SPORTS
Bowie boys face toughest stretch at Whataburger tournament
The Bowie Jackrabbits came back from the Christmas break with a brutal four game stretch at the Whataburger tournament on Friday and Saturday.
The Jackrabbits went 1-3 overall with all but one opponent coming from a bigger classification than Bowie.
The Jackrabbits had to knock off the rust fast as they got a rematch against 4A Burkburnett to start off the tournament. The athletic and full-court pressing Bulldogs like to push the pace and the teams combined to score 178 points in the team’s first game two weeks before, a game Burkburnett won.
While Friday’s game did not reach the first game’s high score total, it was still a high scoring game. A lull in the second quarter from the Jackrabbits proved devastating as the Bulldogs offense proved too much, winning 88-67.
It took everything Bowie had in the first game to keep the score as close as it was against the high energy from Burkburnett. Unfortunately, the Jackrabbits eight man roster had one more game to play that day against an even better team.
State ranked and 4A power Argyle was coming off its first loss of the season and took out its frustration on Bowie.
The tall, rangy and aggressive team hit the Jackrabbits before they could see it coming.
Bowie could not keep the Eagles off the glass or from scoring as the lead grew and grew throughout the game, eventually winning 84-38. Along with a couple of players getting banged up before the game was over, the Jackrabbits just barely survived what Coach Jonathon Horton said had been the toughest day of the season.
Bowie came in Saturday and got its rematch with 3A Ponder. The Lions had beaten the Jackrabbits 57-47 in Ponder back on Dec. 17. After a rough first day the Bowie team needed some positivity and it manufactured it in the way it played the Lions.
The Jackrabbits started the game on a great note on offense and defense and led 20-11 at halftime. Ponder showed some heart and came back to take the lead heading into the fourth quarter up 30-27.
Bowie finished the game strong on a 20-5 run to win by double-digits 47-35 to pick up its first win of the tournament against a team that it had lost to recently.
The win allowed the Jackrabbits to play private school Liberty Christian for fifth place in the consolation bracket. The Warriors definitely had the height advantage coming into the game, but that had been true for Bowie most of the tournament.
From the opening tip it was back and fourth. Both teams shot the ball pretty well, with the Jackrabbits making half of their three-pointers to keep pace with the more efficient shooting of Liberty Christian.
Bowie’s one point lead at halftime went away as the Warriors took a 39-35 lead into the fourth quarter. It was close enough to go either way, but Liberty Christian held on to win 52-49.
With a district race that looks to be more wide open than ever this year, playing against all of these teams that are better than anyone they will see in district hopefully has prepared the team well. At the least, no one in district should intimidate them.
“I think the kids are learning not to judge our opponents by their appearance or records,” Horton said.
With four games to go until then, the opponents will stay tough. Bowie next plays at Celina at 12:45 p.m. on Jan. 3.
Whataburger Holiday.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the mid-week edition of the Bowie News.
The Bowie sports banquets was on Monday night. Olivia Gill and Tucker Jones were named Jackrabbit and Lady Rabbit of the year. Pick up the mid-week paper for all of the sports team awards and pictures.
The 72nd Chisholm Trail Rodeo was a big success on Friday and Saturday nights at Nocona.
The rodeo had big crowds and saw some good competition from both local and far reaching talent.
Winners in the events included Zach Hibler in bareback riding, Lindsey Muggli in barrel racing, Ashley Goforth in breakaway roping, Leanardo Lima in bull riding, Cody McCartney in calf roping, Thomas Moellering in ranch bronc riding, Wacey Hathcock in saddle bronc riding, Renato Finazzi in steer wrestling, Rowdy Jones and Rance Doyal in team roping.
To see full results and more pictures, pick up a copy of the mid-week edition of the Bowie News.
The regional tennis tournaments were late last week in North Richland Hills and a doubles team is moving on to state.
The Saint Jo girl’s doubles team Kyler Dunn and Taylor Patrick won the 1A region III tournament and will return to state for the second straight year.
The pair rolled through teams from Morgan, Dodd City, Priddy before beating a Graford team in the finals. The pair did not lose a set and only lost five of the 53 games it played, never losing more than one in a set.
The team made it to state last year after finishing second at regionals and won a match at the state meet against a team from Vernon Northside. They then lost to the eventual state champion team from Utopia and finished tied for third place.
They will be the only tennis players from Montague County playing at state this week as others did not have as successful regional tournament.
The Saint Jo teammates and fellow girl’s doubles team Bailie Nobile and Maxey Johnson won their first match against Ector 6-1, 6-4, but fell in their next match against Lometa, 6-1, 6-1.
From Prairie Valley, Case Carpenter was competing in boy’s singles. His first match was a draining two and half hour battle against a player from Strawn Carpenter came through in the three-set battle, winning 6-4, 5-7, 6-4.
Unfortunately, the magic was not there in the second game. Paired against the eventual tournament champion from Gustine, Carpenter lost 6-0, 6-1.
From Gold-Burg, Alyson Rojas and Jimena Garcia competed in girl’s singles. Rojas won her first match against a girl from Avinger 7-6, 6-2. Unfortunately, the next match she lost to a girl from Graford 6-0, 6-0 to end her tournament.
Garcia lost a tough first match against a player from Ector. Both sets could have gone either way with the scores being 6-4, 7-5 to the winner.
The mixed doubles team from Forestburg, Jesse Wadsworth and Alli Cisneros, also did not make it through.
From Nocona, Kaygan Stone was playing in the girl’s singles 2A region II tournament.
Unfortunately, she got paired against the player who would go on to win the tournament in the first round to end her season.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the mid-week edition of the Bowie News.
-
NEWS1 year ago2 hurt, 1 jailed after shooting incident north of Nocona
-
NEWS6 months agoSuspect indicted, jailed in Tia Hutson murder
-
NEWS1 year agoSO investigating possible murder/suicide
-
NEWS1 year agoWreck takes the life of BHS teen, 16
-
NEWS10 months agoMurder unsolved – 1 year later Tia Hutson’s family angry, frustrated with no arrest
-
NEWS1 year ago
Sheriff’s office called out to infant’s death
-
NEWS1 year agoBowie Police face three-hour standoff after possible domestic fight
-
NEWS1 year ago
Driver stopped by a man running into the street, robbed at knifepoint