AHS boys scramble for position in 2nd half
By Donnie A. Lucas
The Lion basketball team picked up their first district win last week against Cross Plains, then added a second mark in the win column this week over Roscoe.
The Lions hosted the Plowboys on Tuesday, putting up a 47-32 win to start the second round of district.
Albany will be at home again on Friday, hosting the Hawley Bearcats. The JV is on the schedule to follow the JV girls at 5:00 p.m., with the varsity boys taking over the court at about 7:45 p.m. after the varsity girls bout.
The Lions will be on the road to Haskell next Tuesday, Feb. 11 with the same game times.
The varsity edged out Cross Plains 38-37 on Jan. 28 at home.
“This was a frustrating game on offense,” coach Ryder Peacock said. “I don’t think we ever got into any kind of a rhythm, and we couldn’t hit from the outside.”
He credited the team with a good effort “crashing” the boards and getting some second-chance points.
“Cade Neve provided us a spark off the bench and is playing with a lot of confidence right now,” the coach said. “Defensively, we did a pretty good job overall. I thought we defended well and forced tough shots.”
Peacock noted that the district games have all been decided by less than six points.
The coach named Ben West, Neve, Blaine Kayga, and B.J. Morris as offensive standouts.
Albany 9 10 8 11 - 38
C Plains 7 9 8 13 - 37
Scoring for the Lions were Cole Chapman 4, Morris 7, Neve 8, West 10, Kayga 7, and Ryder Wilkins 2.
The Lions lost in Stamford on Friday, 39-36.
“I thought the guys did a good job of sticking to the game plan,” said the coach. “We executed our defensive scheme well, keeping them off the glass. With the exception of a few minutes in the first quarter, we executed well on offense.”
He added that the Lions “played with a lot of heart.”
Offensive standouts were Morris and West.
Albany 5 7 14 10 - 36
Stamford 16 5 12 4 - 39
Scoring were Coy Lefevre 3, Neve 5, Chapman 5, Seth Hale 3, Morris 12, and West 8.
JV Results
The JV Lions improved to 13-6 overall, including 5-0 in district with victories over Cross Plains and Stamford last week.
The JV thrashed the Buffaloes 65-14 at home last Tuesday.
Coach Rod Britting named Barrett Beal, Caden Price, and Coy Lefevre as offensive standouts, while Brooks Neece, Brodey Jones, and Luke Ivy were picked for defense.
Albany 20 14 21 10 - 65
C Plains 5 2 1 6 - 14
Scoring were Neece 9, Keatin Russell 3, London Fuentes 4, Price 12, Beal 14, Ivy 4, Jones 8, Lefevre 9, and Zach Parrott 2.
The JV also won in Stamford last Friday, beating the JV Bulldogs 41-24.
“We played a consistent game, but we missed a lot of easy shots that could have turned this into a blowout,” Britting said. “We stayed focused on great defense and stayed the course.”
Beal, Fuentes, and Price were the offensive standouts, along with Beal, Neece and Jones on defense.
Albany 10 9 6 16 - 41
Stamford 7 2 8 7 - 24
Scoring for the JV were Neece 4, Fuentes 7, Price 7, Beal 19, and Jones 4.
The JV II Lions also played in Stamford, losing 47-28.
“They came out shooting three-pointers in the first half,” Britting said. “We were playing from behind, but we did slow them down.”
Albany 7 4 7 10 - 28
Stamford 15 18 12 2 - 47
Rylan Roberson and Tyler Waddell were picked as offensive standouts., along with Andrew Leverton and Jayden Lucas on defense.
Scoring were Leverton 2, Waddell 8, Lucas 2, Chris Hensley 2, and Roberson 14.
