FORT STOCKTON — The Abilene High boys basketball team passed its first postseason test with flying colors Monday, blasting El Paso Eastwood 55-22 in its playoff opener to earn an area-round matchup with Trophy Club Nelson.
The Eagles, who scored the game’s first 11 points, led 15-4 by the end of the first quarter and increased their advantage to 29-7 by halftime to end the competitive phase of the game before the start of the second half.
With our Capital Farm Credit-Big Country Preps Player of the Week shut down due to weather last week, we have extended our list of eligible nominees back two weeks to recognize the top performances over the past 14 days.
As a result, Westbrook’s Kenan Morris tops our list and takes this week’s award.
Morris, who dropped in 18 points in a district finale against Ira, lifted the Wildcats to their 22nd straight league win in the process. A few days later, he poured in 22 points to bo with eight boards and three assists in a warmup game with No. 17 Lingleville.
Continue reading “CAPITAL FARM CREDIT/BCP PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Morris takes this week’s award”
Here are the updated Big Country boys basketball playoff pairings, results:
LUBBOCK — The Wylie girls basketball team rallied from 15 down in the second half to take a lead late in the fourth quarter of its Region I-5A bi-district matchup with Amarillo Tascosa on Thursday, but the Lady Bulldogs couldn’t close out the Lady Rebels in a 72-69 loss at Lubbock Christian High School.
Wylie, which fell behind 8-0 to start the game, was forced to play catch-up for most of it. After pulling within 18-14 to end the first quarter, the Lady Bulldogs went to halftime down 37-31, before a slow start to the second half saw the deficit balloon to a game-high 15 points.
Coach Amy Powell’s squad pulled within 51-44 to start the final period and overcame an 11-point fourth quarter deficit to take a one-point lead with less than two minutes remaining in the game. But Tascosa was able to answer the Wylie run and seal the win from the free-throw line, where the Lady Rebels went 28 of 33 for the game.
Photos may be purchased for $7 each by clicking on the small shopping cart emblem below the lower right corner of the gallery. The “BigCountryPreps.com” watermark will be removed from all purchased photos.
LINK … GAME STORY: Wylie boys routed by Monterey on Senior Night
A blistering first quarter was all Lubbock Monterey needed to ruin Wylie’s Senior Night as the Plainsmen ran away with a 69-39 win over the Bulldogs on the penultimate night of District 4-5A play.
Monterey used a 16-0 run in the opening quarter to seize control and snuff out any hopes of a Wylie win.
The Bulldogs (9-11 overall, 5-4 district) now find themselves in fourth place in the district standings with Friday’s regular season finale at Lubbock Coronado on tap.
Here are the updated Big Country girls basketball playoff pairings, results:
Continue reading “Big Country Girls Basketball Playoff Pairings, Results (March 5)”
Wylie girls basketball coach Amy Powell readily admits that her team isn’t the most intimidating off the bus. The Lady Bulldogs don’t cast a particularly imposing shadow and won’t strike fear into opponents during warm-ups.
But what they are is a team in every sense of the word and what they will do is compete from tip to buzzer regardless of the opponent or in-game situation.
Those qualities, instilled in large part by an instrumental senior class, have allowed Wylie to stay in almost every game this season, despite playing one of its toughest schedules in recent memory. And though they enter the playoffs just a game over .500 at 13-12, the Lady Bulldogs do so on a mission and with the confidence of a team that knows it has the leadership, chemistry and ability to a make postseason run.
When you shoot 73.5 percent from the floor, you don’t have to shoot very often to create impressive numbers.
That was the case with our Capital Farm Credit Big Country Preps Player of the Week, Landri Withers of Stephenville, who tallied 39 total points in wins over Gatesville (73-55) and Brownwood (45-27). The Honeybees (20-2) clinched the District 6-4A title with the Brownwood win, during which Withers tallied 23 points.
She closed the week with a combined seven rebounds, 12 pass deflections and three steals.
Photos may be purchased for $7 each by clicking on the small shopping cart emblem below the lower right corner of the gallery. The “BigCountryPreps.com” watermark will be removed from all purchased photos.
LINK … GAME STORY: Big fourth-quarter run fuels Wylie boys to key district win over Cooper
Photos may be purchased for $7 each by clicking on the small shopping cart emblem below the lower right corner of the gallery. The “BigCountryPreps.com” watermark will be removed from all purchased photos.
LINK … GAME STORY: Wylie girls overcome late lull, hold off Cooper for 53-46 win
The Wylie girls basketball team led Cooper from wire to wire Friday at Cougar Gym, but despite holding an 18-point lead early in the third quarter, the Lady Bulldogs needed a strong finish to fend off the Lady Lady Cougars 53-46 in the regular-season finale for both teams.
Wylie, which opened the game on a 15-3 run and led 32-25 at halftime, opened the third quarter with an 11-0 spurt to push ahead 43-25 with five minutes remaining in that period. But coach Amy Powell’s squad scored just four points over the next 10 minutes as Cooper narrowed that margin to one (47-46) with a 21-4 run.
But after the Lady Coogs missed an opportunity to take their first lead from the free-throw line with 3:03 to play, Wylie (13-12 overall) outscored coach Arsenio Geter’s team 6-0 the rest of the way to wrap up District 4-5A’s runner-up spot at 7-3 in league play.
The Wylie boys basketball team put itself back in the thick of the District 4-5A race with a big home win over crosstown rival Cooper on Tuesday, outscoring the Cougars 25-17 in the final quarter of a 70-59 victory.
The win, the Bulldogs’ fourth in their last five games and second this season over an active district leader, improved coach Gregg Ruffin’s team to 5-3 in league play, pulling them within a game of co-leaders Cooper and Lubbock Cooper with two games remaining.
The Bulldogs, who clinched playoff spot with Friday’s outcome, can now focus on improving their playoff seed with games against Lubbock Monterey (14-11, 5-3) and Lubbock Coronado (9-12, 2-6) remaining.
The local pipeline to Hardin-Simmons University continued Wednesday when three Wylie football players announced their decision to become Cowboys at a signing day ceremony at the Wylie I.S.D. Performance Arts Center.
Jahzair George, a three-year letterman at cornerback who also excelled as a receiver and return man this past season, Brice Cantrell, a two-year contributor at defensive end, and Stellon Wright, a running back and safety who transferred in from Lubbock Monterey, all announced their commitment to HSU — following in the footsteps of the four former Bulldogs on the Division III program’s current roster.
That trio was joined at Wednesday’s ceremony by state qualifying pole vaulter Kylor Aguilar, who signed to continue his track and field career at Division II Harding University.
With National signing Day officially in the books, it’s time to take a quick look at this year’s Big Country signees — the most notable of which is Eastland quarterback Behren Morton, who has inked a Letter of Intent with Texas Tech.
Wall offensive lineman Tate Williams (Baylor) and Cash Jones of Brock (Georgia) were the area’s only other players to sign with power conferences.
Angelo State was among the busiest of the area’s bigger universities, snagging Tyler Simpson of Blanket, Logan Glover of San Saba and Kason Phillips of Stephenville.
Photos may be purchased for $7 each by clicking on the small shopping cart emblem below the lower right corner of the gallery. The “BigCountryPreps.com” watermark will be removed from all purchased photos.
LUBBOCK — The Cooper boys basketball team took sole possession of first place in District 4-5A on Tuesday, defeating Lubbock Coronado 69-58 while taking advantage of Lubbock Monterey’s 59-55 win over Lubbock Cooper.
The Cougars had entered the night tied with Lubbock Cooper for first, but the Pirates’ loss to the Plainsmen gives the Coogs a one-game lead with three district games to play.
Cooper (15-5 overall, 6-1 in district) led Coronado by just a point (32-31) at halftime and by just three (49-46) after three quarters Tuesday, but a 20-12 run through the fourth quarter allowed coach Bryan Conover’s squad to pull away for its third straight win and ninth in its last 10 games.
Coming off back-to-back road losses to fall out of contention for the District 4-5A title, the Wylie girls basketball team found comfort in more friendly environs Tuesday, routing Lubbock High 67-18 in its final home game of the year.
After honoring their five seniors to kick off their Senior Night festivities, the Lady Bulldogs raced out to a 20-3 first-quarter lead and increased their advantage to 32-5 by halftime before cruising in the final two quarters to the blowout win.
The victory improved Wylie to 12-12 overall and 6-3 in league play, all but locking up the No. 2 playoff seed out of District 4-5A. The Lady Bulldogs will close out the regular season Friday at Cooper (10-15, 2-7), which is in the midst of a five-game losing streak, while third-place Lubbock Coronado (10-13, 5-4) closes things out at home against district champion and eighth-ranked Lubbock Cooper (22-3, 9-0).
Photos may be purchased for $7 each by clicking on the small shopping cart emblem below the lower right corner of the gallery. The “BigCountryPreps.com” watermark will be removed from all purchased photos.
ODESSA — Trailing Odessa High by four points with six seconds remaining Friday, it appeared the Abilene High boys basketball team was headed for its second consecutive loss and third in four games. But persistence, a creative coaching decision and a little good fortune paid dividends in an improbable 65-64 overtime win.
Down 64-60 in the extra period after the teams had closed regulation tied at 53, Abilene High (16-5 overall, 5-3 in District 2-6A) started the winning sequence by sending a baseball pass down the court for a quick layup to cut the deficit to two. Coach Justin Reese then had his team force an intentional delay of game call to reset its defense, and before the ensuing inbounds play, OHS called a timeout it didn’t have for a technical foul that sent Jalen McGee to the free-throw line with a chance to tie the game.
McGee, who finished with a game-high 24 points, only made one of two, but with the technical came possession, and Nathan Watts hit a buzzer-beating layup off a long pass to lift the Eagles to the win.
https://twitter.com/ahseaglehoops/status/1355343023698284551
Coming off back-to-back wins over Lubbock Monterey and Lubbock Coronado, the Wylie boys basketball team flirted with its first three-game winning streak of the season Friday at Bulldog Gym.
But leading District 4-5A co-leader Lubbock Cooper 49-48 with less than a minute remaining in a back-and-forth fourth quarter, the Bulldogs received one too many counter punches in a tough 52-49 loss.
Up by a point with about 40 seconds to play, It looked as though Wylie might pull off the upset when Colby Tanner stole a pass to force an apparent fouling situation for Cooper. But Pirates star Bryan Elliott stole the ball right back and turned the live-ball turnover into an uncontested layup for what proved to be the winning points.
After Elliott knocked down a pair of free throws for his 24th and 25th points with 5.2 seconds remaining in the game, Wylie had a chance to force overtime. But Dylan Jennings’ 3-pointer off a well designed and executed and inbounds play rimmed out, allowing Cooper to escape with the win.
Coming off a big road win over Lubbock Monterey last week, the Wylie boys basketball team had another strong performance Tuesday, beating Lubbock Coronado 56-50 at Bulldog Gym to improve to 3-2 in District 4-5A play.
The Bulldogs (7-9 overall) moved into a third-place tie with Monterey with the victory — just a game back of co-district leaders Cooper (13-5, 4-1) and Lubbock Cooper (10-6, 4-1).
With four guards capable of leading them in scoring on a given night, the Wylie Lady Bulldogs are blessed with a diverse offensive attack.
But that level of balance and unselfishness does come with one small downside. When it comes time to recognize those players for their accomplishments, it can be hard to differentiate between them and determine which is most deserving of being honored.
So this week, we abdicate that duty and honor all four — seniors Morgan Travis, Emma Melton and Makinlee Bacon and sophomore Caroline Steadman — as our Big Country Preps Player of the Week for the week ending Jan. 23.
Our All-Big Country Preps Volleyball team, released today, is in place to honor those who achieved the most on-court success in 2020. It is off the court, however, where character, grit and work ethic are often measured. And it is with our Big Country Preps Max Effort Team that we wish to honor those players who were the hardest-working, best teammates in the area this fall.
This team isn’t about who the best volleyball players were.
The Max Effort team honors hustle, discipline, toughness, coachability and selflessness — traits that coaches wish every player had.
Photos may be purchased for $7 each by clicking on the small shopping cart emblem below the lower right corner of the gallery. The “BigCountryPreps.com” watermark will be removed from all purchased photos.
LUBBOCK — Needing an upset win over District 4-5A co-leader Lubbock Monterey to avoid a 1-3 start to league play, the Wylie boys basketball team did exactly what it needed to Friday in a 53-42 win.
The Bulldogs, who were coming off a lopsided loss to crosstown rival Cooper, overcame a slow offensive start hand the Plainsmen (12-9, 3-1) their first district loss and stay within a game of Monterey, Cooper and Lubbock Cooper for the 4-5A lead.
With Lubbock Monterey’s zone defense taking away the paint Friday, the Wylie girls basketball team took to the skies and found success from long distance, knocking down 12 3-pointers in a 56-29 win at Bulldog Gym.
The Lady Bulldogs, who edged the Lady Plainsmen 48-45 on Jan. 5 in Lubbock, had no had no such trouble with Monterey the second go-round, outscoring the visitors 32-12 in the second half to turn a seven-point game at halftime into a blowout.
Five of Wylie’s seven scorers hit at least one 3, led by sophomore Caroline Steadman, who made four of her five triples in the second half to finish with a team-high 15 points.
Photos may be purchased for $7 each by clicking on the small shopping cart emblem below the lower right corner of the gallery. The “BigCountryPreps.com” watermark will be removed from all purchased photos.
Photos may be purchased for $7 each by clicking on the small shopping cart emblem below the lower right corner of the gallery. The “BigCountryPreps.com” watermark will be removed from all purchased photos.
Trailing Wylie 15-13 after a quarter on Tuesday, the Cooper boys basketball team outscored the Bulldogs 45-23 over the middle two periods to pull away for a 76-64 home win over its crosstown district rival.
The Cougars, who improved to 12-4 overall with the win, built a 37-30 lead by halftime before using a 21-8 run through the third quarter to push their lead to 20 by the start of the fourth.
Noah Garcia led the effort for the home team, dropping 26 points to keep his Cougars perfect in District 4-5A play at 3-0.
Fueled by an eight-point fourth quarter by Caroline Steadman and a solid defensive effort all around, the Wylie girls basketball team outscored Cooper 12-4 over the final eight minutes Tuesday to rally past the Lady Cougars 45-41 at Bulldog Gym.
Steadman, a sophomore guard, did all of her scoring during that stretch to help the Lady Bulldogs close out the first half of District 4-5A play at 10-10 overall and 4-1 in league action.
Cooper, which had trailed 23-20 at halftime, used a 17-11 run through the third quarter to take a 37-34 lead into the final period. But the Lady Bulldogs held the Lady Coogs to a single field goal in the fourth quarter to protect their home court against their crosstown rival.
The Cisco Loboes may have only played one game last week (beating Hamlin 76-41). But senior guard Layne Edgar made the most of it.
Scoring 39 points with a 5-of-9 tally from 3-point range, he narrowly missed a monstrous triple-double, finishing with nine rebounds and eight assists.
In his spare time, he collected six steals in a truly dominating performance worthy of our Big Country Preps Player of the Week award for the Week ending Jan. 16.
Most of us know a football player who lives in the weight room, who’s always dependable and who always does what his coaches ask him. He always puts the team first. He’s early to arrive and late to leave. And he seldom needs direction because he always pays attention.
You know the type. But you seldom hear about them, since there is no specific category to put them in and the media doesn’t recognize these qualities.
This is the guy who always sets a good example. He doesn’t complain and above all else, is tough mentally and physically. He’s not necessarily the best player on his team (though some are). But he’s definitely the guy who gets the most out of whatever talent he was born with.
Welcome to the 2020 “True Grit” team — the one place in the Big Country where guys who fall into this category are recognized for it.
Here are our superlative award winners for the 2020 All-Big Country Preps football team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.
Here are our first-team selections for the 2020 All-Big Country Preps football team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.