Albany’s varsity Lady Lions split a pair of district basketball games last week against Stamford and Haskell, battling limited practice time caused by winter weather, according to coach Ashlyn Bevel.
Albany traveled to Stamford on Jan. 29 for a game originally scheduled Jan. 27, and earned a 44-24 victory despite having only one full practice before the game.
Bevel said the team started slowly but settled in after halftime.
The Albany Lions wrapped up the first half of district play with a 60–42 win over Hawley on Jan. 20, finishing the opening round a perfect 6–0.
Coach Ryder Peacock said the win was a physical one, as expected when the two teams meet, and credited his players for controlling the boards and staying composed against Hawley’s deliberate, ball-control approach.
The Albany Lady Lions pulled off a major upset last Tuesday, defeating Hawley 37-27 in a district matchup.
The Albany girls had their district open date Friday, Jan. 23, which allowed them to avoid a weather-related cancellation.
The Lady Lions’ game against Stamford was postponed from Tuesday night until Wednesday because of possible bad weather. Details will be reported next week.
The Albany Lions continued a strong run through district play last week, earning back to back wins with a road victory at Cisco followed by a home win over Anson.
Albany opened the week with an 83 to 64 win at Cisco on Tuesday, Jan. 13, in what was one of the most anticipated district games of the season. The matchup featured two teams expected to be in the district title conversation, and head coach Ryder Peacock said his team responded well to the challenge.
The Albany Lady Lions faced a challenging test last week in district play, when they traveled to Cisco on Tuesday, Jan. 13 to face the state’s No. 3-ranked team.
Albany fell 88-21, but head coach Ashlyn Bevel said the team showed positive development despite the loss.
The Lady Lions opened the second half of District 7-2A play by hosting Hawley on Tuesday, Jan. 20.
They came away with a 37-27 win, with details to be published next week.
What began as a crowded local leaderboard ended with a single winner after the final whistle of the College Football Playoff National Championship Game.
Five participants finished the bracket challenge tied after the first round, quarterfinals and semifinal games. Points were awarded for correctly picking the winner of each game, setting up a tight race heading into the title matchup.
The Albany Lions boys basketball team worked through a pair of difficult shooting nights last week but still came away with two district wins, defeating Haskell 62-50 on the road on Jan. 6 and Abilene TLCA 65-45 at home on Jan. 9.
At Haskell, Albany struggled to find any rhythm early, managing little offense through much of the first half before closing strong to pull within three at the break. The Lions then used a big third-quarter run to take control.
The Albany Lady Lions split district games last week, losing to Haskell and defeating TLCA.
They lost to Cisco on Tuesday night 21-88, with details to be published next week.
The girls will continue district play this week, hosting Anson on Friday, Jan. 16. The JV girls will tip off at 4 p.m., with the varsity girls scheduled to play following the JV boys at approximately 6:15 p.m.
Albany senior Tristan Howe was named the 2025 Big Country Blitz Class 2A Division II Defensive MVP after a dominant season in the trenches for the Lions.
Howe anchored Albany’s defense throughout the fall, consistently disrupting opposing offenses and setting the tone up front in what was another deep playoff run for the Lions.
Senior Calhan Fairchild was also recognized by the publication as one of the area’s offensive standouts, earning a spot on the Big Country Blitz offensive stars list.
The Albany Lions closed out the pre-district schedule with a perfect 4-0 showing at the Windthorst Tournament before opening district play with a hard-fought home win over Stamford, continuing a strong start to the 2025-26 season.
Albany defeated Vernon 64-56, Poolville 73-47, Archer City 83-40 and Bellevue 81-39 across the two-day tournament on Dec. 29-30, finishing as co-champions alongside Windthorst and Nocona. Coach Ryder Peacock said the unusual three-way tie was something he had never seen before.
