8th grade Cubs finish undefeated at 16-0
By Donnie A. Lucas
The Albany Cubs closed out the basketball season at home Monday, winning two out of the three games against Roscoe.
The eighth grade Cubs ended a perfect 16-0 season, according to coach David Fairchild, with their 46-13 win over the Plowboys. The group also went 3-0 in the local tournament last Thursday and Saturday.
“I’m very proud of these young guys and the way they approached the game all season,” Fairchild said. “They’re very talented and smart, and also work well on the floor together. They each had a role on the team and contributed well.”
The coach said he is looking forward to watching the group as they continue through high school starting next year.
“This group was challenged at times during the season, but they responded quickly,” the coach said. “They are very coachable and like to win.”
The coach named Zane Waggoner, Adam Hill, and Cole Read as offensive standouts, along with Lanxton Viertel, Lute Wheeler, Bryson Herring, and Cason Fairchild on defense.
Scoring for the Cubs were Read 9 (all three-pointers), Wheeler 3, Hill 13, Waggoner 17, Viertel 2.
The eighth graders defeated the Abilene Hawks 51-4 in the tournament last week, along with beating Cross Plains 34-14. In the third game, the Cubs outscored Graham 33-16.
The coach commended Hill, Waggoner, and Viertel on offense, along with Fairchild, Wheeler, Herring, and Read on defense.
The seventh grade Cubs won both of their games in the tournament, defeating Baird 34-7, along with edging out Munday 19-18.
Scoring totals for the tournament were Jace Little 2, Ashton Bailey 14, Dalton Richards 12, Branson Beal 15, Landon Balliew 7, and Hagen Miller 3.
The Cubs lost to Roscoe 27-20 on Monday in the season finale.
Scoring were Bailey 12, Little 2, Richards 2, and Beal 4.
“Our kids on both teams showed progress as the season went along, which was our main goal,” coach Jimmy Fuentes said. “We wanted them to learn the fundamentals of the game and how to execute what we taught them in practice. It was a good season, and we hope to see more progress next year.”
The combined B team also played in the local tournament, losing to Munday 27-16 and to Baird 15-10.
Scoring totals for the two games were Brayden Watson 2, Andre Gjerpe 4, Ty Richards 4, Cooper Edgar 9, Brody Brown 2, and Kolt Koemel 3.
The combined B team beat Roscoe in the last game of the year, 27-14.
Scoring were Watson 13, Richards 1, Edgar 6, Austin Sanchez 5, Brown 2, and Koemel 4.
