Youth basketball to end, Little Dribblers start Saturday

The fifth and sixth grade boys’ and girls’ basketball teams will end their season this Saturday, Feb. 9, with games scheduled to take place in Clyde and Eula, just in time to free up the Albany practice gym for Little Dribblers.

Three teams of girls and four teams of boys from eight years to fourth grade are playing in the Albany Little Dribblers at the practice gym on nine-foot goals with games starting at 9:00 a.m. every Saturday from Feb. 9 through March 2.

Coaching the girls teams are Lindsey Grady, Lori Lee, and Kim Bell. Boys coaches are Clint Chapman, Tony Wheeler, Morgan Smith, and Kelby Vaughn.

The sixth grade boys did not play games last Saturday because of scheduling conflicts with the Shackelford County stock show, but the other three local teams had enough players to hit the courts at Clyde.

Results of the sixth grade girls games were not available at press time.

Fifth Grade Boys 

The fifth grade boys’ record remains unblemished at 8-0 after they defeated both Merkel and Clyde last Saturday. 

“They had a decisive victory over Merkel in the most complete game the boys have played all year,” said coach John Tom Heatly. “They continue to get better each week, and I can’t say enough about the way they hustle. I was especially proud of the way we shot from charity stripe.”

Scoring for Albany in the 26-6 win over Merkel were Huffman Heatly 9, Cade Fairchild 8, Brody Oliver 4, Calhan Fairchild 4, and Mason McCloy 1.  

“The second game was right after the Merkel game, and we were sluggish for the first 10 minutes,” said Heatly. “Then the boys settled down, played great defense, and found different ways to score. It was a hard fought game, and the boys showed lots of heart.”

Albany defeated Clyde 17-12.  

Scoring for Albany were Callan Fairchild 8, Heatly 6, Woods Peterson 1, Gatlin Wills 1, and Oliver 1.

Fifth Grade Girls 

The fifth grade girls also defeated both Merkel and Clyde last Saturday, improving their record to 6-2.

“Our girls’ hustle on defense has been keeping us in every game, all year long, and I am very proud of them,” said coach Clint Chapman. “I think the girls are beginning to also understand the offensive plays, and the ball is beginning to find the basket.”

Scoring for Albany in the 14-8 win over Merkel were Caroline Chapman 6, Cheyenne Hebel 4, Braylee Clark 2, and Avarie Myrick 2.

“In our second game against Clyde, we had three girls missing due to the stock show sale,” Chapman said. “I was really proud of how we played with only one sub against a team that tried to press. We had girls playing positions they had never played, but they did very well and pulled out a big win!”

Scoring for Albany in the 10-4 victory over Clyde were Myrick 4, as well as Madison Holson, Kaisley Bartee, and Clark with 2 each.

Sixth Grade Girls 

The sixth grade girls lost to Clyde 33-1 and Hawley 13-1. 

They, like the sixth grade boys, are facing tough competition and have won only one of their games this year.