Nocona boys
The Nocona Indians played a tough tournament at Bridgeport last week in the days following Christmas.
The Indians went 1-3 overall in a tournament that was meant to shake them from the holiday break as district play awaits them in the new year.
Nocona came into the tournament following a win against Olney to start off district play, but that game had happened seven days previously.
Still, the Indians got off to a good start, playing fellow Montague County team Gold-Burg. Nocona’s easily dispatched the smaller 1A team 69-35 in a game that was good to get the teams’ confidence up after such a long layoff.
Landon Fatheree led the team with 21 points while Karson Kleinhans was second with 17 points.
Unfortunately, it would end up being the highlight for the Indians.
Nocona next played tournament host Bridgeport to close out the first day. The Bulls got out to a good start against the Indians in the first quarter. Nocona caught back up and cut the lead to one basket 18-16 at halftime.
The third quarter saw the Bulls get back the lead, up double-digits 34-24 heading into the fourth quarter. While the Indians closed the game strong, Bridgeport made enough of its free throws down the stretch to win 45-38 against Nocona.
Kleinhans led the team with 23 points while Fatheree was second with seven points and Raul Rodriguez had six points.
The second day started with a showdown between former Montague County rivals. Nocona last played Bowie in 2022.
The Indians led in the first half, up 10-4 after the first quarter and 20-16 at halftime. Nocona’s offense struggled in the second half, scoring seven points in each of the remaining quarters. The Jackrabbits took the lead in the third quarter 32-27 and held on to win 41-34.
Kleinhans led the team with 21 points while RJ Walker was second with seven points.
The Indians ended the tournament with a tough game against Bonham. Nocona fell behind in the first quarter and scored double-digits in only the third quarter. The Warriors scored 11 or more points in every quarter as their lead grew and grew as the game went on. In the end, Bonham won 56-36.
Kleinhans led the team with 17 points while Fatheree was second with eight points.

Nocona girls
The Nocona Lady Indians had an up and down performance playing at the prestigious Championship basketball tournament at Saginaw last week.
The Lady Indians went 2-2 overall while competing against some of the best teams they will see the rest of the season.
Nocona got a tough draw to start the tournament, playing 2nd ranked in 3A Jim Ned.
It was a low-scoring grind as the Jim Ned’s deliberate pace on offense dictated things after the Lady Indians good 13-9 start in the first quarter. It was close in the end, but Jim Ned played ball control with the lead late in the fourth quarter and Nocona failed to make enough shots to make up the difference as it lost 37-32
Meg Meekins led the team with 13 points while Regan Phipps was second with 10 points.
The loss put the Lady Indians in the consolation bracket where they played Lorena, a state-ranked 4A team.
From the start, Nocona got out to a lead 15-10. The Lady Indians increased it to 32-24 at halftime and 46-37 heading into the fourth quarter. The final period saw Nocona slow down the pace and to run out the clock.
The Lady Leopards made a good run despite that, scoring 14 points and nearly coming back to steal the game. Thankfully, the Lady Indians scored just enough and most importantly made their free throws to win 53-51.
Meekins led the team with 18 points while Phipps was second with 13 points.
The second day saw Nocona matchup with fellow 2A team Farwell who is ranked higher than the Lady Indians in the state polls.
The first half saw both teams compete well. Nocona led 14-8 after the first quarter and trailed 23-22 at halftime.
The second half saw the Lady Blues run away with the game, scoring nearly 20 points each quarter on their way to winning 61-38.
Meekins led the team with 18 points while Phipps was second with 12 points.
The final game of the tournament for the Lady Indians was against Comanche, a not super highly ranked but still state-ranked 3A team.
The first half was competitive as the two teams exchanged leads. Comanche led 12-11 after the first quarter while Nocona led 25-22 at halftime.
The second half saw Nocona change roles from the previous game as its offense kicked it into a higher gear while holding Comanche to single-digits in each of the final two quarters. Nocona won easily 58-39 in the end to wrap up the tournament on a good note.
Jasmine Olivares led the team with 15 points while Meekins was second with 14 points.

Gold-Burg boys
The Gold-Burg Bears had a tough tournament at Bridgeport last week following the holiday break.
The Bears went 0-4 in a tournament playing only bigger schools.
Gold-Burg started off the tournament facing the hosts, Bridgeport and the Bears knew it was going to be tough playing a 4A team. It was as the Bulls won the game 78-34 to let Gold-Burg know how tough it was going to be playing against bigger schools.
Levi Hellinger led the team with 12 points and Camden Dreyer was second with 11 points.
The next game was against fellow Montague County team Nocona, a bigger 2A team. The Indians won 69-35 as the Bears struggled to score against the press in the first half. Keelyn Case and Brady Allen both had nine points to lead the team.
The final day saw Gold-Burg start with 4A Western Hills. The athletic, full-court pressing and 3-point shooting Cougars proved too tough for the Bears as they lost 69-38. Barrett Allen led the team with 14 points while Case scored seven points.
The last game of the tournament was against 2A Petrolia. The Pirates won 67-40. Case scored 16 points to lead the team while Dreyer was second with eight points.

Saint Jo boys
The Saint Jo Panthers had an up and down tournament at North Hopkins following the holiday break.
The Panthers went 1-3 overall, but several losses were close
Saint Jo first played a 2A Maude team and lost the close game 59-51. The Panthers were able to bounce back to end the first day, beating 3A Mount Vernon 66-52.
The second day saw Saint Jo play tournament host North Hopkins. The 2A team beat Saint Jo in another close game 48-40.
The final game of the tournament was against 3A Rains. The Wildcats won by double-digits 59-41 to end the Panthers tournament on a down note.

Saint Jo girls
The Saint Jo Lady Panthers played at the Caprock Classic tournament in Lubbock last week.
The Lady Panthers went 1-3 overall during the three days while playing mostly bigger schools.
Saint Jo first played a big private school in All Saints and lost 66-46. Payzlie Cervantes led the team with 22 points and Aubrey Morman was second with 12 points.
The Lady Panthers then played 3A Brownfield and won a close game 59-57. Cervantes led the team with 30 points while Krista Reeves and Jordyn O’Neal each had nine points.
Saint Jo ended day two playing fellow 1A team Klondike and lost 56-46. Cervantes led the team with 18 points and Taylor Patrick was second with 12 points.
The final day saw the Lady Panthers lose by one point against 2A Floydada in overtime 62-61. Cervantes led the team with 24 points while Patrick was second with nine points. Morman and O’Neal had eight points each.

Prairie Valley boys
The Prairie Valley Bulldogs played at the Electra tournament last week after taking off several days for holiday break.
The Bulldogs went 0-3 overall, with results from one game not reported by Monday’s deadline.
Prairie Valley first played tournament host Electra and lost 66-30 against the Tigers.
The Bulldogs had a better result against Woodson, but fell just short losing 63-59. The second day saw Prairie Valley play Guthrie and lose 50-34.

Missing scores
Did not receive results from the Bellevue basketball team’s tournament results last week. Every other team did not have a tournament scheduled last week.

To read the full story, pick up a copy of the mid-week edition of the Bowie News.

For more pictures from the Nocona boy’s basketball team’s game against Gold-Burg, click here https://www.dotphoto.com/go.asp?l=bnews1&AID=6871606&T=1