Category: Girls basketball

by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: Senior post Hurtado a force on both ends for No. 14 Cisco girls

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.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Sloan’s 36-point night fuels Cooper to needed upset win at Wylie

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.

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by Evan Ren

GAME STORY: Ninth-ranked Gordon girls rally for win in thriller at No. 13 Gorman

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. 

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Comanche’s Glasgow claims this week’s accolade

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? 

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Abilene High boys edge Cooper in back-and-forth thriller; Lady Eagles cruise to win

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.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Ramon, Patanpatan fuel late Hawley rally past Albany

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.

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: Veteran Roscoe point guard Ornelas a small, but mighty force for Plowgirls

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.

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by Evan Ren

Big Country Girls Basketball Statistical Leaders (through Jan. 18): Scoring, rebounding, assists, steals, FT Pct., pass deflections and blocks

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.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Abilene High boys pass first crosstown test; Wylie girls knock off Lady Eagles

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.

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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 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 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 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 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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by Daniel Youngblood

TOURNAMENT CENTRAL: Comanche girls top San Saba for Eula Holiday Classic title; Jim Ned boys finish third

EULA — The Comanche girls basketball team rallied past San Saba for a 58-44 win Saturday in the the Eula Holiday Classic championship game, closing out a perfect run through the tournament with its third double-digit victory in four games.

The Maidens’ triumph, which saw them overcome a 41-34 third-quarter deficit to pull away from the Lady Dillos, capped a successful Classic for area squads, as the Jim Ned boys topped Tolar 51-36 to take third in the boys bracket, while the Eula Lady Pirates placed fourth in the girls with a hard-fought 34-33 loss to Whiteface.

In consolation action, Eastland took the girls title with a 55-35 win over Stamford, while the Eula boys almost did the same, falling 57-53 to Idalou in the boys title game.

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by Daniel Youngblood

TOURNAMENT CENTRAL: Comanche, San Saba girls advance to Eula Holiday Classic title game; Jim Ned boys fall in semis

EULA — The Comanche and San Saba girls basketball teams, ranked No. 5 and 16 in Class 3A and 2A respectively, completed perfect runs through the Eula Holiday Classic semifinals on Friday to claim spots in the event’s championship game Saturday evening.

Comanche, which cruised through Roscoe (72-43) and Hermleigh (73-44) on the tournament’s opening day Thursday, survived a test from Class 1A No. 10 Whiteface on Friday, outlasting the Lady Lopes for a 45-38 victory in the semifinals. And San Saba followed Thursday’s 63-37 win over Ballinger with hard-fought victories over Canadian (59-45) and tournament host Eula (59-55) to earn its spot in the title game.

The Maidens and Lady Dillos will match up for the tournament championship at 5:20 p.m. on Saturday, while Eula will take on Whiteface for third place at 1:20. The Jim Ned boys will also compete for third place, taking on Tolar at noon after dropping a tough 50-48 game to Holiday in the semifinals Friday.

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by Daniel Youngblood

TOURNAMENT PREVIEW: Eula Holiday Classic draws big, talented field once again

Thirty-one basketball teams — 16 girls and 15 boys — will be in Eula this week for the annual Eula Holiday Classic, which will continue its tradition as one of the top small-school basketball tournaments in the state.

Included in the girls field will be 10 teams from the Big Country Preps coverage area as Comanche, Roscoe, Hermleigh, Stamford, Clyde, Colorado City, Eula, San Saba, Eastland and Ballinger are all set to compete.

Seven of the 15 boys teams hail from the area, meanwhile, as Clyde, Eastland, Jim Ned, Breckenridge, Comanche, Roscoe and Eula are all featured in the bracket.

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by Evan Ren

FEATURE: Hard work, youthful talent, new venue has Maidens staring at a bright future

 

Photos courtesy of Santos Gomez

COMANCHE — For 10 years, coach Diana Salinas and her Comanche girls basketball program have had their share of ups and downs, with an overall record of 122-130 and five playoff appearances. A widely divergent mix of veteran and very youthful clubs were a factor in this, with the program rebuilding after each set of heavy graduation losses.

There are, however, several signs that Comanche’s search for consistency is on the verge of ending, not the least of which is its current 16-1 record and top-five rankings by both the Texas Girls Coaches Association and the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches. Only this time around, the Maidens are playing at an elite level, despite being extremely young. 

Rather than being in another rebuilding cycle, the Maidens are riding a 12-game winning streak with a roster consisting of two seniors, two juniors, four sophomores and a freshman.  Perhaps most importantly, their three leading scorers are a junior (Kinsey Glasgow, 17.3) and two sophomores (J’Lee Salinas and Jade Morin) who average 13.2 and 11.8 points, respectively. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Wylie girls overcome slow start to notch double-digit win over rival Cooper

The Wylie girls basketball team rebounded from a disastrous start Tuesday to rally past crosstown rival Cooper, outscoring the Lady Cougars 36-17 over the final three quarters of a 52-38 win at Cougar Gym.

The Lady Bulldogs found themselves down 13-0 less than two minutes into the game and were held scoreless for the first three minutes of the contest. But coach Duane Hopper’s team was able to narrow the deficit to 21-16 by the end of the first quarter, before using a 17-1 run through the second to take a double-digit lead into halftime that it would protect the rest of the way.

Joyah Maroney led Wylie with 18 points, while Kyla Kelley added 11 and Londyn Franklin pitched in eight to help the Lady Bulldogs improve to 12-6 on the year and 2-0 in District 4-5A play.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Darby, Jackson and Lee lead Merkel to sweep of Clyde

CLYDE — The Merkel boys basketball team has one of the most dynamic 1-2 scoring threats in the area with Kooper Darby and Aiden Jackson.

Tuesday night at Bulldog Gym, Darby had a game-high 32 points while Jackson added 24 more as the Badgers held off a furious rally by the Bulldogs over the final 90 seconds in taking a 68-65 win in the District 6-3A opener for both teams.

The boys showdown came on the heels of the Merkel girls knocking off Clyde 48-30 in the opening game of the doubleheader behind Jaedyn Lee’s 24 points.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Albany’s Hill, Waggoner share BCP’s final award for 2023

NOTE: This will be the final BCP Player of the Week for 2023.  It will return on Monday, Jan. 8. 

Very seldom will we go with co-players of the week here at Big Country Preps, but every now and then, the situation warrants it. 

So, our final BCP Player of the Week award for 2023 will be split between Albany teammates Adam Hill and Zane Waggoner, who were both instrumental in AHS winning its second straight Class 2A DII state football title last week in a 28-10 win over Mart in Arlington. 

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