Prairie Valley vs Forestburg vs Gold-Burg boys
The Prairie Valley boy’s won their games on Friday and Saturday against Forestburg and Gold-Burg.
The Bulldogs beat the Longhorns 67-42 while beating the Bears 57-41 a day later.
Prairie Valley jumped out to a 28-4 lead early in the game against Forestburg. With some foul troubles preventing the Bulldogs from pressing like they wanted to, the Longhorns were able to get back into the game a bit.
Still, Prairie Valley did not let Forestburg get close as the Bulldogs still won by a comfortable margin.
Tyler Winkler led Prairie Valley with 29 points. Isaac Yeargin was second with 15 points and Eli Croxton was right behind with 14 points.
Coach Seth Stephens thought his team played well early on, but not nearly as well once the gas was taken off the pedal.
The Longhorns were led by Braxton Osteen, who scored 13 points. Dylan Ronken was right behind him with 12 points. Coach Eldon Van Hoosen thought the team played better after the disastrous first quarter.
Saturday’s game against Gold-Burg was a make-up game from earlier. It was a similar game for Prairie Valley as the Bulldogs jumped out to a big lead in the first half, leading 31-12.
Foul issues for the Bulldogs and better play from the Bears saw Gold-Burg get back into the game, but just not enough to threaten a comeback.
Winkler again led Prairie Valley with 28 points. Yeargin picked up a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Konner Ritchie led the team with 12 rebounds and five assists to go with eight points.
Stephens still thinks his team has another level to go in execution, though their effort is at an all-time high.
Prairie Valley is scheduled to pull another doubleheader this week, playing at 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 28 against Saint Jo before playing at Slidell the next day.
The Longhorns are next scheduled to play at 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 29 at Midway. Gold-Burg is next scheduled to play at 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 29 at Bellevue.

Prairie Valley vs Forestburg vs Gold-Burg girls
The Prairie Valley Lady Bulldogs won games against Forestburg and Gold-Burg on Friday and Saturday.
The Lady Bulldogs beat the Lady Horns 44-32 and the Lady Bears 65-45.
Prairie Valley had to work overtime to try and contain Forestburg’s big post play while moving the ball around to get open shots.
Molly Gilleland led the team with 14 points. Emily Carpenter and Hailey Winkler each added 10 points and seven rebounds.
Prairie Valley Coach Jeannie Carpenter thought her team did a good job of defending the post and playing physical.
Against Gold-Burg, the Lady Bulldogs came out and on fire from downtown, making 15 3-pointers in the game. Against an undermanned Lady Bears squad, that was just too much to try and keep up with.
Winkler led Prairie Valley with 16 points. Gilleland and Carmen Gomez scored 14 points each and Carpenter scored 12 points. Randi Gilleland led the team with 14 rebounds and Gomez had nine assists.
Nursing some injuries from the day’s previous game, Carpenter knew her team would need to play well.
“We knew this Gold-Burg team had height and could shoot the ball so we focused on defending their shooters and rebounding,” Carpenter said.
Kelly Contreras led the Lady Bears with 21 points while Taylor Lyons was second with six points.
Gold-Burg Coach Cheryl Cromleigh lamented missing one of her players and having more bodies to press like she would have wanted too.
Prairie Valley is scheduled to pull another doubleheader this week, playing at 6 p.m. on Jan. 28 against Saint Jo before playing at Slidell the next day.
The Lady Horns are next scheduled to play at 6 p.m. on Jan. 29 at Midway. Gold-Burg is next scheduled to play at 6 p.m. on Jan. 29 at Bellevue.

Saint Jo boys
The Saint Jo Panthers picked up a crucial win at Midway on Friday in a close game that went down to the wire.
The Panthers came out on top 46-43 against the Falcons in a game that could have playoff seeding implications.
The game was back-and-forth throughout. Neither team ever seemed to establish a lead by more than one or two baskets until the end.
Thankfully, it was Saint Jo that made the final basket. Kile Thurman made a 3-pointer with a little more than a minute in the game to put the Panthers up. After that it was the Panthers defense that came through, with three crucial stops to secure the win.
Despite dealing with foul trouble, senior Cade Stevens led the team with 15 points to go with six rebounds and five steals. Several of his points came at a crucial time in the second half.
Coach Lyndon Cook praised Logan Brawner’s defense against Midway’s top scorer, making him work for all 26 of his points while holding him scoreless in the fourth quarter.
The win gives Saint Jo two wins against the Falcons, a team that was ranked among the state’s top 25 when district started.
“Getting the season sweep over a team of that quality speaks volumes about the mental toughness and tenacity of this group of guys and I’m excited to see how we handle the rest of the district schedule with only 6 games left and us sitting at 5-1,” Cook said.
Saint Jo is next scheduled to play at 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 28 at Prairie Valley.