second and third and no outs in the bottom of the seventh, the Abilene High softball team looked poised to rally for a walk-off win over Wolfforth Frenship in its nondistrict finale Friday at the AHS softball field.

But a series of unfortunate events left the Lady Eagles with a 3-2 loss on a frustrating night where missed opportunities were a recurring theme.

AHS had a runner gunned down at the plate in the first inning and failed to cash in on a bases-loaded, one-out situation in the fourth, which left the game tied at 1-1 until the top of the sixth, when the Lady Tigers scored a pair of runs to set up the seventh inning’s dramatics. Down 3-1 in their last at-bat, the Lady Eagles didn’t flinch, getting a leadoff single from Jazlynn Johnson-Burns and an RBI double from Avah Reyes around a Leilani Valero walk to narrow the gap to one, but the rally would end there due to an out on the basepaths and back-to-back strikeouts with the bases loaded.

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GAME STORY: Clutch hitting, Ferguson’s gem lift Abilene High to win over Wylie

With temperatures approaching 90 degrees on Friday afternoon, Abilene High and Wylie took to the field for their hottest baseball games of the season in a District 4-5A tilt at Blackburn Field.

The Eagles saw junior pitcher George Ferguson throw a complete game two-hitter on a season-high 110 pitches as they improved to 2-0 in district play with a 5-0 win over the Bulldogs, who fell to 0-1 in district.

Ferguson battled through cramps on the hot day as he struck out 14 in an effort that coach Brad Harman simply called gutsy.

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BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: And yet another Gaylor takes our weekly accolade

A week after Lipan’s Court Gaylor took our Big Country Preps Player of the Week award, yet another Lipan player has done the same thing. 

And by sheer coincidence, her last name is Gaylor as well. 

This time around it is freshman guard Sydni Gaylor, Court’s Younger sister, who has taken the accolade after leading the LHS girls to a Class 2A Division II state title in San Antonio on Thursday. 

Helping the Lady Indians to a 42-35 over perennial power Martin’s Mill, Sydni finished with 23 points and was voted by attending media as the game’s MVP. 

And the good news (at least for Lipan) is, this kid is only a freshman. 

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AISD TOURNAMENT ROUNDUP: Local, area teams have solid showing on opening day of action

On the opening day of the Abilene ISD Invitational Tournament, Abilene High and Cooper both picked up a pair of wins while Wylie split its two games as offenses took advantage of a howling wind that was blowing out at all three ballparks during nearly all of the dozen games that were played on Thursday.

In addition to the success of the three local schools, Wall picked up wins over Arlington Sam Houston and Copperas Cove with Brock and Brownwood going a combined 1-3 — the lone win coming by Brock against Wylie.

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BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Lipan PG Gaylor nabs honor with pair of strong playoff performances

Entering the week at 35-1 and ranked No. 1 in Class 2A, the Lipan Indians have won 33 straight games since suffering their only loss of the year to Class 4A Dallas Roosevelt in mid-November.

At the heart of that success has been standout point guard Court Gaylor, who performed at a high enough level in LHS’ first two playoff games to claim our Big Country Preps Player of the Week award. 

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BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Cisco junior earns this week’s award

When Cisco junior guard Carter Toof is on his game, there is little one can do to stop him. He’s going to get his point, whether you like it or not. 

That was the case last week when Toof helped Cisco to a win over Abilene TLCA with 43 points, 14 rebounds and three assists. He followed that with 20 points, seven boards, four assists and three steals in a playoff warmup loss to Benjamin. 

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Hoops

FINAL Big Country Boys Basketball Statistical Leaders for 2026: Scoring, rebounding, assists, steals, FT Pct., pass deflections and blocks

Below are the current season statistical leaders for Big Country boys basketball through Feb. 19.  With the end of the regular season, this will be the FINAL boys basketball leaders we post this year. 

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

Is your favorite team missing? If so, please pass along a friendly reminder to your coach to check his email for our weekly stats request. We’ll be happy to add them to our database after they arrive. 

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GAME STORY: Abilene High boys rally past Cooper on Senior Night to take winning streak into playoffs

The Abilene High boys basketball team began and ended its Senior Night in celebratory fashion Tuesday at Eagle Gym, overcoming a sluggish start and a spirited Cooper squad in between to earn a 60-44 win over its crosstown rival in its regular-season finale.

The Eagles, who had already locked up their first district championship since 2016, found themselves trailing for most of the first three quarters Tuesday. But a 29-8 run over the game’s final 11 minutes turned a potentially tenuous situation into a comfortable win, allowing coach Justin Reese to close the game with several senior reserves on the court.

The victory improved AHS to 20-11 on the season and closed out a 7-1 run through District 4-5A, making winners out of seniors Brooks Reese, Trae Shaw, Myles Osborne, Payton Shawver, Luke Jackson, Jeremiah Collins, Brenner Paul and Dylan Bardin in their final game on their home floor.

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FINAL Big Country Girls Basketball Statistical Leaders for 2026 (Scoring, rebounding, assists, steals, FT Pct., pass deflections and blocks)

Below are the current season statistical leaders for Big Country girls basketball through Feb. 12. This will be our FINAL girls stat leaders for 2026.

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

Is your favorite team missing? If so, please pass along a friendly reminder to your coach to check his or her email for our weekly stats request. We’ll be happy to add them to our database after they arrive. 

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BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Comanche senior takes this week’s award

Comanche senior J’Lee Salinas is no stranger to BCP accolades, having already won our Player of the Week award as well as being named to our All-Big Country Preps team. 

Well, she’s done it again after helping Comanche sweep district mates Millsap and Peaster — taking our Player of the Week award for the week ending Feb. 7.

Salinas had a solid week with a double-double in a win against Millsap (83-27), finishing with 24 points,10 rebounds, four assists and six steals.

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THIS WEEK IN BOYS BASKETBALL: District title, playoff races continue to take shape as regular season nears its end

The boys basketball regular season is nearing its end, and district championship and playoff pictures across the area are coming into view.

Most leagues now have clear favorites in both their title and playoff races, but several remain unresolved with just two or three games left to play. 

With just a couple of weeks of games remaining, let’s dive in and take a look at this week’s biggest games and last week’s most significant developments.

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GAME STORY: Abilene High boys grind out gutsy win at Wylie to clinch at least share of District 4-5A title

The Abilene High boys basketball team clinched at least a share of its first district championship since 2016 on Friday, grinding out a thrilling 57-52 win over crosstown rival Wylie to improve to 5-1 in District 4-5A play.

The tough road victory, combined with Wichita Falls Legacy’s win over rival Wichita Falls Memorial on Friday, gives the Eagles (18-11 overall) a two-game lead over both of those squads and a 2½-game lead over Wylie with two games remaining.

AHS can claim the title outright — something the Wylie girls did with a 75-10 win over the Lady Eagles in Friday’s early game — with a victory in either of its final two games against Memorial and Cooper.

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SIGNING DAY: Eight local athletes make college decisions official at ceremonies throughout Abilene

A busy week across the Big Country that began Monday with the University Interscholastic League’s biennial realignment continued Wednesday with National Signing Day ceremonies at all three local high schools.

Abilene High and Cooper each had three football players put pen to paper, joining a fourth at each school who had already made his commitment official. And Wylie, meanwhile, had a pair of athletes sign to compete collegiately — one in football and another in soccer.

In all, eight local boys signed at their respective Signing Day ceremonies, earning celebration from family, friends and their high school coaches. 

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GAME STORY: Abilene High boys bounce back with dominant effort against Wichita Falls Legacy

Coming off a rough performance Saturday in a 48-41 loss to crosstown rival Cooper, the Abilene High boys basketball team bounced back in a major way Tuesday, dominating Wichita Falls Legacy from start to finish in a 54-34 win at Eagle Gym.

The Eagles limited the Leopards to just 11 points before halftime, taking a 16-point lead into the break before stretching that advantage to a game-high 25 points early in the fourth quarter.

The dominating effort, which followed a 49-19 Legacy win in the girls game, improved Abilene High to 17-11 on the year and kept the Eagles alone in first place in the District 4-5A standings at 4-1. 

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UIL REALIGNMENT: Local football coaches share stress-free day as districts remain largely unchanged

While area coaches and athletic directors were left scrambling to adjust to the unexpected new districts they were placed in on Monday during the University Interscholastic League’s biennial realignment, the leaders of Abilene’s three largest football programs shared a stress-free day in the Metroplex at the Birdville ISD Fine Arts/Athletic Complex.

Abilene High, Cooper and Wylie saw minimal changes to their football district alignments when those were made public at 9 a.m., as the Eagles remained in District 2-5A Division I with Amarillo High, Amarillo Caprock, Amarillo Tascosa, Frenship Memorial, Lubbock High, Lubbock Monterey and Wolfforth Frenship and the Cougars and Bulldogs stayed in District 2-5A DII with Amarillo Palo Duro, Lubbock Cooper, Lubbock Coronado, Wichita Falls Legacy and Wichita Falls Memorial.

Adding to the largely mundane nature of Monday’s proceedings, the three schools also remained in a five-team District 4-5A for their other sports, staying with the two Wichita Falls schools in an unchanged league.

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THIS WEEK IN BOYS BASKETBALL: Weather-truncated week sets up wild stretch run in several area districts

Last week’s winter storm made for a wild week of action, condensing a week’s worth of games into three day’s time. And the results were as unpredictable as you might expect given the circumstances.

We saw several district championship and playoff races shaken up by upsets and others take shape as the cream continued its rise to the top.

As we do here weekly, it’s time to take survey of the Big Country boys basketball landscape. We hope you enjoy this look at the biggest developments from last week and the biggest games this week’s slate has to offer.

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GAME STORY: Cooper boys upset rival Abilene High to reset wild district race, reinvigorate playoff hopes

Over the past two years, the boys basketball coaches in District 4-5A have consistently talked about the competitive balance of the league and how no game or opponent can be overlooked because any of the district’s five teams can beat another on a given day.

Saturday’s crosstown matchup between Abilene High and Cooper was a great example of this principle in action.

The Cougars came in off losses in each of their first three district games, while the Eagles were unbeaten at 3-0. But at the end of 32 minutes, it was Cooper celebrating a massive 48-41 win on its home floor that revitalized its playoff hopes and set up what is certain to be a wild second half of league action starting next week.

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GAME STORY: Lady Cougars on verge of playoff berth after thrilling win over Abilene High

The District 4-5A showdown between Abilene High and Cooper had the look and feel of a playoff matchup Saturday afternoon at Cougar Gym.

Neither team created any separation until Cooper senior Amiya Mayes’ free throw with 5.55 seconds to play put the Lady Cougars up five as CHS held off an Abilene High squad that was looking for its first district win, 33-28, to all but lock up a playoff spot. It was Cooper’s first home win over Abilene High since a 60-36 victory on Dec. 16, 2022.

To officially clinch a playoff berth, the Lady Cougars will need to win one of their final two games (at Wichita Falls Memorial, versus Wichita Falls Legacy) or see Abilene High lose one of its final two games against Legacy or Wylie. It would be Cooper’s first playoff berth since the 2019-20 season.

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GAME STORY: Abilene High boys post fiery win over WF Memorial, Lady Eagles fall short in bid for first district win

After being cooped up for several days due to Winter Storm Fern, the Abilene High basketball teams were finally able to return to the court on Thursday for a District 4-5A doubleheader against Wichita Falls Memorial.

The matchup was postponed on Tuesday and Wednesday due to the cancellation of school for Abilene ISD and then was in jeopardy on Thursday after Wichita Falls ISD canceled classes.

Memorial was given permission from WFISD superintendent Dr. Donny Lee to travel to Abilene and headed home with a split of the two games. The Lady Mavericks overcame a halftime deficit to beat AHS 49-37, while the Abilene High boys led wire to wire and used an electric fourth quarter to claim a 53-39 win.

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THIS WEEK IN BOYS BASKETBALL: Big games in full supply despite weather-related schedule changes

Mother Nature did her best to bring the high school basketball season to a standstill, sending a winter storm that put most Big Country teams on the shelf for a week. But the action around that unexpected break gives us plenty to talk about in this week’s look at the area boys basketball scene.

With a number of excellent (and meaningful) games last week and some big matchups slated for the next few days, the area district races remain as intriguing as ever.

Let’s go ahead now and take a look at the biggest games the area slate has to offer this week and some of the outcomes last week that helped shape the weeks to come.

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EVAN REN’S 2025 TRUE GRIT TEAM: The toughest, hardest-working players in the Big Country!

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. 

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2025 BIG COUNTRY PREPS RISING STARS TEAM: The top underclassmen in the Big Country

Here are our selections for the 2024 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.

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GAME STORY: Shawver’s three fourth-quarter 3s lift Abilene High boys to big home win over Wylie

With his team down one early in the fourth quarter, Payton Shawver drained 3-pointers on three consecutive possessions to fuel the Abilene High boys basketball team to a 61-53 home win over crosstown rival Wylie in a key District 4-5A game full of big runs, clutch shots and wild momentum swings Tuesday at Eagle Gym.

The three triples came as part of an 11-point fourth quarter for the talented senior, whose game-high 27 points sent a raucous AHS crowd home happy as the Eagles (15-10 overall) improved to 2-0 in district play.

Wylie, which erased a 10-point third-quarter deficit to take a 42-41 lead on John Chavez’s 3 with 6:21 remaining in the game, fell to 9-11 on the season and 0-1 in league action with the loss, which came as part of a doubleheader split as the Lady Bulldogs topped the Lady Eagles 65-19 in Tuesday’s early game.

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BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: French foreign exchange student takes this week’s accolade with quadruple-double

Ysée Le Borgne may feel like a fish out of water living in Ballinger, Texas. After all, the 16-year-old foreign exchange student and native of Lille, France is more than 5,000 miles and (needless to say), a major cultural shift away from her hometown. 

On the basketball court, however, the 6-foot sophomore guard is right at home — so much so that she earned our Big Country Preps Player of Week for the week ending Jan. 17 with a rare quadruple double. 

Le Borgne, who opened the week with a 24-point, 14-rebound double-double in a loss to Colorado City, showed the potential for a “quad” that night with seven steals, six pass deflections and four blocks. 

Three days later it happened in a 43-32 win over Coleman that saw Le Borne finish with 23 points, 12 boards, 10 steals and 10 pass deflections. 

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THIS WEEK IN BOYS BASKETBALL: District races taking shape as title, playoff favorites begin to emerge

District races are heating up throughout the Big Country and the cream is quickly rising to the top in our area leagues.

Last week and helped provide some clarity in a number of district’s throughout the BCP coverage area, and this week will, no doubt, do the same.

Without further ado, let’s go ahead and dive into this week’s column and take a look at the biggest games on this week’s slate and some of the top results last week had to offer.

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GAME STORY: Cooper girls stymie archrival Abilene High in 43-18 win, boost playoff hopes in District 4-5A

Entering Tuesday’s crosstown rivalry game off lopsided losses to open District 4-5A play, both the Abilene High and Cooper girls basketball teams were looking to break into the win column and get an early leg up in the race for the league’s fourth playoff spot.

With just four wins between them coming into the week, both squads have faced their share of adversity this season. But competing in a five-team district guarantees that at least one of them will close a tough year of transition and/or growth in the playoffs.

On Tuesday at Eagle Gym, it was Cooper that took a running leap toward that goal, using relentless pressure defense to stifle Abilene High in a dominant 43-18 victory. The Lady Cougars, who forced more turnovers than points allowed, trailed only once (at 5-4 early in the second quarter), scoring 17 second-quarter points to pull away for a commanding 21-7 lead by halftime.

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THIS WEEK IN BOYS BASKETBALL: Several games on the docket with district title implications

With district play either underway or starting this week for all area boys basketball teams, it’s time to start taking a closer look at how our Big Country hoops races are shaping up.

And as we’ve done in the past, we’ll break down our top upcoming matchups, the top results from the previous week and the area’s biggest surprise right here each Sunday, starting with this column.

We hope you enjoy a look at this week in area boys basketball.

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BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Wylie senior earns this week’s award

It’s one thing to pour in points. 

It’s quite another to do it against difficult competition in a big-school tournament.  Wylie senior Swade Sipe, our Big Country Preps Player of the Week, did exactly that in last week’s Granbury tournament, helping the Bulldogs to a 2-2 mark in the challenging event. 

Sipe’s weekend began with a 22-point effort in a 54-48 win over Saginaw. It continued with 12 points in a 56-50 loss to Prosper Rock Hill, 20 points in a 59-51 win over Midland Christian and a 33-point night in a 46-43 loss to Arlington Lamar. 

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