SPORTS
Basketball Roundup
Forestburg girls
The Forestburg Lady Horns got showed how much growth they have had this season with a big win against Perrin-Whitt at home on Tuesday night.
The Lady Horns won with little trouble as they beat the Lady Pirates 43-25.
It was a rematch of a game earlier in the season when Forestburg played at Perrin-Whitt’s tournament on Nov. 16. In the tournament setting, it was a close game in which the Lady Horns only won 43-42 thanks to a last second shot.
The young Forestburg team has a lot more depth this season thanks to an influx of freshman, with several playing big roles on a team that struggled mightily at times last year.
The first quarter saw the Lady Horns come out with their hair on fire, pressing the Lady Pirates ball handlers with their full-court press and handsy zone defense.
Early on, Forestburg forced several turnovers and capitalized in transition to build a 6-0 lead.
The Lady Horns could not carry that momentum for the rest of the quarter. Perrin-Whitt settled down and started to break the press and create scoring chances while Forestburg struggled to have shots go down in its half-court possessions.
The Lady Horns led by one basket 11-9 heading into the second quarter and it looked like it was about to be another close game between the two teams.
Then Forestburg upped its play even more while the defense played lights out and the game was over. The Lady Horns did not let the Lady Pirates score a point again until more than midway through the third quarter.
By then Forestburg’s offense started to execute better as the team pulled away, leading 22-9 at halftime and 37-15 after three quarters.
Coach Cori Hayes felt comfortable emptying his bench for long stretches to get experience to every player with the game so in hand in the second half.
That may have led to Perrin-Whitt outscoring the Lady Horns in the fourth quarter 10-6, but Forestburg had a comfortable lead.
In the end the Lady Horns won 43-25, but it felt like it could have been by 30 points.
Jocelyn Rich led the team with eight points off the bench while Brenna and Braylee Briles each had seven points. Brenna also led the team with 10 rebounds and six assists while Braylee had two blocks. Lili Cisneros had a team high five steals.
Bowie girls
The Bowie Lady Rabbits traveled to Mineral Wells on Tuesday to play the Lady Rams.
The Lady Rabbits lost a low-scoring game to Mineral Wells 38-22 as Bowie continues to struggle to score the ball.
The Lady Rabbits were coming off a tough tournament at Breckenridge. The first quarter saw the teams be competitive as the Lady Rams led 12-8.
If Bowie could stop giving up free throw attempts, Mineral Wells shot six, and the team could get anyone besides Ziba Robbins, who scored all of the Lady Rabbits points in the quarter, going Bowie could take control.
Unfortunately, the Lady Rabbits scored only four points in the second quarter while the Lady Rams made three 3-pointers and scored a game high 17 points.
Mineral Wells led 29-12 at halftime and Bowie needed a big shift in the play to happen to dig itself out of the hole.
The Lady Rabbits got one ingredient that got going in the second half. After giving up double-digit points in both of the first half quarters, for the rest of the game Bowie allowed only nine points.
Unfortunately, the Lady Rabbits were not able to take advantage and score enough to turn the game around.
Bowie only added 10 more points in the second half and ended the game with no free throw attempts.
Mineral Wells won 38-22.
Nocona
The Nocona Lady Indians won against Pottsboro at home on Tuesday night to stay undefeated while the Indians lost at Wichita Falls.
The Lady Indians won with little trouble 57-23 while the Indians lost 56-44.
Nocona was coming into the game confident against the Lady Cardinals. While last year’s game between the two state-ranked teams was one of the Lady Indians toughest games of the season, this year it was not the same.
Some of Pottsboro’s top players from last year either graduated or moved schools and Nocona ended up playing just another 3A school it dominated.
The Lady Indians defense stifled the Cardinals to single-digit quarter totals throughout the game. Nocona could have shot the ball better, but there was never any doubt who would win.
Leading scorer Skyler Smith’s 27 points was more than Pottsboro’s team total as she also grabbed a team high 10 rebounds for a double-double. Meg Meekins was second with 20 points.
For the Indians, the offense just could not keep up with the relative scoring pace of the Coyotes team.
While Nocona was competitive, each quarter the team was outscored by a little more as it built up throughout the game to make it double-digits by the end.
Javier Gaytan led the team with 25 points. Jose Gomez Jr. and Karson Kleinhans were second with five points each.
Bellevue girls
The Bellevue Lady Eagles won at home on Tuesday night at home against 3A Boyd.
The Lady Eagles won 65-51 against the Lady Jackets.
Callie Martin led the team with 27 points while Cirstin Allen was second with 17 points as she made four 3-pointers.
Coach John McGee was proud of how his played and thought they fought with a lot of grit as his team readies to start district.
Prairie Valley
Both Prairie Valley basketball teams won their games at Wichita Christian on Tuesday night.
The Lady Bulldogs won in a blowout 49-19 while the Bulldogs won a closer game 53-40.
The Prairie Valley girls shot the best it has all season as the team made eight 3-pointers. Despite single-digit totals in the first and third quarters, high scoring second and fourth quarters carried the Lady Bulldogs offensively.
More so it was the defense that limited the Lady Stars to single-digits in every quarter.
Makaylee Gomez outscored Wichita Christian by herself with 28 points as she made five 3-pointers. Linzie Priddy joined her in double-figures with 10 points.
The Bulldogs had to recover from a bad first quarter initially. Prairie Valley scored only four points and was down nine points. The team had a huge second quarter to take the lead 20-17 at halftime.
Both teams scored well in the second half, totaling double-figures in each of the quarters though Prairie Valley scored more.
The Bulldogs won comfortable 53-40, but Stephens felt like his team had a chance to put the game away earlier if not for self-induced errors.
Tyson Easterling led the team with 18 points while James Wells was second with 12 points.
Missing scores
The Bowie and Forestburg boy’s teams and Gold-Burg girl’s team did not play a game earlier this week. Missing scores from both Saint Jo coaches, Gold-Burg boys coach and Bellevue boys coach.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekend edition of the Bowie News.
Saint Jo will have a new boy’s basketball coach this school year.
Jacob Nocktonick is coming to the district after spending the last two years at Bland as an assistant coach. It is his first head coaching job in basketball.
Nocktonick graduated from Princeton High School in 2015 where he played and loved basektball. He graduated in 2019 from Tarleton State University and despite playing basketball up until he graduated, he did not see coaching in his future. He worked for most of three years after college at a landscape supply company, but something was missing from his life.
“I realized after being out of it for three or four years, something was missing from my life that I really loved,” Nocktonick said. “That was playing the game I love and being around people that really love to be there.”
Nocktonick did not have much experience coaching before then, but through his experience at Bland, he knows he has found his true purpose.
“I missed that passion,” Nocktonick said. “I love it and love the kids I have been working with.”
Nocktonick is especially excited in his role in shaping young men for the future through basketball.
“At the end of the day, people aren’t going to remember me for my records,” Nocktonick said. “I get to touch lives in this role. It’s a lot different than other jobs because I have a lot of kids that look up to me. Even past players from Bland still hit me up, asking for life advice and it’s just different.”
He describes himself as the type of teacher who likes to climb up on his desk and get everyone involved more than just lecture through power point presentations. That extends to his coaching as well.
“I am extremely passionate and enthusiastic,” Nocktonick said. “I want kids to know when the time is to be serious, but know we are going to have fun, bond and become like family. I am not in this for the business. I am in this for the relationships.”
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the mid-week edition of the Bowie News.
The Bowie cheerleading team went to cheer camp on July 13-16 at Texas Women’s University.
It was a good opportunity for the team to learn new things to take into the school year, according to cheer sponsor Destanie Curry.
“They learn their job is not to just lead the crowds in cheers, but they are ambassadors of their school and community and how to fulfill that role to the best of their ability,” Curry said. “Of course, they also learn stunt safety, new stunts, new cheer material and how to incorporate all this into pep rallies, routines and games.”
It can be intense, with campers expected to eat, sleep and breathe cheerleading from morning until night, staying positive and spiritful in everything they do since councilors are always watching and looking to see who will earn extra awards.
At the end of the four days, the Lady Rabbits cheerleading team took home several team and individual awards.
The team won one spirit stick daily and one on the final day. They were awarded each night to teams who demonstrated leadership, positive attitudes, excellent class participation and who respect and encourage one another, their coaches and staff.
Bowie earned its National Federation of State High School Association’s squad credential. The group earned Stunt SAFE, which was presented to teams that displayed excellent skills in spotting and stunt technique.
The final team award was in the Game Day Championship trophy. The competition included crowd involvement with a game day chant and cheer learned at the camp.
They were judged on crowd leading effectiveness, use of props, incorporation of stunts, technique and execution of skills.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the mid-week edition of the Bowie News.
Nocona got its new press box into place this week at Jack Crane Stadium. The old press box, which was in place for more than 60 years, was taken out in early June and moved to Indian Valley Raceway. The new press box was by the Southern Bleacher Company out of Graham. Athletic Director Black Crutsinger said they looked at a lot of press boxes and decided they liked the one at Lindsay High School and went with that model. Sean Hutson operated the crane from the Hurd Crane Service that put the press box up for Nocona.
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