Albany girls to start district Tuesday
By Donnie A. Lucas
The Lady Lions dropped all three games last week as they continued to prepare for the opening of district competition next week against Haskell.
Albany hosted Richland Springs on Tuesday, getting back in the win column 41-26. Details will be reported next week.
The varsity is currently 3-4 for the season.
Both the JV and varsity teams will travel to Roby on Friday for games beginning at 4:00 p.m. with the JV girls. The varsity girls should take the floor at 6:30 p.m.
The Lady Lions will open District 10-2A next Tuesday, Dec. 15 starting at 5:00 p.m. with the JV game and 6:30 p.m. for the varsity. Tickets must be purchased prior to the game on the school’s website. Season passes to all basketball games are also available for $60.
Game Details
The varsity traveled to Aspermont on Dec. 1, coming home with a 52-36 loss.
“Aspermont shot the ball really well,” coach Tate Thompson said. “They hit 10 three-pointers, which is hard to compete with. Our girls are doing some good things, but not being in shape hurts us in being consistent.”
The coach said he expects the team to make more of their shots and be consistent on defense once they are in game shape. About half of the varsity team joined the group late due to the volleyball playoffs.
Elia Hebel was the offensive standout, while Alli Hill was named for defense.
Albany 4 7 10 15 - 36
Aspermont 10 14 14 14 - 52
Scorers: Torie Fuentes 6, Brylee Moore 3, Cydney Nelson 3, Alli Hill 2, Traci Isbell 7, Lizzie Chavez 2, and Elia Hebel 11
The varsity girls also traveled to Highland on Friday, Dec. 4, losing a tight game 49-48.
“This was a great game for us,” Thompson said. “Highland went on a run in the third quarter and got up by 10. I was very proud of the girls for not giving up and coming back to give us a chance to win.”
Hill was the offensive leader.Hebel was named as defensive standout.
Albany 10 11 13 14 - 48
Highland 11 12 12 14 - 49
Scorers: Fuentes 4, Moore 10, Hill 17, Tana Thompson 4, Isbell 7, and Hebel 6
Albany hosted Eula on Saturday, falling 36-31.
“That was the third game of the week against three good teams,” the coach said. “Our record doesn’t show it, but we’re taking steps forward and preparing for district.”
Hebel was the top offensive player, with Brylee Moore named for defense.
Albany 3 11 6 11 - 31
Eula 7 13 10 6 - 36
Scorers: Fuentes 11, Moore 2, Hill 1, Briley Tabor 2, Thompson 1, Isbell 3, and Hebel 11
JV Results
The JV girls won both games they played last week, defeating Woodson 33-24 in their first outing.
“The girls did a great job against Woodson’s half court press,” coach M.J. Reneau said. “They handled the pressure well and even ran a new press breaker. I was impressed with their ability to adjust so quickly in the game.”
The coach said the posts finished well under the net, and rebounding improved in the second half.
Scoring were Robin Lucas 3, Ashlyn Holson 6, Callan Edgar 6, Sidney Russell 2, and Kiana Roberson 16.
The JV also added a 31-27 win Saturday over Eula.
“Eula was a tough team, but our girls stepped up and did a great job,” the coach said. “Our defense did well in our man and 1-3-1 coverage, and we shot well from the outside.”
The coach said she is seeing improvement with each game.
“The team has made a goal to work on running the floor more and blocking out better,” Reneau said.
Scoring for Albany were Lucas 8, Brooklyn Abbate 4, and Holson 19.
The JV is 2-1 for the season.
