Showdown with Stamford to decide leader
The Lion varsity basketball team has gone 4-0 in district thanks to another a pair of wins in the last week, setting up a showdown against the Stamford Bulldogs on Friday for control of the District 8-2A race.
Stamford is also 4-0 in the district race, pitting the top two teams to determine the first half winner. Tip-off at the local gym for the varsity boys is expected at about 7:30 p.m. immediately following the varsity girls game.
The second round of district action will open next Tuesday in Roscoe. Game time is again at 7:30 p.m.
The Lions traveled to Cross Plains on Tuesday, bringing home a 61-33 win to improve to 9-2 for the season and 4-0 in district. Details of the bout will be reported next week.
The varsity also earned victories over both Hawley and Haskell during last week.
The Lions hosted Hawley on Jan. 15, posting a 45-37 win.
“This was a big win for us mentally,” coach Ryder Peacock said. “Hawley is a big team and created some mismatches with their size, but we did a good job of keeping them off the glass on offense for the most part.”
The coach said that the -Lions had a bad night at the free throw line, missing 14 shots.
“We know the road only gets tougher from here on out, so we have to get better in all phases of the game,” he said.
The coach named Cameron Dacus, Ryan Hill, and Coby Knight as offensive standouts.
Unfortunately, Hill suffered a season-ending knee injury during the game that will require surgery.
Albany 10 12 13 10 - 45
Hawley 8 8 8 13 - 37
Scoring for the Lions were Dacus 15, Blaine Kayga 2, Joshua Dyer 4, Ben West 6, Hill 9, and Knight 9.
The Lions picked up a 55-35 win on the road in Haskell last Friday.
“Offensively, the guys did a good job of spreading the ball around,” Peacock said. “We got great looks and did a good job of stepping into our shots without hesitation.”
Dacus, Knight, Dyer, and Derek Isbell were tapped as offensive standouts.
“We did a good job on defense of pressuring their shooters,” the coach said. “Haskell hit some shots early on, but the guys continued to apply pressure which made the difference down the stretch. Overall, the guys did a good job of getting a big win on the road.”
Defensive standouts were Kayga, West, and Cutter Cowart.
Albany 17 12 6 20 - 55
Haskell 17 5 8 5 - 35
Scoring for Albany were Dacus 14, Cowart 4, Kayga 2, Dyer 8, West 4, Isbell 6, and Knight 17.
JV Results
The JV boys lost to visiting Hawley 32-16 on Jan. 15.
“We couldn’t get any shots to fall for us,” coach Rod Britting said. “Usually if you hold a team to 32 points you are either winning or at least in the game, but we just couldn’t make a basket.”
The coach said that the team will be working hard on shooting the ball.
Everett McWhorter was named offensive standout and Luke Ivy was picked on defense.
Albany JV 5 2 3 6 - 16
Hawley JV 10 7 6 9 - 32
Scoring for the JV were Jackson Chapman 2, McWhorter 7, Brooks Neece 2, Cade Neve 3, and Robert Bailey 2.
The JV recorded its first district win in Haskell last Friday, 28-25.
“We played better on offense,” Britting said. “Ryder (Wilkins) played well and got the inside points we needed to stay ahead. Jackson (Chapman) did a good job on defense and had some important plays at the boards.”
The coach also commended Neve for his shots and playing well on defense.
Wilkins was named by the coach as offensive standout for the game and Chapman was picked for defense.
Albany JV 4 7 7 10 - 28
Haskell JV 5 1 4 15 - 25
Scoring for the Lions were Chapman 2, McWhorter 7, Wilkins 10, Brayden Sullivan 2, and Neve 7.
Albany’s JV Red team also played a Hawley boys sub-varsity last week, falling by a score of 16-15.
“We got off to a decent start, then we just couldn’t get anything going,” Peacock said. “We missed some shots throughout the second and third period that we needed to convert. We went into full-court press in the fourth quarter, which made a difference.”
The coach said that the -Lions made a run in the fourth and were almost able to pull off a win.
Albany Red 6 0 3 6 - 15
Hawley 2 4 8 2 - 16
Scoring were Dillon Hindman 4, Jeb Becker 6, Jaheim Newton 2, and Brodey Jones 2.
