Lions to face Anson Friday in local gym
By Donnie A. Lucas
The Lion varsity basketball team opened district play just before the Christmas break with a one-point loss to Hawley, but they chalked up a mark in the win column at the end of the break with a win over Hamlin last Saturday.
The Lions were on the road in Cisco on Tuesday, coming home with a 62-34 loss. Details of the game will be reported next week.
Albany will host the Anson Tigers on Friday, with the JV boys playing at 6:00 p.m. in the old gym, followed by the varsity game at 7:15 p.m. in the new gym.
The Lions will travel to Stamford next Tuesday, Jan. 12, for games following the same schedule.
The varsity suffered a 51-50 loss in Hawley on Dec. 22 to open District 10-2A.
“This game looked to be one of the toughest teams in our new district coming in,” head boys coach Ryder Peacock said. “I thought the guys went into a tough environment and played their best game of the season so far.”
The coach named Luke Ivy and Coy Lefevre as defensive standouts, along with Cole Chapman, Barrett Beal, and London Fuentes on the offensive side.
“We moved the ball well as a team, getting some great looks at the basket,” the coach said “We also played our best help defense of the season.”
Albany 13 11 12 14 - 50
Hawley 10 9 18 14 - 51
Scoring for the Lions were Barrett Beal 13, London Fuentes 11, Coy Lefevre 2, Cade Neve 3, Cole Chapman 14, Cooper Fairchild 5, and Luke Ivy 2.
The varsity earned the first district win last Saturday, beating Hamlin 68-44.
“I thought we did a good job of getting the ball inside,” the coach said. “We felt like we could get some good looks inside, getting the ball in there and finishing.”
The coach added that the guards played well on the outside, creating some backside opportunities in the low post.
“Overall, this was a good way to start the new year, and we need to continue to build off this game,” said Peacock.
Ivy was tapped as defensive standout of the game, along with Chapman and Beal on offense.
Albany 21 18 10 19 - 68
Hamlin 12 7 10 15 - 44
Scoring for Albany were Beal 10, Fuentes 3, Lefevre 2, Chapman 30, Everett McWhorter 5, Adam Hill 4, Ivy 6, Caden Price 4, and Brooks Neece 4.
The JV boys also split games over the last two weeks, losing in Hawley and returning home to defeat Hamlin last Saturday.
The JV lost in Hawley 46-33 on Dec. 22.
“We started well and controlled the first quarter,” coach Rod Britting said. “But they had a much older team than we did, with several juniors and seniors coming in off their bench against our freshman-heavy team.”
Lanxton Viertel and Keatin Russell were named as defensive standouts, while Adam Hill and Viertel were picked for offense.
Albany 15 6 7 5 - 33
Hawley 9 22 11 5 - 46
Scoring for the JV were Houston Heatly 3, Keatin Russell 5, Lanxton Viertel 8, Adam Hill 15, and Zach Parrott 2.
The JV got right back in the win column with a 35-20 rout against Hamlin. The win pushed the team’s season record to 8-1.
“The guys ran the floor much better against Hamlin, but we didn’t always make the best decisions when we got to our basket,” Britting said. “We need to do a better job of finishing. The effort was great, but we need to get under control.”
The coach credited the defense with playing well and creating turnovers. Defensive standouts were Hill, Parrott, and Bryson Herring.
Russell, Parrott, and Hill were picked as offensive standouts.
Albany 10 5 12 8 - 35
Hamlin 0 10 4 6 - 20
Scoring for the JV were Heatly 2, Russell 8, Brayden Watson 1, Herring 2, Hill 11, and Parrott 9.
