Lions to start district schedule this week
By Donnie A. Lucas
The Lion basketball team has been working toward the district opener on Friday in Roscoe, splitting games last week and traveling on Tuesday to Archer City for the final tune-up game.
The JV boys will start the action in Roscoe on Friday at 5:00 p.m., with the varsity boys taking the court about 7:45 p.m.
The District 8-2A race will continue next Tuesday, Jan. 21 in Hawley with the same start times.
The Lions fell to Archer City on Tuesday 36-48, taking a 5-9 record into league play. Details will be reported next week.
Albany hosted the Abilene Hawks Jan. 7, fighting back for a 37-36 win.
“The guys did a great job of battling and staying patient,” coach Ryder Peacock said. “We didn’t make many shots, but we did a good job of keeping our composure and letting the game come to us.”
Ben West and Blaine Kayga were picked as the offensive standouts.
“Ben and Blaine came up with some big baskets to give us a late run when we were down 32-23 in the fourth quarter,” the coach said. “Defensively, we played well throughout, not giving up anything easy and forcing them into some tough shots.”
Albany 9 5 9 14 - 37
Hawks 8 4 16 8 - 36
Scoring were Cole Chapman 3, B.J. Morris 7, West 15, and Kayga 12.
The Lions faced a tough Class A opponent on Friday at home, hosting Graford in a 72-33 loss for the Lions.
“Going in, we knew we had to slow the game down and keep the tempo slow to shorten the game,” Peacock said. “We were able to do that for the first seven minutes, but Graford got the tempo going after that.”
Morris was the offensive standout for the game.
“I felt that we got a lot of great looks inside, but we had a poor shooting night,” Peacock said. “Graford just couldn’t miss from the three-point range.”
Albany 6 3 14 10 - 33
Graford 12 15 25 20 - 72
Scoring for the Lions were Chapman 5, Morris 12, West 8, and Kayga 8.
JV Splits Games
The JV boys played two very close games last week with mixed results.
Albany defeated the visiting Abilene Hawks, 44-43, on Jan. 7.
“It was a great battle, with both teams exchanging the lead throughout,” coach Rod Britting said. “We were able to pull out the win, and I am proud of the way the guys responded to adjustments and were coachable.”
Barrett Beal and Coy Lefevre were tapped as offensive standouts, while London Fuentes and Luke Ivy were picked for defense.
Scoring for the Lions were Brooks Neece 3, Fuentes 6, Beal 12, Cooper Fairchild 5, Robert Bailey 2, Ivy 2, Brodey Jones 6, and Lefevre 8.
The JV came up short against Graford last Friday, 32-29.
“It was a pretty good game overall against a good team,” the coach said. “We had our chances to win the game, but it didn’t work out in the end. We have got to do a better job around the basket to beat the better teams.”
Beal was named for offense and Ivy received the defensive nod.
Scoring were Fuentes 4, Beal 17, Jones 4, and Lefevre 4.
