SPORTS
Bowie basketball teams win at Vernon
Both Bowie basketball teams made the first travel to new district opponent Vernon on Friday night.
The Lady Rabbits came away with a close win 33-32 while the Jackrabbits won a bit more comfortably 56-45.
For the Bowie girl’s team, the game was the end of the first round of district play. A win would secure the Lady Rabbits with a sole position of second place in the district after winning all four of their previous district games after dropping their opener to leader Holliday.
The Lady Lions came into the game with only one district win so it was expected Bowie would walk over them. Vernon did not make it easy.
It was a back and forth, low-scoring game that never allowed the Lady Rabbits to get comfortable. Bowie led 11-7 after the first quarter, but the lead was cut to one 19-18 at halftime.
Neither team scored in the double-figures in either of the second half quarters. The Lady Lions took a one-point 26-25 lead into the fourth quarter.
Every basket and point mattered down the stretch as Bowie leaned on its most experienced starting five players to score points. Down one point with 20 seconds left, Neely Price went to the free throw line and made both clutch free throws to put the Lady Rabbits up 33-32. Bowie was able to hold on the final seconds to escape with the win.
The Jackrabbits was coming into the game in a different light. They had just lost their first district game the game before against City View and did not shoot the ball well. Vernon was coming into the game with only one district loss against City View as well the previous week and the team was coming off a bye.
The Lions came in athletic all over and was looking to employ their full-court pressure man defense to try and cause havoc. It was a good thing Bowie has played several similar teams that like to play like that and the team dabbles with the style itself since the team lacks elite height.
The first half saw the Jackrabbits take a small lead into halftime 24-20, with Coach Andy Atkins main point of criticism being on the defensive glass.
“One thing we struggled with in the first half was giving up offensive rebounds,” Atkins said. “The boys refocused themselves to not let that happen in the second half. In the third quarter we were able to limit them to only one shot and we were able to knock down shots. We got up by 22 at one point in the second half before Vernon made a few three’s late in the game.”
Despite a let down in the fourth quarter where the Lions outscored Bowie 16-9, the Jackrabbits still won by double-digits 56-45.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the mid-week edition of the Bowie News.
Bowie had six players play in the Maskat Shrine Oil Bowl football all-star game. For pictures from not just the football game, but the basketball and volleyball games as well that feature athletes from Bowie, Nocona and Saint Jo, click here https://www.dotphoto.com/go.asp?l=bnews1&AID=6875584&T=1
Nocona is welcoming back Coach Sandy Langford, former coach and alumnus for the Lady Indians, as its new volleyball head coach.
Langford comes back to Nocona after spending the past 11 years leading the Glen Rose volleyball program.
Her circumstances with her family allowed her to jump at the opportunity once she became aware the position at Nocona was available.
“My youngest graduated and is playing football at Midwestern (State University),” Langford said. “All of our family is here and I knew that Coach Kara (Lucherk) was leaving. We were eventually going to retire here. Our oldest son plays college football at West Texas A&M and we’ll be two hours closer to him as well.”
She again will lead the Lady Indians volleyball program, one that she led all the way to the state title game in 2011, which is the farthest the volleyball program has ever gone in its prestigious history.
Langford kept up that level of success during her 11 years at the bigger 4A Glen Rose. She won less than 20 games only twice during her time, winning her 500th career game back in 2023. Her teams were ranked among the top 10 in the state five times and Langford led Glen Rose to the state tournament in 2017, the best finish in program history.
With the Lady Indians also having its own string of success, appearing in back-to-back regional finals while finishing atop the district standings both years, Langford is excited to not just keep the success going, but shoot for the stars.
“We are not expecting anything less than a state championship,” Langford said.
She has stacked the non-district schedule with strong, state-ranked 3A and 4A teams as well as big tournaments that will test Nocona’s mettle early next season in the hopes it will prepare them for a long playoff run.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekly edition of the Bowie News.
The Red River High School Bass Club competed this past weekend, May 31 – June 1, at the State Tournament on Lake Conroe for the two-day tournament.
Two of the teams from Montague County traveled south to try their best at the culmination of the year for the state title. Teams were able to pre-fish on Friday before the Saturday and Sunday competition. On Friday, there was a flipping contest for the youth and Cooper Johnson won third overall and won a $500 scholarship and an Academy gift card.
The club’s two teams who competed were Lane Smith/Colt Henry with boat captain Jimmy Smith. The team placed 63rd with a total of 16.22 pounds. The second team of Cooper Johnson/Corbyn Patton and boat captain Jayson Toerck placed 169th with a total weight of 2.29 pounds.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekly edition of the Bowie News.
-
NEWS3 years ago2 hurt, 1 jailed after shooting incident north of Nocona
-
NEWS2 years agoSuspect indicted, jailed in Tia Hutson murder
-
NEWS2 years agoSO investigating possible murder/suicide
-
NEWS2 years agoWreck takes the life of BHS teen, 16
-
NEWS2 years agoMurder unsolved – 1 year later Tia Hutson’s family angry, frustrated with no arrest
-
NEWS2 years ago
Sheriff’s office called out to infant’s death
-
NEWS2 years agoBowie Police face three-hour standoff after possible domestic fight
-
NEWS3 years ago
Driver stopped by a man running into the street, robbed at knifepoint