Prairie Valley vs Bellevue boys
The Prairie Valley Bulldogs hosted the Bellevue Eagles on Friday to kick off district play for both teams.
It was a close game down the stretch for two teams with playoff aspirations, but in the end it was the Eagles who made more plays at the end of the game to win 51-47.
It was a defensive struggle in the first half as neither team could make many shots. The Bulldogs trailed 19-14 at halftime.
Both teams got things going in the second half. Prairie Valley’s leading scorer Nicholas Bell scored 14 of his team high 20 points in the third quarter to give the Bulldogs a one-point lead heading into the final quarter.
Down the stretch, the Eagles were able to make their way to the free throw line, where they shot a good percentage missing only one. It was enough as Bellevue won 51-47.
Besides his 20 points, Bell almost finished with a triple-double as he led Prairie Valley with nine rebounds and steals. Tyler Reid joined him in double-figures scoring 10 points.
The Bulldogs Coach Seth Stephens liked his teams fight, but felt his team just did not shoot well enough to win.
Prairie Valley next hosts Forestburg at 7 p.m. on Jan. 10. Bellevue next plays at Midway at 7 p.m. on Jan. 14.

Prairie Valley vs Bellevue girls
The Prairie Valley Lady Bulldogs had a tough task on Friday hosting Bellevue in the second district game of the season.
The Lady Eagles full-court pressure proved too much for the inexperienced Lady Bulldogs as Bellevue won big 74-27.
It was a competitive first quarter with Prairie Valley trailing by only two points. Unfortunately for the Lady Bulldogs, the press and physical nature got to them and allowed the game to become a blowout.
With only two starters on the court for the majority of the game thanks to recent injuries and illness, Prairie Valley Coach Jeannie Carpenter knew she would have to play short handed against one of the top teams in the district.
The Lady Eagles feel like they have unfinished business after last year taking perennial district champion Slidell to the brink last year before eventually losing.
While many players from that team graduated, there are enough returners that the pursuit is still in this teams grasp.
Prairie Valley next hosts Forestburg at 6 p.m. on Jan. 10. Bellevue has a non-district game scheduled next as it travels to Vernon to play at 4:30 p.m. on Jan. 10.

Gold-Burg boys
The Gold-Burg Bears hosted Midway on Friday in the team’s opening district game following the winter break.
The size of the Falcons played a major role in Midway’s 64-34 win against the young Bears.
The first half was a little slow for Gold-Burg though the team did do a good job of getting to the free throw line and making many of its free throws.
Unfortunately, the Bears just could not keep up with the scoring pace of the Falcons, who led 30-14 at halftime.
Things continued in the third quarter as Midway scored 22 points to extend its lead to 52-21.
Gold-Burg finished strong scoring 13 points in the final quarter, but it was not enough as the Falcons won 64-34.
The Bears hope the holiday rust is off.
The young Gold-Burg team hopes some of the rust from the holiday breaks is off after this game as it looks to host an athletic Saint Jo team next at 7 p.m. on Jan. 10.

Gold-Burg girls
The Gold-Burg Lady Bears hoped to get their first district win following the holiday break as they hosted Midway on Friday.
The Lady Eagles rode a huge second quarter all the way to a 77-33 win, though the Lady Bears showed improvement.
While the first quarter proved tough for Gold-Burg to score, it was the fast paced second quarter that saw Midway score 36 points that put the game out of reach for the young Lady Bears.
From there Gold-Burg tried to make the most of the game as there were still positives to take away.
The Lady Bears did their best to finish the game as down the stretch the team only had four players left to play with.
Taylor Lyons scored 19 points to lead the team. Coach Carylynn Murguia tried to focus on the positives she saw from her team.
Gold-Burg next plays Saint Jo at 6 p.m. at home on Jan. 10.