The Albany Lady Lions traveled to Haskell on Tuesday, Jan. 6, for district basketball action.

The girls lost 21-52, with full results to be reported next week.

The Lady Lions secured their first district win of the season last Friday, Jan. 2, defeating Stamford with a strong defensive performance that head coach Ashlyn Bevel said set the tone for the night.

“Defense was what won that game,” Bevel said. “We knew going into it that we had to play tough defense to top off the win and that’s what we did. We held their best player to three points.”

The Albany Lions boys basketball team went 4-0 to win the Lingleville Tournament last week, highlighted by steady scoring and strong defensive pressure throughout the three-day stretch.

Albany opened Thursday with a 62-34 win over Olney, then returned Friday morning for an early start against Bluff Dale, followed by a second game later that day against Coleman. The Lions closed the tournament Saturday with an 86-18 win over Eastland.

Albany Lady Lions varsity and junior varsity teams were active on the court last week, highlighted by a varsity win over Munday.

The Lady Lions lost Tuesday’s game 36-51 at Hawley. Details will be reported next week.

Albany varsity lost to Aspermont 63-23 on Dec. 9 and then beat Munday 55-49 on Friday, Dec. 12.

Welcome to The Albany News College Football Playoff Pick ’Em Challenge! To enter, simply fill out your bracket and submit a photo of it by December 19 at 5:00 p.m. Entries may be emailed to news@thealbanynews.net, texted to (325) 238-6128, or dropped off at The Albany News office. Scoring is simple: every correct pick earns one point, and the contestant with the most points at the end wins. If there’s a tie, the tiebreaker will be the predicted final score of the National Championship game, with the closest prediction taking the prize.

For three decades, fans entering Robert Nail Memorial Stadium have been greeted by a familiar voice. This fall marked the final season for longtime public announcer John Tate, who retired after 30 years behind the microphone at Albany Lions home games.

The Albany Lions opened their basketball season last week with a dominant road win over Eastland, posting a 73-point performance and setting an early tone for the year. Head coach Ryder Peacock said the defensive effort led the way in the 73–14 victory, noting that the team created turnovers, rebounded well, and turned stops into scoring chances.

“It was our overall defensive effort,” Peacock said. “We really got after it, rebounded well, and created a lot of scoring opportunities.”

The Albany Lions’ season came to an end Friday, November 28, in a 28–7 loss to defending state champion Muenster in the regional semifinal round in Graham. The matchup continued what has become one of the most familiar postseason pairings in Class 2A Division II.

The Albany Lions were well represented on this year’s all-district football teams, with four players earning superlative awards and nineteen total receiving first and second-team recognition across both sides of the ball.

The Albany Lions battled through a slow first half and a ball-control strategy from Quanah before surging in the second half to earn a 35 to 15 win Friday night in Holliday. The playoff victory sends Albany into a highly anticipated regional matchup against defending state champion Muenster.

The Albany Lions opened the playoffs with a strong showing Thursday night in Graham, powering past Santo 34–18 to secure the Bi-District championship and extend their postseason run.

Albany controlled the pace from the start, stacking up 429 yards of total offense and moving the chains 24 times. The Lions leaned on a balanced attack that kept Santo guessing—154 yards rushing paired with 275 yards through the air.