Youth teams finish delayed season
By Sam Waller
Three of Albany’s youth basketball teams reached the championship games of their respective divisions in the final weekend of competition Saturday, Feb. 12 at Eula.
The fifth grade boys won their bracket to finish the season undefeated.
The fifth grade girls reached the final of their bracket before losing.
The sixth grade boys also won their first game, advancing to the final before losing their second.
The sixth grade girls, playing for just the second time this season, lost both of their games.
Fifth Grade Boys
The Albany fifth grade boys opened play with a 36-16 victory over Jim Ned Blue. Lyle Wheeler scored 16 points, with Blake Britting adding eight points, Trevor Bellah and Slayton Parsons three each, Jaime Barrera, Ben Russell, and Ace Townson two each.
In the championship game, Albany defeated Eula 42-33. Wheeler scored 16 points and Britting 15 to lead the team. Parsons added three points with Russell, Jathan Perez, Sam Tidwell, and Levi Murphy all scoring two points each.
Fifth Grade Girls
The Albany fifth grade girls defeated Hawley Black 33-4 in the first game to advance. Tinley Hefner scored a game-high 13 points to lead the team.Laramie Reynolds scored eight points. Hailey Gleitz and Avery Gleitz each scored four points. Kynlee Milligan and Keeley Britting each scored two points.
In the final, Albany lost 17-10 to Jim Ned Red. Hefner scored eight points and Keeley Britting scored two.
“I enjoyed coaching this group of girls,” coach Susan Britting said. “They have made significant improvements throughout the year. My goal was to teach them some fundamentals and have a better understanding of the game as well as have fun.”
Sixth Grade Boys
The Albany sixth grade boys team began play with a 46-13 victory over Merkel. Aiden Vickers scored 23 points, with Clay Chapman adding 15. Bennett Neece scored six points and Jakobi Word two.
In the final, Albany lost 38-22 to Jim Ned. Vickers scored 12 points, followed by Chapman with eight and Neece with two.
“The boys played hard all season,” sixth grade boys coach Clint Chapman said. “It’s a really good group of quick learners. I think they are going to play well in the years to come. They have lots of talent.”
Sixth Grade Girls
The Albany sixth grade girls team lost its first game 19-13 to Eula before falling 22-12 to Merkel. Individual scorers were not available.
The sixth grade girls team played just four games as illnesses during the early portion of the schedule prevented the squad from having enough players available.
