Category: Girls basketball

by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Abilene High boys rally for key district win over Lubbock Cooper

Needing a home win over Lubbock Cooper to get back into the thick of the District 4-5A playoff race, the Abilene High boys basketball team didn’t get off the start it wanted to Tuesday at Eagle Gym.

But after going to halftime down 23-13, the Eagles used a 27-point third quarter to wrestle momentum away from the visiting Pirates and held Cooper off from there for a 55-50 victory.

The win pulled AHS (10-11 overall) back to .500 in league play at 2-2, moving coach Justin Reese’s team into the fourth spot in the district standings — a half-game back of crosstown rival Abilene Cooper for third. 

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by Evan Ren

GAME STORY: Jim Ned sweeps important varsity doubleheader at Merkel

MERKEL —With first place in the balance on both sides of Tuesday’s varsity doubleheader in Merkel, the Jim Ned girls and boys basketball teams walked into one of the toughest places to play in the Big Country and walked out with a convincing two-game sweep. 

The Jim Ned girls (23-1, 6-0 District 6-3A) took the opener in dominating fashion, beating Merkel 52-21. Shortly thereafter, the Jim Ned boys took the nightcap with a 52-38 win to improve to 15-10 and 4-0. 

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Eula Lady Pirates hammer Cross Plains in District 13-1A showdown

EULA — Mary Mosley Gymnasium has earned a reputation of being a tough place to play, much like The Teepee was at Haskell until Haskell ISD opened a new gym recently.

With the Eula boys basketball team playing a nondistrict road game on Tuesday night, the Lady Pirates saw a smaller than usual crowd for their District 13-1A game against fifth-ranked Cross Plains.

But while it lacked in size, the crowd was loud and rambunctious, helping pave the way for a 46-27 win.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Cross Plains’ Taylor takes the first award of 2023

While many of us were enjoying our holiday break, Cross Plains’ Torri Taylor was busy filling up stat sheets. Put more accurately, the junior forward was producing the numbers on the floor, to help the Lady Buffs to a 3-0 mark while school was out. 

Aside from pouring in an average of 19.6 points per game, she snagged an average tally of 12 rebounds per night while dishing out 3.6 assists to go with 4.0 steals. 

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by Evan Ren

EVAN REN: This week in Big Country girls basketball (Jan. 8-14)

With area basketball settling into district play, we begin our annual Sunday evening reports on boy and girls action, listing the top upcoming matchups of the current week and the top results from the week before.

Big Country Preps will also be posting area standings, stat leaders, game coverage and features in the coming weeks so by all means, stay tuned. 

Let’s dive in: 

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by Evan Ren

GAME STORY: Anson, Haskell split varsity doubleheader at AHS

ANSON — Two of the Big Country’s oldest rivals clashed on Friday when Haskell paid a visit to Anson, resulting in a split of a District 10-2A girls-boys varsity doubleheader. 

The Haskell girls took the opener with a come-from-behind 50-41 win, after which the Anson boys earned a measure of payback, dropping Haskell 36-26 in the nightcap.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Monterey scores final six points to outlast Cooper boys in defensive struggle

On a night when buckets were hard to come by for both teams, the Lubbock Monterey Plainsmen finished with one more than their Cooper counterparts Friday, scoring the final six points in a hard-fought 40-37 win at Cougar Gym.

Cooper, which needed almost four minutes to score to its first points of the game, held a 22-18 lead at halftime and rallied from a third-quarter deficit to go up 37-34 on a Jordan Willis layup with 3:47 to play. But those would be the Cougars’ final points of the night, allowing the visiting Plainsmen to close the night on a run and escape with a three-point victory.

After a turnover spoiled CHS’ penultimate possession, the Coogs had one final chance when Monterey missed the front end of a one-and-one up 40-37 with just over four seconds remaining in the game. But Jaelyn Rivera’s halfcourt shot at the buzzer banged off the rim and out, eliciting an gasp from those in attendance. 

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Mustangs use big third quarter to hold off feisty Jaybirds

SWEETWATER — The Jayton boys basketball team entered Friday’s game at Sweetwater ranked No. 2 in the state in Class 1A and sporting one of only a couple of undefeated records in the state.

After the Mustangs used a big third quarter fueled by the hot shooting hand of Stason Hernandez to get a 51-38 win at Mustang Gym, Jayton coach Ryan Bleiker felt a sense of relief.

The relief didn’t come from losing, but rather that his squad didn’t have to carry the burden of being undefeated anymore.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Abilene High boys rout Lubbock High, AHS girls can’t rally from early hole

When you’re a young team, basketball can be intimidating if shots aren’t falling for you.

If they are falling? Then it’s contagious and can lead to an avalanche of scoring for a squad.

In a District 4-5A game on Tuesday night at Eagle Gym, the Abilene High boys team had shots falling like crazy, and it led to a 69-29 win over Lubbock High in which nine players scored for coach Justin Reese’s squad, led by Chris Motl’s game-high 14 points.

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by Daniel Youngblood

TEXAS BANK HOLIDAY CLASSIC: Wylie, Goldthwaite boys claim tournament titles; Albany edges Coleman for third place

BROWNWOOD — The Wylie and Goldthwaite boys basketball teams both left the Texas Bank Holiday Classic with championship trophies, completing 4-0 runs through the tournament Friday to claim the large and small school titles, respectively.

After opening the Classic with lopsided pool play victories over Brady (94-31) and Early (56-36), Wylie picked up competitive wins over Gatesville (67-54) and Little River Academy (54-45) on Friday at Brownwood Coliseum to earn its championship.

The Goldthwaite boys, meanwhile, followed blowout victories over Sidney (67-38) and Santo (61-34) with thrilling final-day wins over Coleman (52-50) and Wellington (64-56) to clinch their title.

That capped a three-day tournament that also saw Albany top Coleman 56-50 for third place in the small school boys division and Fort Worth Nolan Catholic defeat Fort Worth Lake Country Christian (65-61) and Goldthwaite (55-33) to earn the girls crown.

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by Evan Ren

EULA HOLIDAY CLASSIC: Stamford girls rally to take tournament championship, Ballinger and Eula girls, Breck boys win on Day 3

EULA — The Eula Holiday Classic concluded on Friday, with some familiar faces winning the event’s top trophy. 

The Stamford girls, who finished as the Class 2A DI state runners-up last season, swept through the Eula tourney with a 4-0 mark and capped it with a come-from-behind 35-32 win over Whiteface in the title game. 

Laylonna Applin scored 16 points and Lainee Lefevre added 10 more to lift Stamford (18-4), which overcame a 27-21 deficit at the outset of the fourth quarter to get the win. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

EULA HOLIDAY CLASSIC: Stamford girls rout Hermleigh to get back to tournament title game

EULA — One of three Big Country teams to reach the semifinal round of the Eula Holiday Classic, the Stamford girls basketball team was the lone area squad to advance to Friday’s title game, defeating Hermleigh 60-29 on Thursday to earn the opportunity to defend its 2021 tournament title.

The Lady Bulldogs, who edged Holliday for the Classic championship last year, will try go for the repeat Friday when they take on Whiteface, which downed Eula 46-31 in Thursday’s other semifinal.

That matchup is set for 2:40 p.m. Friday, while Hermleigh and Eula will play for third place at 10:40 a.m.

No area team reached the semifinals on the boys side of the tournament, which will feature a championship matchup between Holliday and Tolar at 4 p.m. Friday and a third-place game between New Deal and Bells at noon.

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by Evan Ren

TEXAS BANK HOLIDAY CLASSIC: Brownwood fights off multiple rallies to top their next door neighbors

BROWNWOOD — Squaring off with their Class 4A neighbors from Brownwood, the 3A Early Longhorns were expected by many to fall handily in Friday’s meeting in the Texas Bank Holiday Classic.

Someone, however, forgot to remind Early that they were big underdogs, as BHS held on for a difficult 66-57 win at the Brownwood Coliseum.

Luke Gray poured in 22 points and Tristan Salinas added 15 more to lead Brownwood (10-8) which had to fight off multiple Early rallies to earn the win in second-place pool play.

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by Daniel Youngblood

EULA HOLIDAY CLASSIC: Hermleigh, Stamford and Eula girls punch ticket to semis on tournament’s first day

EULA — Big Country girls basketball programs made a strong showing on the opening day of the Eula Holiday Classic, placing three teams in Thursday’s championship bracket semifinals, while preserving the chance of an all-area championship picture. 

Hermleigh, Stamford and Eula all won a pair of games Wednesday to advance to the tournament’s penultimate round, while Breckenridge won its only game of the day to earn a Thursday morning matchup with Whiteface for the final spot in the semifinals.

Hermleigh and Stamford will play at 4 p.m. Thursday for a spot in Friday’s championship game, while Eula will take on the Breckenridge-Whiteface winner at 6:40 p.m. to decide the other title game participant.

On the boys side, meanwhile, Colorado City, Clyde and Jim Ned all remain alive with a chance to advance to the semifinals Thursday — each winning its only game Wednesday to remain in position to advance in the championship bracket.

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by Evan Ren

ANSON HOLIDAY TOURNAMENT: Wall girls, Sweetwater boys take respective titles

ANSON — If there is such a thing as a moral victory, the Anson girls’ basketball team may have earned one on Wednesday in the championship game of the Anson Holiday Tournament. 

Facing perennial 3A power Wall, the Lady Tigers (12-6) kept things close for more than three quarters before eventually falling 45-31. 

Kamryn Williams scored 13 points and Brylyn Watts added nine more to lead 13th-ranked Wall (18-3), which used 19 combined free throws to put Anson away.  The game was quickly followed by the boys’ title game, which saw Sweetwater top the Wylie JV 54-43.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Speights’ big fourth quarter fuels Cooper past rival Wylie

Trailing crosstown rival Wylie 33-32 heading into the final quarter, the Cooper girls basketball team needed a spark to get to the finish line with a win Tuesday at Bulldog Gym.

Enter standout senior Kyla Speights.

After being limited to just six points through the first three quarters, the talented point guard exploded for 13 points in the fourth — including two big 3-pointers and a three-point play in rapid succession — to fuel the Lady Cougars to 52-41 victory.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Martin nets career milestone as Ballinger routs Clyde to open district

BALLINGER — Ballinger senior point guard Addison Martin entered Tuesday’s District 6-3A opener against Clyde at Joe Forester Gymnasium thinking that she was roughly 40 points away from hitting 1,000 for her career.

The four-sport star was shocked when coach Kinzee Willis called timeout after she recorded a steal and layup midway through the second quarter for her sixth point of the night when she saw the Ballinger student body unfurl a 1,000 point banner and four golden balloons signifying the achievement while cheerleaders shot off confetti in the bleachers.

It was a celebratory achievement that carried over to the court as the Lady Cats recorded a 55-32 win as they honored their point guard.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Munday’s Bowman takes our final accolade of the year

NOTE: This will be our final Player of the Week column for 2022. It will return on Monday, Jan. 9. 

It’s always a significant accomplishment to chart a double-double. But when one averages a double-double over the course of five straight games, you begin to put a blip on the area radar screen.

Munday senior Jaxon Bowman did precisely that last week, helping the Moguls to a 5-0 record and the tournament championship at Blackwell. Aside from averaging 11.2 points per game, the senior grabbed a whopping 13 boards per contest to along with a combined 12 steals as Munday improved to 12-2.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Comanche standout Glasgow takes top spot

Consistency and versatility always score big in our Big Country Preps Player of the Week column. 

Add a few extras to your stat sheet and play well over several games and you’ll generally end up at or near the top of our weekly list. 

That is precisely why Comanche sophomore guard Kinsey Glasgow has earned our Player of the Week award for the Week ending December 3.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Albany’s Chapman takes the top spot

Having fought his way through a mid-season injury, Albany quarterback Cole Chapman is back in form. 

Our Big Country Preps Player of the Week was the dual threat we’ve grown accustomed to seeing on Saturday, leading the Lions (11-2) to a 35-18 whipping of formerly unbeaten Wink in the Region II-2A Division II semifinals. 

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Cisco girls open Pug Parris Classic with win over Cooper

Kyla Speights gave the Cooper girls basketball team a 3-0 lead early against Cisco as both teams began the Pug Parris Classic at Cougar Gym on Thursday night, but the Lady Loboes rebounded quickly on their way to a 52-34 win.

Braley Brunson and Brooklyn Hurtado led Cisco with 16 and 11 points, respectively, while Speights’ 14 points led the Lady Cougars.

Having scrimmaged each other already, both coaches knew what they would get from the other squad.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Comanche QB snags this week’s accolade

With standout running back Sawyer Wilkerson getting much of the media attention in 2022, the Comanche Indians have been receiving efficient, under-publicized play from the quarterback spot through much of a 10-1 record. 

Last week was perhaps the best example of that, with junior signal caller Layden Welch torching Henrietta with an 11 of 16 passing performance for 248 yards and five TDs in a 69-27 win. 

But that’s just the beginning. 

Welch also rushed 11 times for 65 yards and two scores. He gathered five solo tackles, four assisted stops, forced a fumble and deflected a pass to help CHS advance to the area round. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Wylie safety Wright takes top honors with three fourth-quarter picks

If it’s true that big-time players make big-time plays in big moments, few had a stronger claim to that “big-time” title this past week than Wylie sophomore Hayden Wright.

The Bulldogs free safety not only came through with three interceptions in his team’s 20-10 District 2-5A Division I title-clinching win over crosstown rival Cooper, he recorded all three picks in the fourth quarter as Wylie was trying to hold off a late Cougar rally.

For that effort, which saw him snatch his fourth, fifth and sixth interceptions of the season, the young playmaker has been named the Big Country Preps Player of the Week for the week ending Nov. 5.

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by Daniel Youngblood

Big Country Preps Girls Basketball Position Rankings: Posts

After focusing on the top guards and forwards the Big Country has to offer the past two nights, it’s time to shift our attention to the paint.

For the final installment in our three-part position rankings series, we list our top-10 post players for the 2022-23 season.

We hope you’ve enjoyed reading through these rankings, and make sure to come back next week when we’ll feature the top boys basketball players in the Big Country.

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by Evan Ren

2022 BIG COUNTRY PREPS GIRLS BASKETBALL PREVIEW: The area’s top teams in each class throughout the BCP coverage area

I can scarcely believe it, but it’s that time again —time to gear up for a new season of girls high school basketball which is getting underway throughout Texas this week. 

Below, you will find our top teams in each classification in the Big Country Preps coverage area, which extends from Big Spring in the West, to Brock in the east. And from Brady in the south to Munday in the north. 

Our rankings of the top teams in each class are given, along with a season outlook, cataloguing our expectations for each club. So by all means, dive in and join us for the upcoming season.

Here’s our preview. We’ll see you on the road.

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by Daniel Youngblood

Big Country Preps Girls Basketball Position Rankings: Forwards

After kicking off our girls basketball position rankings series with the guards on Tuesday, we now turn our attention to the forwards.

For the second installment in our three-part series, we rank the area’s top 10 players at that position with some others to watch for in 2022-23.

We hope you enjoy our list.

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by Daniel Youngblood

Big Country Preps Girls Basketball Position Rankings: Guards

With the girls basketball season upon us, it’s time to take a look at the local and area players who will be making the biggest impact for their teams during the 2022-23 season.

For the first installment in a three-part series that will cover all positions, we’ll be focusing on the Big Country’s top guards, ranking our top 10 with a list of others to watch this season.

As with any such list, these rankings are subjective. We hope you enjoy reading through our selections.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Graham leads South to come-from-behind win at FCA women’s all-star game

BROWNWOOD — With a career at Abilene Christian University on the horizon, Claire Graham will soon be tackling a new challenge at the Division I level. But representing Jim Ned one final time Saturday at the Fellowship of Christian Athletes women’s basketball all-star game, the standout guard showed the talent that made her one of the most decorated players to come out of the Big Country in recent memory.

The two-time All-Big Country Preps Player of the Year scored a game-high 15 points and pulled down six rebounds to lead the South to a come-from-behind 49-46 win over the North, earning the game’s MVP award in the process.

Graham’s 3-pointer just before the halftime buzzer pulled her team within five points at the break, and she fueled a second-half rally that gave the South a narrow win in what was a competitive game throughout at Brownwood High School.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

BREAKING: Wylie promotes Powell, brings Hopper home as her replacement

As Wylie High School continues to grow, so too have its needs in the realm of athletic administration.

After promoting Amy Powell to a role in which she will serve as the campus coordinator for girls athletics, the school had an unexpected opening to lead the girls basketball program.

Enter Duane Hopper.

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by Evan Ren

2022 All-Big Country Preps Girls Basketball Superlatives: Graham, Applin, Galvin, Crabb and Dollar top the list

Big Country Preps is proud to release its 2022 All Big Country Preps girls basketball teams. 

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

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

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by Daniel Youngblood

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

Ladies and gentlemen, we are proud to release our 2022 All-Big Country Preps girls 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 Girls Basketball Team: Second-Team Roster

Ladies and gentlemen, we are proud to release our 2022 All-Big Country Preps girls 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 Girls Basketball Team: Third-Team Roster (w/ honorable mention)

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

Here, you will find our Third-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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