Five Albany Lady Lions earned District 10-2A basketball honors following the 2025-2026 season, and head coach Ashlyn Bevel was named the district’s Coach of the Year.

Junior Zayne Lefevre and freshman Keeley Britting were selected to the District 10-2A first team. Named to the second team were senior Madi Parrott, junior Ashlyn Miller and freshman Tinley Hefner.

With the basketball season now complete and Albany’s playoff run finished, several Lions have earned top honors on the District 10-AA All-District team.

Leading the way for Albany was senior Huffman Heatly, who was named Co-Most Valuable Player after a standout season in which he helped guide the Lions to one of the most successful campaigns in program history. Heatly played a central role on both ends of the court, providing leadership, scoring, and defensive intensity throughout the year.

The Albany Lions saw their season come to an end Thursday night, Feb. 26, falling to Graford, 66-49, in the Area round of the Class 2A Division II playoffs at Graham.

The loss ended more than a year without a defeat for the Lions. Albany’s previous loss also came against Graford, meaning the Lions went 370 days between losses and completed an undefeated regular season before returning to the postseason.

Effort there,

shots not

The Albany Lions were pushed to the limit Monday night but responded when it mattered most, defeating Seymour 66-61 in overtime in a hard-fought playoff game at Graham.

The contest marked Albany’s first overtime game of the season and turned into a defensive struggle for much of the night, with both teams battling through stretches where offense was difficult to find.

The Albany Lions will face a challenging road in the 2026 football season, as the official schedule released this week features a strong non-district lineup and a district that coaches say may be among the toughest in Class 2A.

The Lions will open preseason play with scrimmages at Henrietta on Aug. 14 and at home against Early on Aug. 20 before beginning regular-season action later in August. The non-district schedule includes home games against Hawley, Anson and Coleman, along with road trips to DeLeon and Coleman.

The Albany Lions completed a historic regular season last week, finishing with a perfect 22-0 record and capturing the district championship for the first time since 2017.

Albany picked up a 47-36 road win over Anson on Feb. 10 before closing out district play with a decisive 59-33 victory at Hawley three days later.

Head coach Ryder Peacock said the Anson game showed the team’s ability to win even when shots were not falling.

Five graduating seniors and two coaches from Albany and Moran will participate in the 27th annual Big Country FCA All-Star Festival, set for June 2-6 in Abilene and Brownwood.

The summer event will bring together 340 athletes representing 89 Big Country area schools. The festival features the region’s top student-athletes competing in six sports — football, volleyball, men’s and women’s basketball, baseball, softball and cheer.

Moran cheerleader Rayni Vinson will cheer at several events during the festival.

The Albany Lions locked up the District 10-2A championship Friday night with a hard-fought 63–57 win over Cisco, closing out the title on senior night in an Albany gym that felt more like a playoff venue than a regular-season stop.

From the opening tip, the night carried a different energy. Fans packed both sides of the gym, student sections stood shoulder-to-shoulder, and Cisco supporters filled the visitor’s end, creating a loud, constant roar that never let up. The intensity only grew as the game unfolded, with every possession drawing a reaction from the crowd.

Significant course improvements are scheduled to begin next month at Albany Golf Club, with a multi-phase greens renovation and course enhancement project planned for late winter and early spring.

The Albany Lions boys basketball team navigated an unusual midseason pause last week, returning from a nine-day gap between games to earn back-to-back district victories over Stamford and Haskell.

The break began with Albany’s open date on Thursday, Jan. 23, and was extended when winter weather forced the Lions’ scheduled Tuesday game at Stamford to be postponed. Road conditions also limited practice opportunities early in the week, leaving Albany with just one full practice before returning to game action.