SPORTS
Indians lose to state-power Brock
The end came for the Nocona Indians as they lost to powerhouse Brock on Saturday in Chico following a freezetastic week.
The Indians lost 73-48 to the Eagles, a result not so surprising considering Brock came in ranked second in the state in 3A.
Nocona knew it had its hands full even if the team would have had a week of practice. Instead the team had only one day of practice heading into the game due to the state-wide weather issues last week.
Coming into the game, the Indians big concern was trying to stop the Eagle’s big post player Nathan Jones inside.
Immediately Brock went to the big guy to start the game. Jones scored inside and also proved he could step outside and make perimeter shots as well.
The Eagles jumped out to a double-digit lead in the first quarter. The Indians guards had a hard time getting into the lane against Brock’s extended zone defense. Outsized at almost every position, drives to the lane were adventurous and blocks were more likely than fouls.
Nocona instead tried to shoot over the zone when their players sniffed daylight thanks to ball movement. Lyndon Fenoglio made two of the team’s three 3-pointers in the first quarter.
It was not enough to keep up with the Eagles who led 24-11 heading into the second quarter.
The pace of scoring slowed down for both teams in the second quarter. The Indians had an even tougher time scoring with fewer 3-pointers going in. Nocona scored only two baskets in the quarter as the team fell further behind.
The Indians did pick it up on defense though. Nocona did a good job limiting Brock’s perimeter players from scoring.
Unfortunately, Jones continued to be an issue both inside and out. The Eagles led 37-16 at halftime and Jones had scored 22 of his teams points.
Things looked dire for Nocona down more than 20 points at halftime. The Indians could either fold over or continue to fight.
Nocona came out firing in the third quarter. The Indians played faster and more aggressive.
The team did a better job helping to stop Jones inside and limited him to only four points. Brock’s other players picked up the slack a bit, but Nocona made them earn most of those points with tough contests inside.
The Indians offense seemed to play a bit more loose, but also more locked in. Brady McCasland made two of his team’s three 3-pointers while the team also started earning some trips to the free throw line.
Nocona was making the hustle plays and outscored the Eagles 17-12 in the third quarter, enough to get the margin under 20 points 49-33 heading into the fourth quarter.
Brock’s offense got back on track scoring 24 points in the closing period. Nine different players scored one point as the game wore on and a miracle from the Indians looked unlikely.
Nocona again made three 3-pointers in the quarter and almost equaled their offensive output from the third quarter. Still, it was far from enough to get back into the game.
The two teams emptied their benches in the final minutes. Brock to get its JV kids some experience. Nocona to get their senior players one last run on the court. The Eagles won 73-38.
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the mid-week edition of the Bowie News.
With the baseball and softball seasons over for the area 1A schools, district awards have been released.
Listed below are those earned honors on the field and in the classroom for Saint Jo and Bellevue.
Softball
Saint Jo
Honorable mention
Utility player: Taylor Patrick; Catcher: Jordyn O’Neal
Baseball
Superlatives
Offensive MVP: Devin Stewart, Saint Jo
Newcomer of the Year: Bryce Ramsey, Bellevue
Pitcher: Trent Gaston, Saint Jo
Outfielder: Jayden Curry, Saint Jo
Second team
Pitcher: Charlie Barclay, Saint Jo
Infielder: Brycen Bancroft, Bellevue; Sam Martin, Saint Jo
Outfielder: Rylan Forrester, Saint Jo
Catcher: Charlie Evans, Saint Jo
Utility: Logan Hoover, Saint Jo
DH: Amzy Barclay, Saint Jo
Honorable mention
Cody Gaston, Saint Jo; Xander Joyner, Saint Jo
To see academic awards from Saint Jo players, pick up a copy of the weekend edition of the Bowie News.
Eldon Van Hooser is leaving Forestburg better than he found it.
The head boy’s basketball coach is retiring after more than 30 years, spending the last five at Forestburg.
Van Hooser did not come to this decision because of a lack of fire or feeling tired after decades in the profession. He had to for family reasons.
“My wife has MS (multiple sclerosis) and it’s a disease where you have trouble standing and walking and she needs help,” Van Hooser said. “I am able to so I am going to step away from teaching and coaching to be there for her.”
Van Hooser was hired in 2019. Along with being the boy’s basketball coach, he also was the football team’s defensive coordinator.
There were some lean years for Forestburg on the boy’s athletic side, with numbers being low and the available athletes being mostly underclassmen.
For two years, the Longhorns’ boy’s basketball team won few games and one of those seasons saw the team field five players on the high school team.
“One of those years we had COVID-19 and the other we had five kids,” Van Hooser said. “It was very rough. After that we worked with the kids and we had a good freshman group coming up. Next year they are going to be seniors.”
That group has helped to turn the program around. Last year the young Longhorns team contested for a playoff spot and just barely missed it finishing fifth in the district.
This season, that same group took a leap and finished second in district with a record of 7-5.
Despite losing its last two regular season games in dramatic fashion heading into the playoffs, the team stepped up in the bi-district game.
Playing against an athletic Newcastle team, Forestburg led for most of the game.
Unfortunately, the previous game against Bellevue saw the Longhorn team blow the lead late in the fourth quarter against a hard pressing style team and they were suffering the same fate against the Bobcats down the stretch.
Fortunately, Forestburg held on just enough to win 53-46. It was the first boy’s basketball playoff win in nine years for Forestburg.
“It was huge for our program,” Van Hooser said. “This new year we will have new goals. The new coach will have some goals of his own, but I set some for the team and think that we have come a long way.”
To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekend edition of the Bowie News.
The Bowie sports banquets was on Monday night. Olivia Gill and Tucker Jones were named Jackrabbit and Lady Rabbit of the year. Pick up the mid-week paper for all of the sports team awards and pictures.
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