SPORTS
Nocona boys win first district title in 35 years
Nocona
The Nocona Indians won their first district title since 1988 with their win against Archer City on senior night Tuesday.
The Indians blew the Wildcats away by winning 61-32 in a game that was expected to be close.
Nocona needed to win to avoid being in a three-way tie for first place with Seymour and Archer City. The Indians won the first game between the teams by only six points 48-42 and knew with the stakes high they could not come out flat.
So Nocona came out and played its most complete game from the jump. All five starters made at least one basket, scoring in multiple ways, sharing the ball on smart cuts to the basket, drives and four made 3-pointers.
On the flip side, Nocona defensively were pests all night, pressuring the ball full-court in tough man-to-man sets that just seemed to overwhelm the Wildcats.
The Indians led 25-7 after the first quarter and never looked back.
While Nocona’s offense cooled off the next three quarters, Archer City did not score in the double-digits until late in the fourth quarter when the game was out of reach and the Indians had pulled back their press and intensity.
With the lead growing past 30 points at certain times in the second half, it was the type of game where end of the bench rotation players, some of whom are seniors, got to play big stretches of minutes and were encouraged to throw up shots with the game already in hand.
In the end, Nocona won 61-32.
Saint Jo
The Saint Jo Panthers came up short against Slidell on Tuesday night.
The Greyhounds won 54-48 to seal up another district title.
The Panthers came into the game hoping to upset Slidell’s senior night and maybe keep alive the chance to move up in the district standings.
The Greyhounds came out scoring well in the first half and were up 37-25. Saint Jo made some defensive adjustments and limited Slidell to only 19 points in the second half which gave the Panthers a shot.
Some late 3-pointers got the game close and Saint Jo had opportunities to either tie or take the lead, but ultimately just could not convert. Slidell escaped with the win, 54-48.
Forestburg vs Bellevue
The Forestburg Longhorns ended their season on a high note with a win at Bellevue on Monday night.
The Longhorns won 55-54 against the Eagles.
Forestburg got out to a big lead up 23-11 after the first quarter. The pace slowed to a crawl in the second quarter as the team’s combined to score seven total points. The Longhorns scored only one point during that time, but still led 24-17 heading into halftime.
The pace picked back up in the second half for both teams as they made shots. The Longhorns lead was picked away at, but they still held 42-37 lead heading into the final period.
In the fourth quarter, Forestburg survived three Bellevue 3-pointers by making just enough free throws to eek out the win by one point 55-54.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekend edition of the Bowie News.
The Bellevue basketball teams both played in the playoffs for the first time in several years. The Lady Eagles finished fourth in the district to qualify after missing the previous season. In the bi-district round, Bellevue had to play the eventual state champs Newcastle.
The Eagles also finished fourth, though they played Saint Jo in a play-in game for third place. Bellevue then had to play state-ranked Graford in the bi-district round before ending its season.
The spring season saw Bellevue bring back its baseball program after many years.
While the team struggled during its initial season, it is a step in the first step for a program that hopes to compete well in the near future. In golf, the Lady Eagles ended up winning the district title to qualify for the regional tournament.
In the fall, both of Bellevue’s cross country teams finished second at district and qualified for regionals.
There, Mattie Broussard was able to qualify for the state meet individually after winning the regional title.
At state, Broussard came in ninth place to earn a medal.
To see pictures and highlights from all of the area schools, pick up a copy of the weekend edition of the Bowie News.
The Prairie Valley program had a good spring to start 2024. In tennis Case Carpenter qualified for regionals after finishing second at the district meet in boy’s singles. In golf, the Lady Bulldogs team finished second at the district tournament to qualify for regionals.
To cap off the spring season, Linzie Priddy qualified for the state track meet in the 800 meter race, where she placed ninth overall.
The fall season saw the Lady Bulldogs finish second in district to qualify for the playoffs. In the bi-district round, Prairie Valley held on to beat Vernon Northside in five sets to continue its season one more game. In the area round, the Lady Bulldogs lost to Garner.
In cross country, the program had one boy and one girl qualify for the state meet for the second straight year.
Josh Stout was running at state for the second time and he improved on his first appearance as she placed 29th. Priddy, running at the state cross country meet for her third time, finished 84th.
To see pictures and highlights from all of the area schools, pick up a copy of the weekend edition of the Bowie News.
The Gold-Burg athletic program had a good spring with two girls qualifying for regionals in tennis. Jimena Garcia and Alyson Rojas placed first and second in girls singles at the district meet to move on.
In track and field, the Bears had Isaac Renteria qualify for the state meet for the second straight year. He finished in fourth place in the 3200 meter race.
In the fall season, the football team had one of its best seasons in school history. The team rebounded from losing its first three games of the season to winning the district title and its bi-district playoff game against Woodson. The Bears then lost to Oakwood in the area round.
To see pictures and highlights from all of the area schools, pick up a copy of the weekend edition of the Bowie News.
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