SPORTS
Basketball Tournaments Roundup
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
A solid day was had by Montague county high school tracksters at the State Track and Field Meet May 16 in Austin.
Bellevue’s Mattie Broussard had a pair of second place finishes in both the 800-meter run with a time of 2:21.41 and the 3,200-meter run with a time of 11:31.33. Broussard also was 4th in the 1,600-meters with a time of 5:22.18.
Her teammate Brylie Hager was 9th in the 110-meter hurdles in 19.93.
Forestburg’s Brenna Briles was 4th in the triple jump with a 35’9 1’2” leap. Her teammate Jocelyn Rich was 4th in the pole vault with a 9’ leap.
For further details, pick up a copy of Thursday’s Bowie News.
Bowie had a pair of top four finishes at the State Track and Field Meet May 14.
Sophomore Brayden Willett made it onto the medal stand, finishing 3rd in the 1,600-meter run with a time of 4:17.89. Bowie junior Tyler Richey finished 4th in the pole vault after a 14’6” effort.
The top two finishers from Holliday, also in Bowie’s district, celebrated with him after he crossed the finish line.
“It was kind of surprising,” Willett said about Ryder and Noah Stroman embracing him in a celebratory hug. “They’re good guys, so it was kind of cool.”
For further details, pick up a copy of Thursday’s Bowie News.
This past week found your outdoor scribe doing some rather mundane things such as yard work, vegetable gardening and repairs around the old cabin. Oh, I also wrapped up a couple of magazine articles. I always enjoy sharing my adventures with all of you in this column but to be perfectly honest, not nearly as much as my ‘field work’ hunting and fishing which is an iatrical part of any good outdoor column. If you’re like me, you much prefer reading about an adventure that you can also partake.
I am far more comfortable telling you about an outdoor experience I had firsthand knowledge of rather than the reporting part of my job as an outdoor communicator. So, this week, I’d do a bit of ‘reporting’ and share some planned adventures I have scheduled for the next couple weeks. By the time you’re reading this, I will have already been in the woods in quest of a fat ‘eater’ hog and probably have some freshly caught blue catfish fillets in the freezer, details will follow in the next couple of weeks.
I’ll kick things off early in the week heading down to my friend Jeff Rice’s Buck and Bass Ranch located on the upper end of Lake Fork. Jeff produces our weekly TV show “A Sportsman’s Life” which airs on Carbon TV and YouTube. Our plan is to film a segment of our show on stalking wild hogs. It will be a challenge to capture the shot with all the thick grown spring vegetation. It could happen fast and require a fast shot. We will be breaking in my CVA Cascade scout rifle in 308 caliber. This short barrel little rifle is light and easy to handle in thick cover, ideal for this type of hunting. Our plan is to hit the woods during the last couple hours of daylight and ease along the trails, watching and especially listening for hogs. Wild porkers are vocal critters and it’s common to hear them before seeing them. We will play the wind and attempt to get downwind and then close the distance for a shot but you can never guess how a hog hunt will unfold. Wild pork or not, Jeff and I always have a great time together and I plan to bring a side of wild pork ribs already slow smoked and covered in brown sugar and BBQ sauce with a side of camp baked beans!
After a tasty dinner we plan to get a good night’s sleep and head out the next morning for a planned fishing trip with guide David Hanson at Lake Tawakoni. Both channel and blue catfish are on a very good bite right but it’s hard to pass up those snow white blue catfish fillets when the bite is good. David is, to my knowledge, the most veteran catfish guide on the lake and became friends close to a quarter-century ago when we first began fishing
together. The plan is to use freshy cut shad in shallow water and target eater size blues weighing between 2 and about 10 pounds but as every catfish angler knows, it’s always possible to connect with a big trophy size blue when fishing Tawakoni.
Next week, I plan to join my long-time friend J.C. McCollough on the Red River below the Texoma dam. I’ve been fishing and hunting with J.C. for many years and look forward to getting with him again. I would describe this to catching big catfish in a barrel but in this case the deep holes in the river are comprised of several acres. The water level in the river below Texoma are dictated by the water release at the dam by the Corp of Engineers. When there is a current in the river, fish move upstream to feed on baitfish coming through the dam. When the water recedes, they fish move into the deeper holes where baitfish also seek refuge from the falling water. Catching will be fast paced with the chance to connect with some big fish as well as limits of “eater” size fish. We’ll be rigging with big live gizzard shad fished weightless on a free line, using medium spinning gear. The bigger fish will often nail the frisky live shad and the fresh cut bait is a sure way to connect with lots of smaller fish. There is something very exciting about fishing big live baits on a slack line. One minute your bait will be darting around and you will occasionally feel it taking up slack and the next when a big blue catfish grabs the bait, the rod will bow and the fight will be on. There is usually no ‘setting the hook’, by the time you feel the fish, it will already be hooked and making a strong run to the nearest submerged brush. Your job will be to keep the drag set just enough to keep pressure on the fish but not so much as to cause the line to break.
J.C. uses his airboat to access these deeper holes because of the very shallow water. While it’s not impossible to portage a kayak or small boat in the river, it often requires a few miles travel to get to these deep holes, this is best accomplished by experienced kayakers with plenty of endurance. There was a time when I was game for this type fishing but I much prefer to do my river fishing these days from a boat designed to negotiate the shallow waters.
Squirrel season is underway in many of the east Texas counties and there’s some pretty good fox squirrel hunting here close to home in Kaufman county and I’ve been thinking about how tasty a big skillet of smothered squirrel with rice, gravy and biscuits would be. Bream are on the beds now and my friend Edgar Cotton invited me to come do some ‘perch jerking’ with him and his son David-it’s in the plans! Well, hopefully next week I will have a ‘sure nuff’ adventure of two to relate you you-I’m ready to get some relief from all this work around the homeplace! LC
You can contact Tawakoni/Fork catfish guide David Hanson at 902-268-7391. Contact J.C. McCollough at 580-372-0320.
Listen to Luke’s podcast, “Catfish Radio” just about everywhere podcast are found.
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