SPORTS
Jackrabbits beat Shallowater to advance to regional final
The Bowie Jackrabbits improbable playoff run continues with another series win against Shallowater clinched on Saturday in the regional semi-finals.
The Jackrabbits came back from losing game one 6-2 to win the final two games of the series 14-7 and 10-1 over a three-day period that also included graduation.
Bowie came into the series as underdogs. The Mustangs were 32-1-1 on their season with some polls placing them as high as 3rd in the state. They had not lost in more than two months and their mostly senior led team was looking forward to a rematch against Brock in the regional finals.
The first two games were played in Amarillo. Game one was played Thursday night.
Carson Sanders got the start on the mound against Shallowater’s ace pitcher. He found himself in trouble in the first inning as two singles and an error at shortstop allowed one run to score.
The Mustangs added to it with a two-out rally in the second inning. Four straight singles scored two runs to make the score 3-0. The Jackrabbits answered in the same inning as Logan Hutson hit a sacrifice fly ball to make it 3-1.
After a 1-2-3 inning from Bowie on defense, the team looked to make a move. The Jackrabbits loaded the bases up with no outs and were in position for a possible big inning that could take control of the game. Unfortunately, the next three batters struck out and Bowie failed to capitalize.
The team felt it in the fourth inning. The Mustangs added one more run on three singles, two of them coming with two outs to make the score 4-1.
In the fifth inning Shallowater’s leadoff got on base thanks to an error and the next batter drew a walk. After both moved into scoring position and with two outs, a single drove them both in to up the lead to 6-1.
Bowie got one of those runs back in the same inning. Jake Fallis drove in a run hitting into a fielder’s choice at second base to cut the lead to 6-2.
The Mustang bats threatened to score more in the final two innings. In both they were able to get two runners on base, but the Jackrabbit defense and relief pitcher Colton Richey held.
Bowie bats had no luck in a quick sixth inning, but did threaten in its final three outs in the seventh inning. Sanders hit a single and Kynan DeMoss drew a walk to put two runners on base with only one out. Later a wild pitch put them both into scoring position.
That would be where they would stay as an infield fly ball and a fly out to right field fell into Shallowater gloves for outs to end the game.
The Mustangs won 6-2.
Bowie had six hits and drew five walks in the game, but the lack of timely hitting and a flawless defensive game from Shallowater led to few runs.
The Jackrabbit defense had two fielding errors that contributed to runs, but the Mustangs also had 11 hits and three walks.
Sanders pitched 4.2 innings and gave up six runs (four earned) on 10 hits while striking out four. Richey pitched 2.1 innings and gave up no runs on one hit and two walks.
It was not the first time Bowie had found itself down after game one this playoff run. Coach Tyler Price said he talked to his team and they agreed that though they hadn’t played well, they had only lost by four runs.
The Jackrabbits had a quick turnaround time as game two started a 10 a.m. the next day on Friday so that they could get back for graduation later that night, win or lose.
Bowie led off the game and immediately took control. Two walks and an error in the first inning showed the Mustangs were not quite as sharp as they had been the previous night.
The Jackrabbits took advantage as Fallis drove in a run with a single. Richey would later hit a sacrifice fly to drive in another run to put them up 2-0.
Kawlyer Swearingin got the start on the mound for Bowie and Shallowater got one of those runs back on a groundout to make it 2-1.
The Jackrabbits loaded up the bases to start the second inning with no outs. Sanders drove one in with a sacrifice fly ball to extend the lead to 3-1.
Bowie’s big offensive inning came in the third. After Richey and Swearingin led off with a double and single, a change at pitcher came from the Mustangs. Later Brody Armstrong drove in one run with a ground out for out two.
The Jackrabbits did a lot before getting their third out. Cade Thompson, DeMoss and Fallis all drove in one run each with singles. Devin Melton followed with a double that drove in two more runs to up the lead to 9-1 before out three came.
The Mustangs were not just going to lay down. A double drove in one run to make it 9-2 and put two runners in scoring position with two outs, but Swearingin limited the damage to one run.
The fourth inning was the first one the Bowie bats failed to score despite getting one hit. Shallowater continued to chip away at the lead, loading the bases with a single, a hit batter and a drawn walk with one out. A single followed that drove in two runs to cut the lead to 9-4.
The Jackrabbit defense then came through with an inning ending double play to get out of the fourth.
Any momentum the Mustangs got from the previous inning went away in the fifth. The Bowie bats came alive again.
Fallis drove in a run with a double. Later with two outs and after a hit batter, Swearingin’s fly ball to right field induced an error that scored two runs. After he stole second base, Swearingin was driven in by next batter Hutson on a single to make the score 13-4.
After a scoreless inning from Shallowater, Bowie added one more to its lead in the sixth inning. Sanders hit a one out triple and was later driven in by DeMoss on a sacrifice fly to extend the lead to 14-4.
The Jackrabbits were three outs away from winning the game via run-rule, but the Mustangs were not going to go down without a fight.
Two straight fielding errors, one in the outfield and one in the infield, started the bottom of the sixth that allowed one Shallowater run.
A walk and two outs later, a single drove in two more runs to cut the lead to 14-7 before out three led to the final inning.
The Jackrabbits had no luck adding to their lead despite getting two runners on base with one out. A leadoff single and later a single with two outs that put runners at the corners for Shallowater was all the Mustangs could manage. In the end, Bowie sealed up the win 14-7 to force a game three.
DeMoss, Fallis and Melton led the team with two RBIs each. The Jackrabbits wracked up 15 hits and drew five walks while taking advantage of five fielding errors from the usually sharp Mustangs.
Swearingin pitched six innings and allowed seven runs (three earned) on 10 hits and three walks while striking out three batters. DeMoss came in to pitch the final inning and gave up no runs on one hit while striking out one.
To read the full story about what happened in game three, pick up a copy of the mid-week edition of the Bowie News.
Prairie Valley
The Prairie Valley Bulldogs had a good final non-district warm-up on Friday at home against Ector.
The Eagles beat the Bulldogs 69-63 in a game where Prairie Valley was trying to play catch up all the way through.
The Bulldogs were coming off a tough tournament at Electra the previous week to try and knock the holiday rust off. Prairie Valley was familiar with Ector, having played the team to start its season back in early November and was hoping to compete better than it did in that first game.
The Eagles came out firing, splashing five 3-pointers, including several deep ones, to go out to a 21-8 lead in the first quarter. Even with the Bulldogs changing out of their preferred zone defense, the 3-pointers continued a bit and opened things up inside the arc.
Thankfully, Prairie Valley’s offense came alive in the second quarter, scoring 18 points and cutting the lead down to 38-26 at halftime.
The third quarter was more of the same, though a different player for Ector started to get hot from beyond the arc. Even as the Bulldogs were able to keep up their offensive production from the second quarter, they could not break through and cut the game to single-digits, trailing 54-42 heading into the final period.
The fourth quarter saw Prairie Valley break through to cut it the lead to single-digits, but just not close enough. Every time the Bulldogs were on the cusp of making it a one or two basket game, the Eagles would make a shot to keep that distance.
In the end, the final score was the closest Prairie Valley got as Ector won 69-63.
Nocona
The Nocona Indians bounced back with a competitive district win at Petrolia on Friday.
The Indians won 60-53 against the Pirates in a game where the middle quarters took drastic swings in momentum.
Nocona was coming off its first district loss against Windthorst as the team sat a 1-1 district record.
Petrolia came into the game at 0-1, but had a bit more time to prepare for the game.
The first quarter was competitive, but the Indians were able to get to the free throw line at will and led 16-11.
Then Nocona’s pressure defense turned up its intensity in the second quarter.
“Our pressure seemed to disrupt them and we were able to get out in transition after forcing turnovers,” Coach Brody Wilson said.
Nocona scored 25 points and led 41-25 at halftime.
Unfortunately, that intensity did not keep up at the start of the third quarter for Nocona.
The Indians took their foot off the gas a little bit which allowed Petrolia’s offense to get back into the game and make up some of the deficit.
The Pirates outscored Nocona 15-7 and trailed only 48-40 heading into the final period.
Thankfully, the Indians bounced back and competed a bit better in the fourth quarter. Nocona was able to keep offensive pace to keep Petrolia at a bit of a distance instead of making it a one score game.
The Indians held on to win 60-53.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekly Bowie News.
For more pictures from the Prairie Valley game, click here https://www.dotphoto.com/go.asp?l=bnews1&AID=6871971&T=1
Saint Jo vs Prairie Valley
The Saint Jo Lady Panthers opened up district play on Friday at Prairie Valley in their bid to repeat as district champs.
The Lady Panthers got off on the right start, beating an undermanned Lady Bulldogs team 60-6.
Saint Jo came into the game confident after a good run at the Caprock Classic tournament in Lubbock after the holiday break. With four starters back from last year’s team that went 11-1 on its way to a district title, nothing has deterred the Lady Panthers from being favorites to repeat this season.
For Prairie Valley, there was worry it might not have enough players to field a team following a successful volleyball season. Thankfully, the Lady Bulldogs have fielded seven players most of this season, but it has been tough during their pre-district schedule.
Prairie Valley was coming into the game off a win in its previous game against Christ Academy, but that was all the way back on Dec. 20 before the holidays.
Saint Jo came out in its full-court press and harassed the Lady Bulldogs from the jump. Every time Prairie Valley advanced the ball past halfcourt and got a shot up was a win with how voracious the Lady Panthers defense was.
It fed directly into Saint Jo’s offense, with the Lady Panthers trying quick hitting drives or post ups near the rim or jacking up 3-point shots.
The first quarter was the most competitive of the game with Saint Jo up 16-4. Even as Saint Jo eventually pulled its press defense back to halfcourt and eventually no press defense, the team is used to playing one way which is hard and physical on defense which leads to turnovers and pushing the ball in transition.
That wore on the Prairie Valley team as the game went on as few players got any rest besides during timeouts and quarter breaks.
That put an end to the Lady Bulldogs scoring after making two free throws in the second quarter. Even as Saint Jo emptied its bench, Prairie Valley players were just trying to survive by the end of the game.
The Lady Panthers won 60-6.
Nocona
The Nocona Lady Indians won another district game on Friday in blowout fashion against Petrolia.
The Lady Indians scored a season high, breaking the century mark as they won 104-26 against the Lady Pirates.
Nocona came into the game confident, having last lost a district game back in 2019 and having won its first four district games by an average of 53 points. This game proved to be the most one-sided so far.
The Lady Indians scored 33 points in both the first and second quarters. The second half saw Nocona cool down only to scoring 20 and 18 points in the third and fourth quarters.
Few teams could have kept up, let alone Petrolia as the Lady Indians won 104-26.
Bellevue
The Bellevue Lady Eagles started district on a good note with a win at Midway on Friday.
The Lady Eagles won 68-40 against the Lady Falcons thanks to a strong first quarter.
Bellevue comes into district play hoping to improve on last year’s fourth place finish. While a few expected starters are out, the team has had a full pre-district schedule playing with a stable lineup to get ready for it as well as getting used to new Coach Celsey Hoffman.
The first quarter saw the Lady Eagles come out swinging offensively. Mostly just from attacking the basket and using a team first approach, Bellevue put up 29 points in the first quarter, with seven different players contributing.
The Lady Eagles led 29-12.
Playing with a huge lead allowed Bellevue to survive some of the eventual lulls that came as few high school teams can continually score at a pace like that. Midway actually outscored the Lady Eagles in the second quarter, but only by one point as Bellevue led 42-26 at halftime.
The third quarter saw the Lady Eagles play their most complete stretch of the game, limiting the Lady Falcons to only five points while scoring 17 points to extend their lead.
The fourth quarter was low-scoring and even as Bellevue won 68-40.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekly edition of the Bowie News.
For more pictures from the Saint Jo versus Prairie Valley game, click here https://www.dotphoto.com/go.asp?l=bnews1&AID=6871972&T=1
Bowie boys
The Bowie Jackrabbits can’t catch a break in district as they lost another close game, this time at Holliday on Friday.
The Eagles won 59-57 in overtime against the Jackrabbits as Bowie made a second half push that gave it a chance.
The Jackrabbits were coming into the game 0-2 in district, losing earlier in the week to City View by three points and to Jacksboro before the holiday break by two points.
The first half saw Bowie’s offense struggle, scoring six points in the first quarter and eight in the second quarter. Holliday scored in the double-digits in both quarters led 27-14 at halftime as the team looked in control of the game.
The Jackrabbits came alive offensively in the second half. Bowie scored 18 points in the third quarter, with six different players scoring and the team making three 3-pointers after only making one in the first half.
While defensively the Jackrabbits did not shut down the Eagles, the team cut the lead to single-digits, trailing 39-32 heading into the fourth quarter.
From there, Bowie grinded away at the lead, with Rayder Mann and Bradly Horton combining to score 15 of the team’s 17 points in the quarter.
It was just enough to tie the score up at the end of regulation 49-49 and send the game into overtime.
In the extra period, the Jackrabbits scored at a good pace in the shortened time, with three players scoring eight points. Unfortunately, Holliday saw Jayden Whitley, who had scored only six points during regulation, explode to score nine of his team’s 10 points during overtime.
It was just enough to give the Eagles the win 59-57.
Bowie girls
The Bowie Lady Rabbits lost a low-scoring, closely contested game at Holliday on Friday.
The Eagles won the game by one basket 31-28 in a game where every point mattered in the defensive struggle.
Bowie came into the game following its first district loss of the season against City View in which the team had struggled to score and lost by 11 points against the Lady Mustangs. Before that the Lady Rabbits had picked up solid wins against Iowa Park and Jacksboro.
Bowie did not start the game great on a good note. The Lady Rabbits continued to struggle to score, making only one basket in the first quarter. Thankfully, the defense had not allowed Holliday to run away with it as Bowie trailed 10-2.
The Lady Rabbits offense found some things that worked in the second quarter, with four different players scoring two points as they scored 10 points. Bowie trailed only 18-12 at halftime.
Neither team were able to find offensive answers in the third quarter. The Lady Rabbits again only scored on one made basket. Thankfully, their defense did not allow Holliday to grow its lead much. The Lady Eagles outscored Bowie only 6-3 as the score was 24-15 heading into the fourth quarter.
The Lady Rabbits easily had their best offensive quarter of the game, nearly outscoring their three quarter total with 13 points from four players scoring.
Bowie got some luck from Holliday not shooting well from the free throw line in the fourth quarter. The Lady Eagles went 3-12 from the free throw line which allowed the Lady Rabbits a chance.
Unfortunately, those three free throw makes proved to be all the difference as Holliday held on to win 31-28.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekly edition of the Bowie News.
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