Saint Jo
The Saint Jo Panthers had an up and down week last week, beating Bellevue at home before losing a close contest with Forestburg on the road.
The Panthers were able to beat the Eagles definitively 59-34 on Jan. 14 before losing in the fourth quarter against the Longhorns on Friday 48-40.
Saint Jo entered the week knowing it was going to possibly be its most important of the season as both Bellevue and Forestburg were potential playoff teams that are expected to compete with the Panthers for the district title.
The game started off competitive as the Panthers led only 11-6 after the first quarter. Both teams employed tough man-to-man defenses. Saint Jo did not want to let any of Bellevue’s shooters to have any room to get comfortable 3-point shots.
The Panthers started to up the pressure even more for steals both on the ball and in the passing lanes, as well as started to execute better offense in the second quarter. Saint Jo players were able dribble past defenders and attack the basket and pulled away 25-13 at halftime.
The Panthers continued to do so in the second half, really frustrating the Eagles with their physical play and fouls not going their way.
Saint Jo led 39-19 heading into the final period before winning comfortably 59-34.
It was a big win since it set up an early season showdown between two undefeated teams in district with Forestburg.
After a tight first quarter with the score tied at 12-12, Saint Jo took the lead 26-19 at halftime. The third quarter was a low-paced, low-scoring period as the Longhorns made up the seven point lead as the score was tied at 28-28 heading into the fourth quarter.
There, both teams had decent offensive quarters, but it was Forestburg that exploded for 20 points as it pulled away to win 48-40.

Bellevue
The Bellevue Eagles went 1-1 last week, earning their first district win after a tough start to district play.
The Eagles lost a tough game at Saint Jo 59-34 before coming back on Friday to win at home against Prairie Valley 74-41.
Bellevue came into the week coming off a disappointing loss against potential playoff team Forestburg to start off district play.
On Jan. 14 the Eagles traveled to Saint Jo to play another team in the district that is vying for a playoff spot.
From the start, the Panthers really physical man-to-man defense made it tough for Bellevue to find easy shots. Any drive to the rim saw contests from tall or long defenders and the 3-point shots were not open to take.
The Eagles initially hung in there defensively in the first quarter, trailing only 11-6. Then the second quarter saw Saint Jo find success driving to the basket with its tough front line and Bellevue offensively had no answer.
The Eagles trailed 25-13 at halftime and things only got worse in the second half.
Bellevue’s top post player Brycen Bancroft got in foul trouble in the third quarter and had to sit which did not help the Eagles try to hold off the Panthers.
Nothing was going their way as the home crowd and physical play frustrated Bellevue. The Eagles did finish with 15 points scored in the fourth quarter, but it did not matter much as Saint Jo won 59-34.
Bellevue was sitting at 0-2 heading into Friday’s home district opener which was also homecoming. The Eagles were able to give the crowd a good show and earn their first district win against a young Prairie Valley team.
Bellevue scored 42 points in the first half as it got back on track with a 74-41 win.

Forestburg
The Forestburg Longhorns had a great week to improve to first place in the district.
The Longhorns picked up a win against Midway 65-45 on Jan. 14 before picking up a home win against Saint Jo 48-40 on Friday.
Forestburg entered the week after coming back in its first district game to beat Bellevue in the fourth quarter. The Longhorns know they have a shot at the district title this season and know now is the time to play their best.
Forestburg played at Midway and led for most of the game. The Longhorns had a 28-19 lead at halftime before exploding in third quarter with 22 points to open up their lead. Forestburg won by a comfortable margin 65-45.
This set up a game against Saint Jo, with both teams coming into the game at 2-0 to start district.
The first quarter was even with the score tied at 12-12. The Longhorns had a rough second quarter which allowed the Panthers to get the lead 26-19 at halftime.
The third quarter was a low-scoring stretch for both teams. Forestburg’s defense came alive, allowing Saint Jo only two points. The Longhorns only scored two points more than they did in the second quarter, but it was enough to tie the score up at 28-28.
In the fourth quarter, both team’s offenses came alive. In the end it was Forestburg’s hot ending that allowed the Longhorns to pull away. Forestburg scored 20 points in the final period as it won 48-40.

Nocona
The Nocona Indians were able to finish the first round of district last week by going 2-0, getting wins against Archer City and Electra.
The Indians beat Archer City 32-20 on Jan. 14 before beating Electra 55-42.
Nocona was coming off a tough loss against Seymour and entered the week 2-2 in district play.
The Indians played the Wildcats and the game was low-scoring and competitive for three quarters.
Nocona led only 15-13 at halftime and both teams made only one basket each in the third quarter. The Indians led 18-15 entering the fourth quarter.
While Nocona’s defense kept the clamps on, allowing Archer City to score only five points, the Indians nearly doubled their three quarter total with 14 points.
Nocona won with a comfortable margin 32-20.
Coach Brody Wilson was proud of his team’s defensive effort in the game.
The Indians then played a different type of game against Electra on Friday. Nocona scored in double-digits in every quarter as it played with the lead throughout.
The Indians led 15-10 after the first quarter and 29-22 at halftime. The lead was nearly the same as the Tigers just would not go away, down 45-37 heading into the fourth quarter.
Nocona did not let up as it controlled the pace down from the first three quarters. This helped limit Electra to only five points while the Indians grew their lead to double-digits.
Nocona won 55-42.

Gold-Burg
The Gold-Burg Bears went 1-1 last week with games against Prairie Valley and Midway.
The Bears beat the Bulldogs on Jan. 14, 64-56, before losing on Friday against the Falcons 66-37.
Gold-Burg came into the week following its district loss against Saint Jo, but were able to bounce back in its next game.
The Bears played at Prairie Valley on Jan. 14. It was close throughout as Gold-Burg led only 29-26 at halftime.
The Bears defense then limited the Bulldogs to only single-digit points in the third quarter, which allowed Gold-Burg to balloon its lead up to double-digits, 45-34.
In the fourth quarter, Prairie Valley charged back with 22 points, but the Bears scored just enough for a little breathing room at the end as they won 64-56.
Coach Christian Healer thought there was enough promise in the win to have his team focus on the small things if the team wants to surprise people and earn a playoff spot.
The next game against Midway did not go Gold-Burg’s way. The Falcons size limited the Bears offense early on which allowed Midway to jump out to an 18-5 lead in the first quarter.
Gold-Burg was able to score more consistently in the final three quarters, but not enough to either keep up with the rate the Falcons were scoring or to make up the difference from the first quarter. Midway won 66-37.

Prairie Valley
The Prairie Valley Bulldogs lost their two games last week against Gold-Burg on Jan. 14 and at Bellevue on Friday.
The Bulldogs lost 64-56 against Gold-Burg and 74-41 against Bellevue.
Prairie Valley came into last week following a loss against Midway.
The Bulldogs played the Bears close in the first half, trailing only 29-26 at halftime. Then Prairie Valley was outscored 17-9 in the third quarter as Gold-Burg’s lead grew to 11 points entering the fourth quarter.
The Bulldogs shot the ball well, making five 3-pointers as they scored 21 points in the final period. Unfortunately for Prairie Valley, it could not get enough stops to come back as it fell short 64-56.
The next game against Bellevue was one where Prairie Valley allowed the Eagles to get off to too hot of an offensive start. Bellevue scored 28 points in the first quarter and 42 points in the first half.
Despite the Bulldogs scoring at a decent pace besides in the third quarter, it was not enough to keep up with the Eagles scoring. Bellevue won 74-41.

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

For more pictures from the Saint Jo vs Bellevue game, click here https://www.dotphoto.com/go.asp?l=bnews1&AID=6872451&T=1