SPORTS
Bowie wins at Nocona 39-32
The Bowie Jackrabbits came out on top in their matchup at rival Nocona on Friday.
The Jackrabbits won 39-32 in a low-scoring, grind-it-out game where neither team ever felt safe until the buzzer sounded.
Both teams were coming off of stinging district losses against City View and were looking to get back on track.
Right from the beginning the physical nature of the game was apparent. Drives to the rim were met with big bodies. Players were not easily awarded free throws by just throwing up a shot in the lane while getting contested.
Both teams were playing jersey-to-jersey type of tight man-to-man defense, with Bowie playing full-court though only to provide a bit of pressure and not to force turnovers.
Neither team had much success offensively in the first quarter. The Indians had trouble shaking loose on the perimeter for shots and had trouble penetrating cleanly into the lane. The only points came on a couple of free throw attempts senior Landry McCasland earned with grit.
Bowie had more chances, but no one was hitting their few open shots. Cade Thompson made the only two field goals in the quarter, including a 3-pointer.
In a score that would not seem out of place in a junior high game, the Jackrabbits led 6-2 after the first quarter.
Things picked up a bit for both sides in the second quarter. Nocona kept trying to drive into the lane and drew three trips to the free throw line. Unfortunately for the Indians, they only made 50% of their attempts, a disturbing trend that did not get better as the game went on.
The Jackrabbits kept their narrow lead throughout the quarter with timely shot making and got a big boost from Brody Armstrong off the bench. He made two 3-pointers in the quarter to keep them in the lead when no one else for Bowie was making their open 3-pointers.
The Jackrabbits lead was only one-score 16-13 heading into halftime, but neither team felt great about their offenses heading into the locker room.
The third quarter was another low scoring effort from both sides. McCasland knocked in Nocona’s only 3-pointer of the game during this time, but missed free throws continued to cost the team since field goals were so rare.
For Bowie, Armstrong scored two more baskets off the bench to lead the team since free throw attempts were tough to come by for the Jackrabbits in the first half of the game.
Nocona took its first lead midway through the quarter 18-16, but Bowie came back in the back half to take back the lead 22-20 heading into the fourth quarter.
It was the highest scoring quarter of the game for teams as the game wound down. Every time it looked like the Jackrabbits were going to comfortably pull away, the Indians would cut the lead back to one basket.
Nocona got a boost from Ryder Oswald who scored all six of his points during this period. Fellow post player Sam Davis scored two baskets and five of his 12 points in the fourth quarter as well to help the Indians try to catch Bowie.
The Jackrabbits kept their lead two baskets away in the final two minutes. Thompson led the team with seven points in the quarter including a couple of steals off of inbound passes late in the game.
Up 35-30 in the final minute, a missed free throw from Bowie was batted by Jackrabbit post player Riley Blackburn back outside to a teammate.
After a couple of passes, Armstrong hit his third 3-pointer of the game, the last of his game high 15 points for the final dagger.
Up 38-30 with 26 seconds left, it was too much for Nocona to overcome and not enough time. The Indians scored one more basket and Bowie a free throw before the final buzzer as the Jackrabbits won 39-32.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the mid-week edition of the Bowie News.
It was announced last week Nocona Athletic director/football coach Blake Crutsinger is resigning from his position at the school after serving four years.
Crutsinger said now is the time for his family to make the move, with his daughter Avery graduating after spending four years at Nocona and with his son Kellar about to enter high school and wanting the same for him at another school.
“With her going off to college, she had a really good four years here and just looking at Keller heading into high school and exploring some opportunities that might be better for him, it is just time,” Crutsinger said.
Crutsinger went 19-22 overall, helping the Indians to two playoff appearances in 2022 and 2023. The team’s best season was 2023, when it went 8-2 and won the district title, the first one in 11 years for the program.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekly edition of the Bowie News.
Saint Jo senior Payzlie Cervantes signed her letter of intent to play college basketball last week at Highland College in Kansas. She also played volleyball, softball and ran track at Saint Jo. “After talking with Coach Tana Coleman, I really connected with her and loved the campus vibe and direction she wants for the team,” Cervantes said. “I’m looking forward to continuing my basketball career while getting my associates degree in nursing to become a registered nurse.”
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekly edition of the Bowie News.
Last week Montague County had five girls from Bowie and Saint Jo compete at the state tennis tournament, and one team brought back some hardware.
Sisters from Bowie, junior Heidi and freshman Willow Siebert brought back a bronze medal competing in the 3A girl’s doubles bracket.
The pair were the first people from the program to make it back to state since their half sisters, Meagan and Myah Russell, advanced nine years previously.
The Sieberts came into state as a two-seed, having finished second at the regional tournament the previous week.
The duo was ready as they blew through their first two matches. They beat a team from Hondo in the first round with the scores being 6-1, 6-1 and dominated even more in the second round against a team from Tatum, winning 6-0, 6-1.
That got them through to the second day of the tournament, but Coach Dayna Boothe was worried they had had it too easy on day one.
Playing in the semifinals, the Lady Rabbits faced a familiar foe, a team from Peaster they had beaten in the regional tournament the previous week. Unfortunately, near the end of the first set, with the Sieberts fighting to stay alive, Heidi went after a high lob and slammed into the fence. She hurt her right arm and had to play through it for the rest of the match.
They lost the match with the scores being 6-3, 6-3.
It was an all Peaster final, with the other side of the bracket producing the team that both beat the Sieberts at the regional tournament and won their second straight state title.
Still, despite the disappointment, Bowie is bringing back a bronze medal. According to Boothe, after contacting people who would know dating back to the late 1970s, it could possibly be the program’s first medals from the state tournament in tennis.
Of course, Bowie was not the only school represented. Saint Jo had Taylor Patrick competing in girl’s singles and the team of Bailie Nobile and Maxey Johnson competing in girl’s doubles in the 1A classification.
Senior Patrick was making her third appearance at the state tournament, but her first in the singles competition.
She finished third at the regional meet which meant she had a tough first round matchup against a second seed from Fort Davis.
It took everything from Patrick in a match that lasted two and a half hours. She went down in the first set 6-2, but rebounded in a tight second set to win 6-4 to force a third and final set. She had the momentum and won 6-2 to move on.
She had to summon the energy to play later that day against a fresh one-seed player from Utopia. Patrick lost 6-1, 6-1 to end her Saint Jo career. Her opponent would go on to finish second.
Juniors Johnson and Nobile were making their first appearances at the state meet after finishing second at the regional tournament. In the first round they played a tough match against a team from Marathon. It seemed evenly matched throughout, but small mistakes at inopportune times cost them throughout the match. In the end, the team lost by the scores of 6-3, 6-3.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekly edition of the Bowie News.
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