By ERIC VICCARO

sports@bowienewsonline.com

Now that’s a team to play for a final tune-up before district begins.
The Nocona High School boys’ basketball team faced Muenster – the No. 1 team in Conference 2A all season in the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches polling – on Friday evening.
Since the Indians and Hornets played a competitive game at the Jacksboro Tournament in November, that’s what the expectation was here.
However, that didn’t quite materialize as Muenster blitzed Nocona to the tune of 32 first-quarter points en route to a 53-17 halftime margin.
In the end, Muenster topped Nocona 78-45 as the Hornets remained unbeaten and the Indians dropped to 9-5 on the season.
Nocona opened up District 3A-8 play on Tuesday with a matinee against Montague County rival Bowie. Meanwhile, Muenster began preparations for the Whataburger Tournament set for next week in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex; the Hornets are the lone 2A team in the field.
“It was a good chance to see how you measure up against a quality opponent,” Nocona head coach Bret Botard said. “And judging by the outcome, there’s a lot of work to be done.
“I thought they played at a higher level, and they made shots,” Botard added.
Muenster connected on 31-of-52 field goals (59.6 percent), testimony to how well the Hornets played on offense – especially with a group of players that swarmed inside the lane for points. Read more, and see the complete box score, in the Dec. 21 Bowie News.

Nocona’s Riley McCasland (11) looks for a passing lane between a pair of Muenster defenders in Blake Hoepfner and John Weger during Friday’s non-district game. The Hornets, ranked No. 1 in the state in Conference 2A, smothered the Indians 78-45. (News photo by Eric Viccaro)