The Nocona basketball boys and girls played different teams at home Tuesday night and had much different experiences.
While the Lady Indians were able to overpower Lindsay and coast to an easy 80-51 win, the Indians had to overcome a slow start against Lipan and fought uphill the entire game, only to come up short 64-56.
The Nocona girls came out running as they led 21-8 after the first quarter and 44-23 at halftime.
Coach Kyle Spitzer was able to play everyone and his team was able to keep up the intensity for one more quarter in the third before he had his team put on the breaks to keep the game from getting too ugly in the fourth quarter as they coasted to an 80-51 win they were happy to get.
Averee Kleinhans seemed to out due herself as she scored 38 points while also recording 10 rebounds, assists and steals for a quadruple double.
Besides her, Chloe Daughtry scored 13 points and almost everyone on the roster scored at least one point.
Coach Kyle Spitzer did not have much to complain about as the game quickly became a blowout full of breakaway lay ups in transition.
“I thought we played well,” Spitzer said. “In the first half we were getting after it on defense, diving for lose balls. We played hard. Overall it was good.”
The first quarter of the boy’s game went the other way for Nocona. Lipan came out hot from beyond the arc as the team made seven three-pointers in the first quarter alone.
The Indians trailed 26-12 at the end of the first quarter. At one point Nocona trailed by 23 points, but they battled back as Lipan led 37-24 at halftime.
“At halftime we talked about chipping away at a lead, continuing to get stops and play good defense,” Coach Colby Schniederjan said.
The lead got down to double digits as the Indians trailed 47-40 heading into the final quarter. Unfortunately, Nocona could not close the gap as Lipan won 64-56.
Jason Sparkman led the team with 21 points.
Schniederjan felt like his team played much better than their first game a week before since they have had a bit more practices to all get on the same page and get used to each other.
“We needed a couple more practices under our belts just to embrace what we are trying to accomplish,” Schniederjan said. “Our team chemistry is getting better. We are figuring out our roles. They are learning how to adjust and make game adjustments underneath me and my leadership.”
Both teams will play at their first tournaments this weekend as the Lady Indians play at Valley View and the Indians play at Pottsboro.
The boys play at home on Dec. 4 against Pottsboro at 7:30 p.m. The girls play at 5:45 p.m. at Burkburnett that same day.

To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekend edition of the Bowie News.