JH teams to square off against Hamlin
By Sam Waller
The Albany Junior High Cubs and Lady Cubs basketball teams took on opponents from Cisco and Hawley the last two weeks, squeezing in their Thanksgiving break between games.
The local teams resume action Monday, Dec. 5 against Hamlin with the girls at home and the boys on the road. Games start at 5:30 p.m. at both locations.
On Monday, Nov. 21 against Cisco at home, the Lady Cubs Red team lost 48-12, and the White team lost 35-6. In Cisco, the seventh grade boys won 31-19, the eighth grade lost 37-15, and the combo team lost 23-14.
In Hawley on Monday, Nov. 28, the seventh grade Cubs won 30-8, the eighth grade lost 29-15, and the combo team tied 10-10.
The girls scored a pair of victories on their home court over Hawley with the Red team winning 17-15 and the White team 17-9.
Girls
Red Team
Against Cisco, Albany trailed 32-9 at halftime, struggling to score consistently.
Zayne Lefevre led the Lady Cubs with seven points. Charlee Hefner added three, and Brooke Richards scored two.
“The girls played well against a good Cisco team,” coach Jamie Wilson said. “We have a few little things to work on, and we will compete the next time we play them.”
Against Hawley, the Red held on despite not scoring in the fourth quarter. Albany led 17-10 after three quarters.
Lefevre scored a game-high 11 points with Ashlyn Miller adding four and Tatum Grady two.
“The girls showed some great fight all the way until the end to pull out a win,” Wilson said. “I feel like this was one of our best defensive games yet. Zayne Lefevre came up big offensively for us to keep us in the game.”
White Team
The White team struggled against Cisco but showed progress in its second outing of the season, coach M.J. Reneau said.
“Our offense and defensive looked good, and the girls were able to set up the plays correctly,” Reneau said. “We only had one sub, so most of the girls had to play the entire game and got pretty tired at the end. I was proud of them for never giving up and continuing to play hard throughout the entire game.”
Charli Trail led Albany with four points and Kamryn Graham had two.
Against Hawley, the Lady Cubs jumped out to a 13-3 halftime lead.
Trail scored seven points with Finlee Brown adding six to lead Albany. Richards and Graham each scored two points.
“The girls looked more comfortable on the court and much more aggressive than the game before,” Reneau said. “We are improving every week. We scored most of our points on fast break layups and rebounds. I’m very proud of their efforts and hard work this week.”
Boys
Eighth Grade
At Cisco, the eighth grade Cubs trailed 24-4 at halftime before picking up the scoring in the second half.
Wesley Gleitz scored eight points, followed by Connor Snith with five and Jack Nail with two.
Against Hawley, Albany led 4-2 after one quarter but trailed 11-4 at halftime.
Zane Green led the Cubs seven points. Gleitz scored four with Nail scoring two.
Seventh Grade
At Cisco, the seventh grade Cubs pulled away from a 5-5 tie in the first quarter to lead 16-5 at halftime.
Aiden Vickers and Clay Chapman each scored 10 points to lead the team. Bennett Neece added five points with Jakobi Roberson, Graham Ceder, and Cash Edgar scoring two apiece.
Against Hawley, Albany led 27-0 after three quarters.
Vickers scored a game-high 13 points with Chapman adding eight. Neece scored five points, and Ceder had four.
Combo Team
At Cisco, Albany was tied 6-6 at halftime before the Loboes pulled away.
Judson Rogers scored eight points to lead Albany with Shooter Shoaf adding four and Ryder Smith two.
Against Hawley, Albany led 8-7 at halftime before settling for the tie.
Rogers scored six points, followed by Rush Kidd and Jordan Knight with two apiece.
