Lions stay hot with dominant district wins
The Albany Lions continued a strong run through district play last week, earning back to back wins with a road victory at Cisco followed by a home win over Anson.
Albany opened the week with an 83 to 64 win at Cisco on Tuesday, Jan. 13, in what was one of the most anticipated district games of the season. The matchup featured two teams expected to be in the district title conversation, and head coach Ryder Peacock said his team responded well to the challenge.
“We came out fast, and that was really important,” Peacock said. “We shot the ball really well, moved it well, and that got them out of their zone defense.”
Albany’s shooting forced Cisco to abandon its preferred zone defense and switch to man to man coverage early in the game, a change Peacock said helped open up Albany’s offense as the night went on. The Lions built momentum early and maintained it despite a loud crowd and a packed gym.
Blake Britting led Albany with 21 points, followed closely by Chance Stewart with 20 and Aeden Mendez with 19, as the Lions saw balanced scoring across the lineup.
Peacock noted that Cisco entered the season as one of the top teams in the district, returning several key players from last year’s playoff run, including the district offensive player of the year.
“They’re always one of the top teams in the district,” Peacock said. “On paper, we knew they were going to be very competitive, especially at home.”
Albany followed the Cisco win with a 64 to 37 victory over Anson on Friday night in Albany. Peacock said the Lions did not start as sharply offensively but stayed patient and relied on defense and execution to take control of the game.
“The shots weren’t falling early, but the guys didn’t panic,” Peacock said. “They stayed positive and found other ways to score, and that led to things opening up later.”
Clay Chapman paced Albany against Anson with 18 points, while Aeden Mendez added 14 and Blake Britting finished with 10 as Albany steadily extended its lead.
Albany hosted Hawley on Tuesday night to close out the first half of district play, picking up a 60–42 win. Individual statistics were not available by press time and will be published in next week’s paper.
“We’re going to have to do a good job keeping them off the boards,” Peacock said regarding Hawley. “If we can do that, we can get out and run and create some easy opportunities.”
Following the Hawley game, the Lions will have a brief break before beginning the second half of district play.
JV results
Albany’s junior varsity team fell 46 to 24 at Cisco in a matchup Peacock said featured two of the stronger JV teams in the district. He noted that Albany competed well early and stayed within reach before struggling to find an offensive rhythm after halftime, allowing Cisco to pull away.
“We played them pretty well for most of the game,” Peacock said. “We just went cold for a stretch and never really recovered.”
The JV Lions responded Friday night with a dominant 45 to 12 win over Anson, using steady ball pressure and active defense to disrupt the offense and create scoring chances. Peacock said the JV group has continued to develop its identity, turning defense into offense while staying disciplined.
“They’re doing a good job of staying aggressive without overextending,” Peacock said. “That pressure creates turnovers and leads to easy baskets, and that’s something they’ve continued to build on.”
