Moran teams to play in tourney
By Sam Waller
Moran basketball teams had a busy week with both boys and girls varsity teams making their first tournament appearances.
The Bulldogs started the week against Strawn Nov. 30 before competing in the Woodson tournament.
The Lady Bulldogs played in the Breckenridge tournament after dealing with schedule changes.
Both boys and girls will play in the Lueders-Avoca tournament this weekend.
Girls Games
The Lady Bulldogs went 0-5 at the Breckenridge tournament, but coach John Hughes said that was preferable to a 17-day gap between games the team the team faced after a series of cancellations.
Moran played Class 5A Arlington Seguin twice and Class 3A Eastland in addition to games against Huckabay and Albany.
“It helped a lot,” Hughes said of playing larger schools. “We’re going to a 1A tournament this weekend, and my girls aren’t scared of anybody anymore. They developed a lot of confidence.”
On Thursday, Dec. 2, Moran lost 68-18 to Huckabay. Emily Murk led the team with six points, followed by Johnnie Hise with five, Hannah Noble four, Hannah Rogers two, and Harmony Slaughter one.
On Friday morning, Moran lost to Eastland 54-12. Hise scored all 12 points.
That was followed by a 63-25 loss to Seguin later Friday. Noble and Murk each scored eight points, with Hise adding seven and Rogers two.
On Saturday, Moran lost 47-17 to Albany. Hise led the team with 11 points. Rogers scored four, and Murk had two.
The Lady Bulldogs dropped the rematch with Seguin 35-19 to wrap up the weekend. Hise scored seven points, and Murk added six. Rogers scored three points, followed by Noble with two and Samantha Hinkle with one.
The Lady Bulldogs will play Trent at noon Thursday (today) at the Lueders-Avoca tourney.
Boys Details
On Tuesday, Nov. 30, the Bulldogs lost 38-18 to Strawn at home.
The Greyhounds jumped out to a 19-2 lead in the first quarter and upped the margin to 21 points at halftime. Moran enjoyed better offensive production in the second half, outscoring Strawn 16-15.
Arren Hawley led the Bulldogs with seven points, followed by Connor Hail five, Ellis Hise four, and Caleb York two.
The Bulldogs notched their first victory of the season to finish 1-1 at the Woodson tournament.
Moran opened with a 45-34 loss to host Woodson before defeating Paint Creek 44-19 Saturday.
Against Woodson, Moran hit four 3-pointers in taking a 16-9 lead in the first quarter but couldn’t maintain the pace. The Cowboys rallied for a 25-24 halftime edge, then outscored Moran 20-10 in the second half. Hawley led Moran with 13 points, while Hise added 10, Riley Noble six points, and York five.
Against Paint Creek, Hawley cut loose to record 29 points with four 3-pointers, scoring 12 in the first quarter as Moran took an 18-0 lead. He had 10 points in the third quarter to help push the margin to 35-16.
Hise and Noble each added five points, Hail three, and York two.
Junior High Results
The Moran Junior High Lady Bulldogs suffered a 31-0 loss Monday at Eula. Moran made just one trip to the free throw line, missing two shots.
The junior high team closes out the 2021 portion of the schedule Monday, Dec. 13 at Rising Star.
