SPORTS
Bowie basketball teams win at Vernon
Both Bowie basketball teams made the first travel to new district opponent Vernon on Friday night.
The Lady Rabbits came away with a close win 33-32 while the Jackrabbits won a bit more comfortably 56-45.
For the Bowie girl’s team, the game was the end of the first round of district play. A win would secure the Lady Rabbits with a sole position of second place in the district after winning all four of their previous district games after dropping their opener to leader Holliday.
The Lady Lions came into the game with only one district win so it was expected Bowie would walk over them. Vernon did not make it easy.
It was a back and forth, low-scoring game that never allowed the Lady Rabbits to get comfortable. Bowie led 11-7 after the first quarter, but the lead was cut to one 19-18 at halftime.
Neither team scored in the double-figures in either of the second half quarters. The Lady Lions took a one-point 26-25 lead into the fourth quarter.
Every basket and point mattered down the stretch as Bowie leaned on its most experienced starting five players to score points. Down one point with 20 seconds left, Neely Price went to the free throw line and made both clutch free throws to put the Lady Rabbits up 33-32. Bowie was able to hold on the final seconds to escape with the win.
The Jackrabbits was coming into the game in a different light. They had just lost their first district game the game before against City View and did not shoot the ball well. Vernon was coming into the game with only one district loss against City View as well the previous week and the team was coming off a bye.
The Lions came in athletic all over and was looking to employ their full-court pressure man defense to try and cause havoc. It was a good thing Bowie has played several similar teams that like to play like that and the team dabbles with the style itself since the team lacks elite height.
The first half saw the Jackrabbits take a small lead into halftime 24-20, with Coach Andy Atkins main point of criticism being on the defensive glass.
“One thing we struggled with in the first half was giving up offensive rebounds,” Atkins said. “The boys refocused themselves to not let that happen in the second half. In the third quarter we were able to limit them to only one shot and we were able to knock down shots. We got up by 22 at one point in the second half before Vernon made a few three’s late in the game.”
Despite a let down in the fourth quarter where the Lions outscored Bowie 16-9, the Jackrabbits still won by double-digits 56-45.
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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