SPORTS
Saint Jo girls win bi-district game against Perrin-Whitt
The Saint Jo Lady Panthers won their bi-district playoff game on Monday night against Perrin-Whitt.
The Lady Panthers won 49-32 as they had the benefit of being the first seed playing a fourth seed.
Saint Jo came into the game with a 22-10 record and had won the district title after going 11-1, though the Lady Panthers had several close calls in some games.
The Lady Pirates went 16-15 overall and 6-6 in district, losing against district front runners Graford, Throckmorton and Newcastle who are all among the top 25 teams in the state in the most recent poll.
Saint Jo came into the game after working on some defensive wrinkles specifically tailored for how Perrin-Whitt played.
Unfortunately, it seemed to cost the team some of its offensive personality as the Lady Panthers struggled to make a shot and get anything going in the first quarter.
The Lady Pirates led 9-6 heading into the second quarter.
Coach Daniel Lindenborn then scrapped the defensive plan and switched back to his team’s usual full-court, zone trapping style of play.
This seemed to unlock Saint Jo.
Not only did it limit Perrin-Whitt’s offense outside of several free throw attempts that totaled just three points.
It also upped the pace of the game and created open looks in transition. The Lady Panthers scored 24 points as six different players scored at least one point.
Maxey Johnson knocked in three 3-pointers and scored 10 points during the period while the team made five 3-pointers in the second quarter overall.
Saint Jo led 32-12 at halftime and was in control of the game now.
The Lady Panthers offense could not keep that type of offensive fireworks going all game.
Perrin-Whitt got some key players in foul trouble and Saint Jo’s offense struggled while the Lady Pirates had their best stretch of the game scoring in double-digits.
It was not enough to get back into the game as the Lady Panthers led 40-25 heading into the fourth quarter.
Saint Jo established control back over the game and outscored Perrin-Whitt in the final period. Eventually the Lady Panthers stalled the final two minutes away to secure the win.
Saint Jo won 49-32.
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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