The Nocona Lady Indians opened their season Tuesday with a comfortable win against former district opponent City View.
The Lady Indians won 54-39 against the Lady Mustangs as they begin another season with sky-high expectations, ranked sixth overall in the state in the preseason Texas Association of Basketball Coaches poll.
The first quarter was competitive with Nocona leading only 13-11, but some defensive adjustments allowed the Lady Indians to pull away as the game went on.
Despite it being the first game of the season, Coach Kyle Spitzer thought the offense shot the ball well and the team moved the ball how he likes it to be.
Nocona was led by its two returning starters Megyn Meekins and Skyler Smith. Meekins scored 23 points and Smith finished with 20 points. One of the few returning varsity players and seniors Sydnee Mowry was third with five points. Reagan Phipps is the only other player who returns with varsity experience.
Last year’s senior heavy team showed the program could continue to flourish post-Averee Kleinhans. Even with those important players now graduated, the two young ball handlers and offensive creators for last year’s team were Smith and Meekins despite both being underclassmen. They are part of the reason this team’s expectations are still sky high.
The other of course is the Lady Indians dropping down from 3A to 2A. Nocona has won four straight district titles in a tough 3A district, but had not been able to advance past Brock or Peaster in the regional quarterfinals during those seasons.
The new district does not seem to be a cakewalk. Windthorst is ranked 15th in the preseason state polls. That along with the unfamiliarity and youth could surprise the team if they do not come to play every game.
Spitzer has led the previous four seasons as the team won district titles. Last year proved his up-tempo offensive system could adapt. He also has been around long enough to build a culture in the program that is used to winning and hopes to breakthrough in the playoffs now that Peaster and Brock aren’t there.
He already saw in the fall how one of his successful teams benefitted from the move down. The cross country team he also coaches has qualified for regionals every year as well, but this year in 2A the team was able to breakthrough and qualify for the state meet.
Whether the team is be able to will come down to its new faces who are mostly young. Avery Thompson is a senior, but Avery Crutsinger, Aubree Kleinhans and Jolie Rose are all underclassmen.
The good news is all of them were involved at the varsity level and contributors to the volleyball and cross country teams that competed on big stages in the playoffs and at the state meet, so they should be used to dealing with high expectations despite their youth.

To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekend edition of the Bowie News.