SPORTS
Indians lose to Tolar in area round
The ride ended earlier than expected for the Nocona Indians as they lost in the area round to Tolar on Thursday night.
The Rattlers won 57-51 against the Indians in a physical game that came down to end-of-game execution.
Nocona came into the game as favorites. The Indians were 24-11, had gone undefeated in district play, were ranked ninth in the state in 2A in the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches poll and 21st on Max Preps rankings.
Tolar was 16-14, had finished third in its district and was ranked 23rd in the TABC poll and 79th on Max Preps. However, the Rattlers had one major thing on their side.
Tolar’s starting lineup featured players as tall as 6’6” and all but one player who got major minutes were at least six feet.
Nocona’s major achilles heel has been its lack of height, with Charlie Fuller being the only player on the roster who measures at least six feet, listed at 6’1.” That combined with the team’s trouble at grabbing defensive rebounds at times, much to Coach Brody Wilson’s chagrin, and it was a major matchup issue.
The Indians seemed to carve up Tolar’s zone defense early on, passing inside only to kick it back to the perimeter for open shots or for angles to drive.
Brady McCasland made two 3-pointers and scored 10 of the team’s 14 points in the first quarter.
Nocona tried to limit catches in the paint against the Rattler’s massive post player, but had to give up some room on the outside. Even after forcing a miss, trying to gather a rebound against opponents who had major height and size advantages was tough.
The teams were tied at 14-14 after the first quarter.
The Indians had their best stretch of the game in the second quarter. Nocona was pestering Tolar on defense and limited the Rattlers to only seven points.
On offense, the Indians had three players make one 3-pointer each while McCasland was able to earn some free throws driving into the lane.
Nocona led 27-21 at halftime.
The Indians started out the second half continuing to pick apart the Rattlers, scoring twice in the first minute to go up 32-21.
Tolar would then turn things around, finding success shooting off the dribble in the mid-range area while also making three 3-pointers in the quarter to get ahead.
The Rattlers came all the way back to take the lead 34-32 as Nocona had a scoring drought for most the quarter.
The Indians picked it back up offensively in the final two minutes, but trailed Tolar 42-39 heading into the fourth quarter.
It was back and forth the first four minutes of the final period. Karson Kleinhans 3-pointer put Nocona up 48-47.
The Rattlers then had back-to-back possessions where they scored right after an offensive rebound.
McCasland then earned free throws and made one of two to cut the lead to 51-49 with 2:37 left.
After running some clock, Tolar scored on a close post shot to go up 53-49 with 1:12 left in the game.
A deep 3-pointer from Nocona missed everything for an air ball, but Conley Kleinhans caught it underneath the basket and scored to cut the deficit back to one basket 53-51 with 29 seconds left.
The Indians needed to foul three times to get into the bonus and send the Rattlers to the free throw line with 13 seconds left.
The player made both free throws to make it a two basket game 55-51.
Nocona missed and Tolar scored in celebration with a dunk at the buzzer to make the final score 57-51.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekend edition of the Bowie News.
At the end of the November school board meeting for Bowie, athletic director Tyler Price had some updates about the new high school soccer club.
So far the club has fielded 40 players total, with 23 being boys and 17 girls meaning it can field both teams.
Both teams have full game schedules, with the girls being invited to play in the Wichita Falls Invitational Tournament in January.
One goal has been donated, both sets of team jerseys are fully donated as well with a commitment to donate the jerseys next year with the hope for home and away games.
The club is coached by Chad Word, Scott Siebert and Javier Fuerte. The club is not officially a part of the competition this year in the University Interscholastic League, but with a good turnout there is hope the presence of the club will lead to the Bowie School District adding the sport to its athletic department in the future.
If and when that is the case, the club leaders hope to help develop players for the high school team. Bowie would have to compete in the 4A classification if and when a high school soccer team is approved.
The Lady Rabbit team has their first game scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 17 at Burkburnett. For more information about the soccer club, go to the Bowie High School Soccer Club Facebook page.
Nocona girls
The Nocona Lady Indians were able to whoop up on Iowa Park on Tuesday night.
The Lady Indians dominated 86-38 against the Lady Hawks in a game that was not competitive at all.
Nocona was coming off a tough loss against state-ranked Bridgeport where the team did not shoot well.
From the jump, the Lady Indians’ offense was working over Iowa Park. Nocona felt safe to bring pressure on defense and created easy scoring chances in transition.
The Lady Indians scored 20 or more points in the first three quarters and got a lot of players in on the scoring action. Every player ended up making at least one basket.
Nocona took the gas off the defensive pressure in the second half so as not to be disrespectful. This allowed the Lady Hawks, who had scored only 12 points in the first half, to get some things going in the second half.
Nocona was actually outscored 11-9 in the fourth quarter, but it did not mean much with their lead already so high.
The Lady Indians won 86-38.
Nocona boys
The Nocona Indians lost a tough game on the road on Tuesday night at Henrietta.
The Bearcats won 60-50 in a game where the Indians fell behind early and were unable to come back.
Nocona was playing its first game in a week and was looking to see if it could hang with a program that is usually able to give a good challenge most years.
Henrietta got out to a big lead in the first quarter, getting to the free throw line for 10 attempts and scoring 20 points. The Indian offense was slow to get going as they trailed 20-9.
Nocona was able to slow down the Bearcat offense in the second quarter, but could not make up much ground as it trailed 29-21 at halftime.
The Indians could replicate the defense in the third and fourth quarter as Henrietta scored 16 and 15 points. Nocona’s offense kept pace and even outscored the Bearcats in the fourth quarter, but it was not enough to make up the deficit it was chasing.
Henrietta won 60-50.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekend edition of the Bowie News.
Saint Jo boys
The Saint Jo Panthers easily won at Tioga on Tuesday night.
The Panthers won 55-31 against the Bulldogs in a game they dominated from the start.
Saint Jo raced out to a 20-5 lead in the first quarter, with 14 coming from leading scorer Barrett Johnson.
The Panthers cooled down offensively in the second and third quarters, scoring 20 points combined during the time. Still, the defense was able to keep Tioga stifled in the second quarter before the Bulldogs played a bit more evenly in the second half.
Saint Jo still outscored Tioga in each of the quarters, not allowing the Bulldogs to make up the double-digit deficit. The Panthers closed the game out with a 15 point quarter with four different players scoring at least one basket.
Saint Jo won 55-31.
Saint Jo girls
The Saint Jo Lady Panthers were able to beat Chico at home on Tuesday night.
The Lady Panthers won 58-41 against the Lady Dragons in a rough and tumble game that suits Saint Jo just fine.
Both teams tried to pressure the ball while playing fast and physical throughout. The Lady Panthers got an 18-9 lead after the first quarter and 31-23 at halftime.
Saint Jo pulled away with a 16 point third quarter before slowing things down a peg in the fourth quarter while keeping the defensive intensity up.
The Lady Panthers won 58-41.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekend edition of the Bowie News.
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