The Cubs and Lady Cubs have been busy over the last week, playing two sets of games since returning from the Christmas break.
The teams will play Cross Plains next Monday, with games starting at 5:30 p.m. in both locations. The girls will host the Buffaloes, while the boys will be on the road in Cross Plains.
The Cubs split games against Hawley at home last Thursday in the first set of games since the break.
The junior high Bulldogs recorded the lone win on the basketball court for Moran this week, but compared to last year, when low player numbers coupled with injuries caused both high school teams to end their seasons early, the Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs are still playing and improving their skills.
Lady Bulldogs
The fifth and sixth grade youth basketball players opened the 2019 season at home last Saturday, with three of the local teams splitting games and one team winning both of their bouts.
5th Grade Boys
The fifth grade boys came out playing good defense from the start, according to coach John Tom Heatly.
“We hadn’t had a whole lot of practice, so I was extremely proud of them, and can’t say enough about the defense,” Heatly said. “They also did a great job sharing the ball with each other on offense. The entire team played well.”
The varsity Lion basketball team won three out of four rounds at the Windthorst tournament last week as they prepare for the opening of the district race.
Although they started the season late due to football playoffs, coach Ryder Peacock said that team members brought back several positives from the two-day tourney in Windthorst.
“We were able to rotate a lot of guys in during tight games to see how they would respond,” Peacock said. “It is still very early in the season for us, and we found ways to win while our perimeter game develops.
The varsity Lady Lion basketball team opened district with a win over Cross Plains last week, then traveled to Stamford on Tuesday for the second league game.
Down by three at the half, Albany pulled ahead in the third quarter and held off Stamford in a big 46-45 win to up their district mark to 2-0 and go 15-8 for the season. Details of the bout will be reported next week.
The march towards the playoffs will continue on Friday, with Albany hosting Roscoe. The JV will take the floor at 4:00 p.m., followed by the varsity girls at 6:30 p.m.
The youth fifth and sixth grade basketball teams will play their first games of the season on Saturday, Jan. 12, with the four local teams competing in both the Albany High School gym and the Albany practice gym.
Basketball games will take place every hour from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. with two games scheduled for each of the 16 teams playing in Albany this Saturday.
The Lady Bulldogs suffered defeat in both of their games over the Christmas break.
Moran hosted Lueders-Avoca for an 11:00 a.m. match on Dec. 31, and the visiting Raiders left with a 46-22 victory.
The varsity girls also dropped their first district bout on Friday, Jan. 4, to Gordon by a final score of 18-45, according to coach Dakota Fowler.
The Lady Bulldogs traveled to Ranger on Tuesday, Jan. 8, for a 6:30 p.m. tip off.
Results were not available at press time.
Local fifth and sixth graders who signed up for local youth basketball teams have started practicing in preparation for the first tournament of the season on Jan. 12.
According to coach and league coordinator Clint Chapman, 36 students signed up for the four teams designated for fifth and sixth grade boys and girls.
“The teams have already started practicing, so we will not be able to take any late registrations since those kids would already be too far behind,” Chapman said. “There are a total of eight area towns participating over five Saturdays.”
The varsity and JV Lady Lions split games at home last week, both falling to the Goldthwaite Lady Eagles and then both beating the Throckmorton Lady Greyhounds.
The teams have been idle for the Christmas break, but the varsity will resume action at a local tournament on Thursday and Friday. The Lady Lions are hosting several teams for the two-day event, with admission of $4 for adults and $2 for students each day.
The Lion varsity basketball team got off to a late but successful start last week, defeating the visiting Abilene Hawks.
The Lions have had a week-long break for Christmas, returning to the court on Friday at the Windthorst Tournament.
Albany is scheduled to play Vernon at 2:00 p.m. Friday in the first round, followed by a 6:30 p.m. second round game against City View. The Lions will play Iowa Park at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, ending the tourney with a 6:00 p.m. game against Slidell.
