On the Court
By Sam Waller
The Albany Lions basketball team entered the 2023 portion of the schedule with a 3-2 record after getting the season off to a belated start because of the football team’s state-championship run.
The Lions tipped off their season with a 44-37 loss to Haskell on Tuesday, Dec. 20, just six days after the final football game, in the District 10-2A opener for both teams.
Following a mandatory five-day break over Christmas, Albany won three of four games Wednesday-Friday, Dec. 28-30, and placed third overall in the small school boys division at the Brownwood tournament.
The Lions recorded their first win by beating De Leon 56-37, then beat Waco Meyer 46-40. The final day of the tournament saw the Lions fall 47-41 to Wellington before bouncing back to beat Coleman 56-50.
“We looked a lot better at the tournament,” Lions coach Ryder Peacock said. “We were just trying to play together. I was really proud of our effort. All four games were productive.”
Albany made its second district outing Tuesday, Jan. 3, with a 66-29 win at Hamlin. Details will be reported next week. The Lions host Coleman at 12:30 p.m. Friday in their final nondistrict game.
With just one brief practice before their first game, the Lions started slowly against Haskell. Foul trouble and a 2-of-12 performance at the line were contributing factors in the loss.
“That first game out was a rough one for us,” Peacock said. “I think that was kind of a wake-up call for us, that it’s time to start, but there were some positives out of that.”
Albany overcame a 10-5 deficit in the first quarter to enter the fourth tied at 29 before Haskell pulled away.
Luke Marshall led Albany with 12 points with Brayden Watson adding seven. The pair were the only varsity players who did not come over from football.
The Lions jumped out to a 17-4 lead against De Leon and used a 10-point edge in the third quarter to take a 45-25 lead into the fourth. Albany enjoyed its first outing with two double-figure scorers as Marshall had 15, and Wyatt Windham added 10.
Against Meyer, the Lions used a 14-4 edge in the fourth quarter to secure the win. The game went back and forth with Albany leading 13-8 after one period and trailing 25-20 at halftime. The Lions’ inside game was productive with Lanxton Viertel scoring 13 points and Adam Hill 10.
In the loss to Wellington, which also had a long run in the football playoffs, the Lions fought back after trailing 27-16 at halftime.
“We weren’t playing very well on the offensive end, and we weren’t shooting the ball well,” Peacock said. “We just kept battling and coming back. We got down by 16, and then it was a two-point game in the fourth quarter. We had our chances.”
Hill led Albany with 18 points while Windham added eight.
The Lions closed out the tournament with another tight game against Coleman, turning an early six-point deficit into a three-point halftime lead.
Hill had 19 points, and London Fuentes, still recovering from an ankle injury suffered in football, had nine in his most extensive outing of the season. Albany benefitted from balanced scoring with five players scoring at least six points.
Peacock said the tournament gave him a chance to evaluate the team’s capabilities.
“We got to see what we do best and decide the direction we need to take from here on out,” he said. “We ran some rotations to try to get some different bodies on the floor with different people to see how they worked together.”
HASKELL 44, ALBANY 37
ALBANY – Luke Marshall, 12, Brayden Watson 7, Adam Hill 6, Lanxton Viertel 6, Wyatt Windham 5, Lute Wheeler 1.
Haskell 10 10 9 15 - 44
Albany 5 12 12 8 - 37
ALBANY 56, DE LEON 37
ALBANY – Luke Marshall 15, Wyatt Windham 10, Lanxton Viertel 9, Adam Hill 8, Brayden Watson 8, Lute Wheeler 4, Branson Beal 2.
Albany 17 11 17 11 - 56
De Leon 4 14 7 12 - 37
ALBANY 46, WACO MEYER 40
ALBANY – Lanxton Viertel 13, Adam Hill 10, Luke Marshall 9, Wyatt Windham 5, Brayden Watson 3, Lute Wheeler 3, London Fuentes 2.
Albany 13 7 12 14 - 46
Meyer 8 17 11 4 - 40
WELLINGTON 47, ALBANY 41
ALBANY – Adam Hill 18, Wyatt Windham 8, Luke Marshall 6, Lanxton Viertel 5, Brayden Watson 2, Lute Wheeler 2.
Wellington 13 14 5 15 - 47
Albany 9 7 10 15 - 41
ALBANY 56, COLEMAN 50
ALBANY – Adam Hill 19, London Fuentes 9, Lute Wheeler 8, Wyatt Windham 6, Brayden Watson 6, Luke Marshall 3, Lanxton Viertel 3, Branson Beal 2.
Albany 10 19 10 17 - 56
Coleman 16 10 11 13 - 50
