Boys to play Christoval for bi-district
By Donnie A. Lucas
The varsity Lion basketball team sewed up a playoff berth last week with a win over Cross Plains, finishing the regular season at home Tuesday against Stamford.
Albany lost the finale to the undefeated district winning Bulldogs 75-57. Complete results will be reported next week.
The Lions face first-place Christoval from District 7-2A on Monday, Feb. 24 at Jim Ned High School in Tuscola, starting at 6:30 p.m. Ticket prices are set for $4 and $2, with all passes honored.
Albany advanced last year as the second place team behind Stamford, defeating Christoval in the bi-district round before losing to Sundown in the area playoff.
Head coach Ryder Peacock has also scheduled a practice game for this Friday at 4:00 p.m. against Sterling City. The two teams will meet at Forsan. There will be no admission charge for the game.
Lions Split Games
The Lions split games last week with district 8-2A opponents, falling to Haskell 44-32 on Feb. 11.
“I felt like we had a good scheme offensively, but we just couldn’t get anything to fall,” Peacock said. “We had too many dry spells where we didn’t get baskets, and that eventually caught up to us.”
The coach did comment that the Lions are continuing to improve rebounding the ball at both ends.
“When you aren’t making your shots, you have got to find ways to get second-chance opportunities,” he said. “We just didn’t get enough of those.”
Ben West was named the offensive standout for the bout.
Albany 9 8 5 10 - 32
Haskell 9 13 8 14 - 44
Scoring for the Lions were Blaine Kayga 3, Coy Lefevre 2, Cole Chapman 6, B.J. Morris 6, West 14, and Ryder Wilkins 1.
The Lions traveled to Cross Plains last Friday to play for the fourth-place spot in the playoffs, bringing home a 64-47 win.
“B.J. had a big game for us,” Peacock said. “He did a good job of setting the tone, not only scoring but playing defense and rebounding too.
The coach said that the Lions got into foul trouble late in the game.
“We did a good job of attacking the basket overall as a team, hitting some shots outside when they collapsed,” he said. “After we got into foul trouble, we had some guys step up and get the job done when it mattered.”
Morris was tapped as the offensive standout.
Albany 12 19 11 22 - 64
C Plains 15 6 7 19 - 47
Scoring were Kayga 8, Le-fevre 6, Cade Neve 5, Chapman 8, Seth Hale 5, Morris 23, West 4, and Wilkins 5.
JV Stays Undefeated
The JV Lions beat both Haskell and Cross Plains last week to improve to 9-0 in district action.
The JV traveled to Haskell on Feb. 11, picking up a 48-42 win.
“We put together some solid minutes in the game,” coach Rod Britting said. “When we play consistently, we have a lot of potential.”
Brooks Neece and Barrett Beal were picked as offensive standouts, while Beal also was tapped for defensive honors.
Albany 11 11 16 10 - 48
Haskell 6 13 12 11 - 42
Scoring for the JV were Neece 11, London Fuentes 6, Caden Price 4, Beal 14, Robert Bailey 8, Brodey Jones 3, and Zach Parrott 2.
The JV traveled to Cross Plains last Friday, earning a 68-27 romp on the road.
“The guys played a solid game, except for a sluggish third quarter,” Britting said.
Beal, Bailey and Jones were named offensive standouts, while Beal and Neece were picked for the defense.
Albany 18 19 8 24 - 68
C Plains 9 6 2 10 - 27
Scoring for Albany were Neece 5, Keatin Russell 2, Fuentes 5, Price 5, Beal 21, Bailey 10. Jones 12, and Parrott 8.
