SPORTS
Boys Basketball Roundup
Saint Jo
The Saint Jo Panthers had an up and down week last week, beating Bellevue at home before losing a close contest with Forestburg on the road.
The Panthers were able to beat the Eagles definitively 59-34 on Jan. 14 before losing in the fourth quarter against the Longhorns on Friday 48-40.
Saint Jo entered the week knowing it was going to possibly be its most important of the season as both Bellevue and Forestburg were potential playoff teams that are expected to compete with the Panthers for the district title.
The game started off competitive as the Panthers led only 11-6 after the first quarter. Both teams employed tough man-to-man defenses. Saint Jo did not want to let any of Bellevue’s shooters to have any room to get comfortable 3-point shots.
The Panthers started to up the pressure even more for steals both on the ball and in the passing lanes, as well as started to execute better offense in the second quarter. Saint Jo players were able dribble past defenders and attack the basket and pulled away 25-13 at halftime.
The Panthers continued to do so in the second half, really frustrating the Eagles with their physical play and fouls not going their way.
Saint Jo led 39-19 heading into the final period before winning comfortably 59-34.
It was a big win since it set up an early season showdown between two undefeated teams in district with Forestburg.
After a tight first quarter with the score tied at 12-12, Saint Jo took the lead 26-19 at halftime. The third quarter was a low-paced, low-scoring period as the Longhorns made up the seven point lead as the score was tied at 28-28 heading into the fourth quarter.
There, both teams had decent offensive quarters, but it was Forestburg that exploded for 20 points as it pulled away to win 48-40.
Bellevue
The Bellevue Eagles went 1-1 last week, earning their first district win after a tough start to district play.
The Eagles lost a tough game at Saint Jo 59-34 before coming back on Friday to win at home against Prairie Valley 74-41.
Bellevue came into the week coming off a disappointing loss against potential playoff team Forestburg to start off district play.
On Jan. 14 the Eagles traveled to Saint Jo to play another team in the district that is vying for a playoff spot.
From the start, the Panthers really physical man-to-man defense made it tough for Bellevue to find easy shots. Any drive to the rim saw contests from tall or long defenders and the 3-point shots were not open to take.
The Eagles initially hung in there defensively in the first quarter, trailing only 11-6. Then the second quarter saw Saint Jo find success driving to the basket with its tough front line and Bellevue offensively had no answer.
The Eagles trailed 25-13 at halftime and things only got worse in the second half.
Bellevue’s top post player Brycen Bancroft got in foul trouble in the third quarter and had to sit which did not help the Eagles try to hold off the Panthers.
Nothing was going their way as the home crowd and physical play frustrated Bellevue. The Eagles did finish with 15 points scored in the fourth quarter, but it did not matter much as Saint Jo won 59-34.
Bellevue was sitting at 0-2 heading into Friday’s home district opener which was also homecoming. The Eagles were able to give the crowd a good show and earn their first district win against a young Prairie Valley team.
Bellevue scored 42 points in the first half as it got back on track with a 74-41 win.
Forestburg
The Forestburg Longhorns had a great week to improve to first place in the district.
The Longhorns picked up a win against Midway 65-45 on Jan. 14 before picking up a home win against Saint Jo 48-40 on Friday.
Forestburg entered the week after coming back in its first district game to beat Bellevue in the fourth quarter. The Longhorns know they have a shot at the district title this season and know now is the time to play their best.
Forestburg played at Midway and led for most of the game. The Longhorns had a 28-19 lead at halftime before exploding in third quarter with 22 points to open up their lead. Forestburg won by a comfortable margin 65-45.
This set up a game against Saint Jo, with both teams coming into the game at 2-0 to start district.
The first quarter was even with the score tied at 12-12. The Longhorns had a rough second quarter which allowed the Panthers to get the lead 26-19 at halftime.
The third quarter was a low-scoring stretch for both teams. Forestburg’s defense came alive, allowing Saint Jo only two points. The Longhorns only scored two points more than they did in the second quarter, but it was enough to tie the score up at 28-28.
In the fourth quarter, both team’s offenses came alive. In the end it was Forestburg’s hot ending that allowed the Longhorns to pull away. Forestburg scored 20 points in the final period as it won 48-40.
Nocona
The Nocona Indians were able to finish the first round of district last week by going 2-0, getting wins against Archer City and Electra.
The Indians beat Archer City 32-20 on Jan. 14 before beating Electra 55-42.
Nocona was coming off a tough loss against Seymour and entered the week 2-2 in district play.
The Indians played the Wildcats and the game was low-scoring and competitive for three quarters.
Nocona led only 15-13 at halftime and both teams made only one basket each in the third quarter. The Indians led 18-15 entering the fourth quarter.
While Nocona’s defense kept the clamps on, allowing Archer City to score only five points, the Indians nearly doubled their three quarter total with 14 points.
Nocona won with a comfortable margin 32-20.
Coach Brody Wilson was proud of his team’s defensive effort in the game.
The Indians then played a different type of game against Electra on Friday. Nocona scored in double-digits in every quarter as it played with the lead throughout.
The Indians led 15-10 after the first quarter and 29-22 at halftime. The lead was nearly the same as the Tigers just would not go away, down 45-37 heading into the fourth quarter.
Nocona did not let up as it controlled the pace down from the first three quarters. This helped limit Electra to only five points while the Indians grew their lead to double-digits.
Nocona won 55-42.
Gold-Burg
The Gold-Burg Bears went 1-1 last week with games against Prairie Valley and Midway.
The Bears beat the Bulldogs on Jan. 14, 64-56, before losing on Friday against the Falcons 66-37.
Gold-Burg came into the week following its district loss against Saint Jo, but were able to bounce back in its next game.
The Bears played at Prairie Valley on Jan. 14. It was close throughout as Gold-Burg led only 29-26 at halftime.
The Bears defense then limited the Bulldogs to only single-digit points in the third quarter, which allowed Gold-Burg to balloon its lead up to double-digits, 45-34.
In the fourth quarter, Prairie Valley charged back with 22 points, but the Bears scored just enough for a little breathing room at the end as they won 64-56.
Coach Christian Healer thought there was enough promise in the win to have his team focus on the small things if the team wants to surprise people and earn a playoff spot.
The next game against Midway did not go Gold-Burg’s way. The Falcons size limited the Bears offense early on which allowed Midway to jump out to an 18-5 lead in the first quarter.
Gold-Burg was able to score more consistently in the final three quarters, but not enough to either keep up with the rate the Falcons were scoring or to make up the difference from the first quarter. Midway won 66-37.
Prairie Valley
The Prairie Valley Bulldogs lost their two games last week against Gold-Burg on Jan. 14 and at Bellevue on Friday.
The Bulldogs lost 64-56 against Gold-Burg and 74-41 against Bellevue.
Prairie Valley came into last week following a loss against Midway.
The Bulldogs played the Bears close in the first half, trailing only 29-26 at halftime. Then Prairie Valley was outscored 17-9 in the third quarter as Gold-Burg’s lead grew to 11 points entering the fourth quarter.
The Bulldogs shot the ball well, making five 3-pointers as they scored 21 points in the final period. Unfortunately for Prairie Valley, it could not get enough stops to come back as it fell short 64-56.
The next game against Bellevue was one where Prairie Valley allowed the Eagles to get off to too hot of an offensive start. Bellevue scored 28 points in the first quarter and 42 points in the first half.
Despite the Bulldogs scoring at a decent pace besides in the third quarter, it was not enough to keep up with the Eagles scoring. Bellevue won 74-41.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekly edition of the Bowie News.
For more pictures from the Saint Jo vs Bellevue game, click here https://www.dotphoto.com/go.asp?l=bnews1&AID=6872451&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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