Category: Boys basketball

by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Ortiz, Gonzalez guide South to win at FCA men’s basketball game

BROWNWOOD — It may have been an exhibition, but those involved in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes men’s basketball all-star game were playing — and coaching — to win Saturday at Brownwood High School.

In the end, it was Michael Bacon’s South squad that pulled away for an 89-73 victory in a game that featured intense competition throughout.

San Angelo Central’s Raven Ortiz, the game’s MVP, scored 21 points, while fellow point guard Drew Gonzalez, of Cooper, added 17 to help the winning squad answer each North run with one of its own to keep the South in control for most of the game.

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by Evan Ren

2022 All-Big Country Preps Boys Basketball Superlatives: Hearne, Brekke, Cooper, Rigdon, Winters take top honors

Ladies and gentlemen, we are proud to release our 2022 All-Big Country Preps boys basketball teams. 

Here, you will find our Superlatives — Player of the Year, Offensive MVP, Defensive MVP, Newcomer of the Year and Coach of the Year.

For the rest of this year’s girls basketball selections, please click the links at the bottom of the next page.

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by Daniel Youngblood

2022 All-Big Country Preps Boys Basketball Team: First-Team Roster

Ladies and gentlemen, we are proud to release our 2022 All-Big Country Preps boys basketball teams. 

Here, you will find our First-Team Roster — starters, sixth man and reserves.

For the rest of this year’s girls basketball selections, please click the links at the bottom of the next page.

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by Daniel Youngblood

2022 All-Big Country Preps Boys Basketball Team: Second-Team Roster

Ladies and gentlemen, we are proud to release our 2022 All-Big Country Preps boys basketball teams. 

Here, you will find our Second-Team Roster — starters, sixth man and reserves.

For the rest of this year’s girls basketball selections, please click the links at the bottom of the next page.

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by Daniel Youngblood

2022 All-Big Country Preps Boys Basketball Team: Third-Team Roster (w/ honorable mention)

Ladies and gentlemen, we are proud to release our 2022 All-Big Country Preps boys basketball teams. 

Here, you will find our Third-Team Roster — starters, sixth man and reserves.

For the rest of this year’s boys basketball selections, please click the links at the bottom of the next page.

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by Daniel Youngblood

2022 All-Big Country Preps Boys Basketball Team: Rising Stars Team, the top freshmen and sophomores in the area!

Ladies and gentlemen, we are proud to release our 2022 All-Big Country Preps boys basketball teams. 

Here, you will find our Rising Stars Team honoring the top freshmen and sophomores in the Big Country — starters, sixth man and reserves. 

For the rest of this year’s boys basketball selections, please click the links at the bottom of the next page.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Brock boys come up one bucket short in OT thriller against City View

LUBBOCK — Four quarters weren’t enough to decide a winner between the Brock and Wichita Falls City View boys basketball teams Saturday in the Region I-3A title game at Lubbock Christian University’s Rip Griffin Center.

And even after four extra minutes, the gap between the two squads was razor thin.

Unfortunately for the Eagles, the one bucket that separated them from the Mustangs at the end of a 46-44 heartbreaker was the difference between closing their season at the state tournament and not.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Hermleigh’s dream season ends in regional finals

SNYDER — While trophies with golden basketballs on top of them are nice, the Hermleigh boys basketball team set a goal this year of a different trophy.

They wanted an “ugly brown trophy” instead.

While it’s not the state championship trophy, the Cardinals accomplished their goal despite seeing their season come to an end at the Western Texas College Coliseum with a 68-37 loss to No. 9 Irion County in the Region II-2A final on Saturday afternoon.

The UIL gives out trophies with plaques emblazoned with the organization’s logo and the team’s finish in the regional tournament to the finalists.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Cisco falls to Celeste in double overtime thriller

McKINNEY — Inbounding the ball in with just over two seconds left in regulation against Celeste in a Region II-2A semifinal, the Cisco boys basketball team had a potential game-winning play unfold almost perfectly.

Cisco coach Kevin Hearne likened the play call to what would be seen on the gridiron in the fall. With forward Trent Bailey playing quarterback and Kasen Conring running around as a decoy for Dawson Hearne, Bailey chose to heave a Hail Mary pass to Tre Brackeen under the basket.

Brackeen’s shot from close range rimmed out to send the game to overtime before the Blue Devils ultimately pulled away for a 73-63 double overtime win Friday night at McKinney North High School.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Hermleigh boys too much for No. 16 Water Valley, on to II-1A title game

SNYDER — Playing in its first region tournament in program history, the Hermleigh Cardinals looked like a team well accustomed to deep playoff runs Friday in its Region II-1A semifinal matchup with No. 16 Water Valley.

Coach Sammy Winters’ squad, which finished the regular season unranked in the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches Class 1A poll, scored the game’s first eight points and never trailed after in cruising to a 45-32 win over the Wildcats at the Western Texas College Coliseum.

The Cardinals, now 28-8 on the year, led by as many as 20 points in the fourth quarter before holding off a late Water Valley run to extend their dream season into the II-1A championship game, where they’ll will face No. 9 Irion County (32-3) on Saturday with a state tournament berth on the line.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Hermleigh boys survive Eula rally, advance to first region tournament

The Hermleigh boys basketball team gutted out a 49-44 win over area power Eula on Tuesday to claim its first-ever trip to the regional tournament. 

After controlling the first half at McMurry’s Kimbrel Arena, the Cardinals found themselves down six early in the second when the Pirates opened the third quarter on a 16-3 run. But coach Sam Winters’ squad calmly regrouped and outscored Eula 22-11 the rest of of the way to earn a region semifinals date with No. 16 Water Valley on Friday at Snyder’s WTC Coliseum. 

Locked in a tie game at 36-all with seven minutes remaining, Hermleigh finished off the Pirates with a 13-8 run to get past the defending state runner-up.

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by Evan Ren

GAME STORY: Coleman upset bid falls short in regional quarterfinal loss to Christoval

BRONTE — Just two years removed from suffering through a 7-23 season, nobody in the Coleman camp was complaining about a 52-34 regional quarterfinal loss to Christoval on Tuesday —least of all CHS coach Cameron Lowman, who has labored to build the program back up.

The Bluecats even led the area power for most of the opening period before Christoval took the game over with a 20-10 second quarter and a 17-7 third. 

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by Evan Ren

CAPITAL FARM CREDIT/BCP PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Cisco’s Hearne takes the award after leading Loboes to regional

  

Clutch players are at their best in clutch moments, and Cisco senior Dawson Hearne has fit squarely into that category throughout his memorable high school career. 

His latest effort saw him drop a game-winning jumper with 0:03 left in a 43-42 area round win over eighth-ranked Tolar, during which he posted a double-double of 23 points and 10 rebounds. 

Earlier in the week our Capital Farm Credit/BCP Player of the week had also charted a double-double of 19 points, 11 boards and five assists as Cisco eliminated Windthorst, 58-33, in the bi-district round.  

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Jones, Brock dominate Merkel in area-round win

CISCO — Brock senior Nathan Jones missed the first 31 games of the Eagles basketball season as he recovered from a broken foot suffered during football season.

That hasn’t stopped the Big Ten-bound star from dominating on the basketball court the last two weeks in his first four games of the year.

The latest example came Friday night, when Jones put up 32 points and 18 rebounds to lead Brock past Merkel 83-36 in a Region I-3A area-round game at Cisco’s Ray Saunders Gymnasium.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME RECAP: Amarillo Tascosa pulls away late for 56-47 bi-district win over Wylie boys

CHILDRESS — Amarillo Tascosa outscored the Wylie boys basketball team 22-14 over the final eight minutes Tuesday to turn a one-point lead after three quarters into a 56-47 win in a Region I-5A bi-district matchup at the Childress High School gym.

The Rebels, who trailed by two at halftime, held just a three-point lead with two minutes remaining. But Tascosa closed the game on a 10-4 run to secure the win and end the Bulldogs’ season at 18-16.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Canyon Randall hits late 3 to rally past Cooper, end Coogs’ season

POST — Leading Canyon Randall by four points in the final minute after rallying from a 10-point second-quarter deficit, the Cooper boys basketball team looked poised to earn its first playoff victory since 2017 on Tuesday at Antelope Arena.

But hope turned to heartbreak as a series of unfortunate events resulted in a painful reversal of fortunes in a 46-45 bi-district loss.

After Randall scored to trim the deficit to 45-43 with just under 21 seconds remaining, a Cooper turnover gave the Raiders the ball right back with a chance to tie or take the lead. The Cougars forced a missed runner on the ensuing possession, but Colin Reed collided with a teammate on the rebound, resulting in a traveling call.

This gave Randall yet another chance, and KJ Thomas cashed in this time, nailing a high-arching jumper from well beyond the 3-point line to put the Raiders up with 7.4 seconds remaining. That proved to be the game-winner when Reed’s coast-to-coast drive ended with a miss and Cooper couldn’t secure the offensive rebound for a putback opportunity.

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by Evan Ren

CAPITAL FARM CREDIT/BCP PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Stamford’s Gutierrez claims this week’s award

Stamford softball ace Citlaly Gutierrez is no stranger to the Capital Farm Credit/BCP Player of the Week column, having made multiple appearances in its top 10 since her freshman year three years ago. 

Having helped SHS to a Class 2A state title last spring, the senior right-hander picked up right where she left off last week, posting a 3-0 record against three straight larger schools at the Brock tournament. 

Earning wins over Wichita Falls City View (4-0), Brock (1-0) and Mansfield Legacy (4-1), Gutierrez finished with 41 strikeouts and only one run allowed in three starts. This included 15 Ks in the win over Legacy. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

LOCAL HOOPS ROUNDUP: Cooper boys rout Monterey, claim outright district title

LUBBOCK — Entering Tuesday’s regular-season finale tied with Lubbock Monterey and Wylie for first in District 4-5A, the Cooper boys basketball team needed a road win over Monterey to clinch at least a share of their second league title in as many years. 

Not only did the Cougars get that win, routing the Plainsmen 66-36 on the strength of a big second half, they also got the help they needed from Lubbock Coronado to claim the district championship outright.

While Cooper was knocking off Monterey, Coronado rallied past Wylie 59-55 at home to leave the Cougars alone atop the standings — one game up on Wylie, Monterey and Lubbock Cooper, which all finished tied for second.

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by Zach Duncan, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: Basketball-mad Coahoma senior Ashford looking to finish strong

Photos courtesy of Lyndel Moody/Coahoma ISD

Raheem Ashford loves basketball. 

If the senior isn’t playing the sport for Coahoma, he’s probably watching a game on television. If he’s not doing that, he’s likely playing NBA 2K. 

“Basketball is what I do in my free time,” Ashford said. “I’m just strictly a basketball guy. I ran track last year and I’ve tried baseball, but I feel like basketball is the only sport for me.” 

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by Evan Ren

CAPITAL FARM CREDIT/BCP PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Wall’s Richardson is in this week’s spotlight

With big numbers spaced over three games, Wall senior guard Jacob Richardson claims the Capital Farm Credit/BCP Player of the Week award for the week ending Feb. 12. 

Helping the Hawks to clinch a District 6-3A title with a 3-0 mark, Richardson poured in an average of 26.7 points in wins over Clyde, Ballinger and San Angelo TLCA. 

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by Evan Ren

FEATURE: Sweetwater football standout Foster has helped changed hoops culture at SHS

When Harrison Foster’s basketball days are over, he’ll be able to say he left Sweetwater’s program better than he found it.

That could be as early as Tuesday because the Mustangs must knock off Levelland to have a chance at a play-in game against Snyder for the final 3-4A playoff berth.

Regardless of how it plays out, there’s no denying the impact Foster has made on a young team that’s won 17 games this year.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Wylie knocks off Monterey again, pulls back into first place tie in 4-5A

Hosting Lubbock Monterey with a chance to pull into a tie atop the District 4-5A standings, the Wylie boys basketball team couldn’t have gotten off to a much worse start Friday at Bulldog Gym.

But after allowing the first nine points and falling behind 13-2 less than six minutes into the game, the Bulldogs outscored the Plainsmen 48-22 the rest of the way to earn a big 50-35 win and clinch the season sweep over Monterey.

The victory pulled Wylie into a three-way tie for first in 4-5A with Monterey and crosstown rival Cooper, setting up a big slate of games on Tuesday — the final date of the regular season.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Cooper Cougars move within one win of District 4-5A championship

With a two-possession lead and under a minute to play, Jalen Cherry posted up in the corner, took a pass and unleashed a 3-point attempt.

The ball hit nothing but net, cementing a 58-51 win for the Cooper Cougars over Lubbock Cooper in a raucous environment Friday night at Cougar Gym.

The shot, which sent the crowd into a frenzy and pulled the Cougars into a tie for the District 4-5A lead, was one Cooper coach Bryan Conover didn’t mind seeing one of his four seniors take. Continue reading “GAME STORY: Cooper Cougars move within one win of District 4-5A championship” →

by Evan Ren

GAME STORY: Winters maintains slim hold on first place with win at Forsan

FORSAN — A early dose of defense and a knack for answering every challenge brought the Winters Blizzards one step closer to a possible District 8-2A championship on Friday night with a 53-36 win at Forsan. 

Chaney Bahlman scored 19 points and Aiden Leamon added 11 more to lift Winters (20-12, 7-2) which can win the district title if it defeats second-place Coleman on the road on Tuesday night. 

Holding Forsan to just two field goals in the first seven minutes, the Blizzards raced out to a 19-5 lead and never led by fewer than five points for the rest of the evening. 

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by Zach Duncan, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: Snyder’s Murillo not just a top-flight scorer

Photos by Jose Jimenez/Snyder News.

There’s no denying that Snyder’s Eber Murillo is one of the Big Country’s most dangerous offensive weapons.  

But labeling Murillo, who averages 21.2 points a game, as purely a scorer doesn’t do the senior justice.  

Tigers coach Lee Scott depends on the 6-foot-4 Murillo to defend the opponent’s best player, whether it be a guard or forward. He leads Snyder in both rebounds and blocks.  

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by Mike Lee, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: San Saba’s Mejia plays multiple sports, but loves basketball

Reagan Mejia participates in football, basketball, baseball, golf and tennis for Class 2A San Saba High School. But the Armadillos’ senior loves basketball.

“He has such a high basketball IQ because he loves the game,” San Saba boys’ coach Mark Kyle said of the 5-foot-10 guard. “He loves competing in all those sports, but he’s special in basketball. You don’t see many football players that are gym rats like he is. It’s not a burden for him to take 300 extra shots a day. He loves it.”

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Cooper boys hold off Wylie rally, pull even with Bulldogs in 4-5A standings

Needing a win over crosstown rival Wylie to avoid its fourth loss in five games, the Cooper boys basketball team played about as well as it could for 26 of the 32 minutes Tuesday. But after going up 45-24 with about 5:40 remaining in the game, the Cougars had to stave off a furious Bulldog rally to get out of Wylie’s gym with a 53-48 victory.

Cooper, which still led by 18 with 2:19 to play, saw its advantage trimmed to four (52-48) with just over five seconds remaining. But the Coogs did just enough from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter to avoid collapse and pull out an important District 2-6A win.

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by Evan Ren

GAME STORY: Lady Buckaroos top City View to lock down No. 4 seed

BRECKENRIDGE — Having already escaped with a narrow 39-38 win at City View on Jan. 14, Breckenridge girls coach Bryan Goehring fully expected a slugfest in Tuesday’s rematch with the final playoff seed on the line. 

He got precisely that, in a come-from-behind 36-31 win to claim the No. 4 seed in District 7-3A. 

Destiny Jamison scored nine points while Jady Gonzales and Camila Palacios added eight each to lead Breckenridge (20-14, 6-6) which will be facing District 8 champion Peaster (31-4) in the bi-district round. 

Battling through four ties and seven lead changes, the Lady Buckaroos overcame their final deficit with a 7-0 run over the final three minutes.  This, after blowing a 29-23 lead which they held with 6:05 to play. 

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: AHS boys eliminated from playoff contention with loss to Central

A hard-fought, emotionally draining 58-56 weather-delayed, road win over Midland High on Monday night meant the Abilene High boys basketball team still had partial control over its playoff destiny.

The win, though, took a toll on the Eagles, who fell behind 14-0 to San Angelo Central on Tuesday night at Eagle Gym, creating a hole that Justin Reese’s squad couldn’t dig out of.

Central used the fast start and controlled the game the whole night on its way to a 65-48 win that, when coupled with Odessa Permian’s 39-37 win over Midland Legacy, clinched the final playoff berth in District 2-6A.

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by Daniel Youngblood

LOCAL HOOPS ROUNDUP: Cooper swept at Lubbock Coronado; AHS teams victorious in Midland

LUBBOCK — The Cooper boys basketball team dropped a tough one at Lubbock Coronado on Monday, losing to the Mustangs 50-47 to fall out of a three-way tie for first place in District 4-5A.

The Cougars, who were tied with Lubbock Monterey and Wylie entering the day, moved to 17-10 overall and 4-3 in league play with their third loss in four games.

The setback leaves coach Bryan Conover’s team a game back of the district co-leaders, in a tie with Lubbock Cooper for third heading into Tuesday’s game against crosstown rival Wylie.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME RECAP: Wylie girls, boys pick up big wins at Lubbock High

Photos courtesy of Katie Perkins, HubCityPreps.com

LUBBOCK — The Wylie girls basketball team went on the road and picked up a huge win Monday, outlasting Lubbock High 38-35 to clinch a playoff berth in District 4-5A. 

The game, which was postponed from Friday due to the snow storm that hit Texas last week, came down to the final minutes. But a layup by sophomore post Indiah Maroney with 1:15 to play broke a 35-all tie and proved to be the game-winning shot as the Lady Bulldogs improved to 14-17 overall and 4-5 in league play.

The victory secured a season sweep of Lubbock High, which came into the game tied with Wylie and Lubbock Coronado for third in the district standings. Monday’s outcome, when combined with Coronado’s 57-42 win over Cooper, puts the Lady Bulldogs in a two-way tie for third heading into their regular season finale against crosstown rival Cooper.

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by Evan Ren

CAPITAL FARM CREDIT/BCP PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Cross Plains sophomore takes this week’s award

When Cross Plains’ Cadence Wedeking has the range zeroed in, the scorer’s table may want to have a spare pencil handy just in case. 

Our Capital Farm Credit/BCP Player of the Week had one of “those nights” last week in a 69-20 win over Moran, connecting with five 3-pointers and finishing with 33 points. It was the third time this season the sophomore guard had connected from beyond the arc five times in one game.

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by Evan Ren

EVAN REN: This week in Big Country boys basketball (Feb. 7-13)

A midweek snowstorm created a mess that still hasn’t been cleaned up. Several teams played on Saturday due to icy road conditions and several more will be playing Monday night. 

So with just two weeks left in the regular season, things are going to be a hectic in the Big Country, with many area teams looking at three games over the next five days.

Nonetheless, sorting it all out is going to be fun. So let’s take a quick look at the area hoops scene on the boys side and some of the top matchups that are on tap.

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