Sports

Clarendon High School graduate Johnny Gaines is making an impact for the Odessa College Wranglers baseball team.  Hard work and perseverance are paying off. Read the full story about this hometown young man at the Odessa American’s website by  clicking here.

By Sandy Anderberg

The Lady Broncos hit a snag in their season closer last Tuesday night against Panhandle at home. Despite the 48-55 loss, the ladies were named District Champions after going 7-1 in District and will have a bye in the first round of post-season play.

Panhandle and Claude will also be represented in the playoffs. The Lady Broncos jumped on Panhandle early, leading by five after the first quarter of play. Clarendon continued their dominance into the beginning of the third period, but foul trouble began to slow their offense down. The Pantherettes were able to regroup and take the lead going into the final eight minutes of play. The Lady Broncos failed to get stops where they needed them and took the loss. Offensively, the Lady Broncos struggled in the second half of play and Panhandle stayed solid. However; many of Panhandle’s points in the final quarter came from the free throw line when the home team was forced to foul. Senior post player McKayla Cartwright and guard Deborah Howard led the ladies on the scoreboard with 10 points each.

“We got ourselves in foul trouble early, and had some players have to sit,” coach Molly Weatherred said. “We were unable to get stops late in the game. Hopefully, this loss can refocus us and get us playing our best basketball right when we need to.”

Scoring: Cartwright 10, D. Howard 10, Ryann Starnes 9, Jentry Shadle 6, Lydia Howard 5, Taylor Gaines 5, and Anna Ceniceros 3.

The Lady Broncos have received a bye in the first round of the playoffs and will play the winner of the Quanah and Lockney game with a date and location to be announced.

By Sandy Anderberg

The Broncos may have stumbled against a good Panhandle team at home last Tuesday night, but they are still on their way to the playoffs, recording only two district losses overall. The Broncos were defeated 48-62 in a game that was closer than the actual score revealed.

The game was fairly close in the first half with the Broncos trailing the Panthers. But with approximately five minutes to go in the third period, the Broncos took their first lead of the game. It was short-lived, however, as Panhandle came roaring back to retake the lead and get the win. In spite of the loss, the Broncos played hard and were solid until late in the third quarter of play.

“I thought our effort was good,” coach Brandt Lockhart said. “We did not play good defense in the third quarter, and they were able to stretch the lead.”

Free throws made a big difference in the Broncos’ loss as they only hit eight for seventeen for 47 percent. The Broncos were able to hit three three-point shots in the game with two of those coming from Cody Wood. Wood also led the Broncos on the scoreboard with 14 points, and Diego Santos helped with 12. They were the only Broncos to finish in double figures.

Scoring: Wood 14, Santos 12, Cole Ward 9, Trajen Johnson 6, Adam Topper 4, Jonah Sell 2, and Chance McAnear 1.

The Clarendon Broncos took on Ropes in Floydada Monday night. They defeated the Eagles 62-40.

The Broncos jumped out to the early advantage and led by 16 points at the break. They were able to execute their offense and played solid defense to secure their win.

Several Broncos stepped up their game and they were able to use the inside strength of Adam Topper to put points on the board. Topper finished with 22. Cole Ward and Diego Santos finished in double figures as well. The Broncos also took care of business at the free throw line connecting on 15 of 18 for 83 percent.

“We were able to get turnovers and turn them into easy points,” coach Lockhart said. “I was pleased with everyone’s effort.”

Scoring: Topper 22, Ward 14, Santos 11, Trajen Johnson 6, Cody Wood 5, Jonah Sell 2, and Ashton Smith 2.

The Broncos will play Grady in another warm-up game on Saturday at Randall High School at 3:00 pm. Grady is ranked number seven in the state in Division II in class 1A.

The Broncos’ first playoff game against Booker will be in Borger at Frank Phillips College on Tuesday, February 19 beginning at 7:00 p.m.

The Clarendon College Men’s Basketball team took on Howard College Thursday, February 7, and came up short 84-105.

Top scorers for Clarendon College were Mario Garcia with 24 points and Keon Littleton with 23 points.

Leading Howard were Cameron Forte with 30 points and 11 rebounds and Dashaun Wiggins 18 points.

“We shot the ball horribly overall and when you play a really good team like Howard, you better make shots,” CC head coach Tony Starnes said. “Our room for error is small and we have to find ways to make more plays. I was proud of the way our kids kept their composure in an adverse situation.”

The men then met up with Odessa College on February 9

The Bulldogs fell to OC 60-100.

Leading scorers for CC were Keon Littleton with 12 points and Alex Harrison with 10 points.

Leading scorers for OC were Daishon Knight with 31 points and Shondell Stewart with 15 points and 9 rebounds.

“I have to do a better job of getting the kids ready to play,” Starnes said. “It falls to me and no one else.”

The Bulldogs dominated in the Dawg House Monday night and came out with the win against Western Texas with a final score of 86-74.

Leading the Bulldogs were Keon Littleton with 21 points and 12 rebounds, Alex Harrison with 11 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists, Mario Garcia with 11 points, and Julius Foster with 10 points and 3 assists. Western TX leading scorers were Devonta Walker with 16 points and Justin Roberson with 15 points.

“The kids played hard and made plays,” Starnes said.

 The Clarendon College Lady Bulldogs took on Howard College last Thursday and came up short in the end 50-66. Leading scorers for CC were Brandi Leal with 12 points and 5 rebounds and Alex Stice with 9 points and 9 rebounds.

“The Lady Bulldogs shot a dismal 25.7 percent for the night,” CC head coach Brad Vanden Boogaard said. “If we do not shoot very well we are in a bad way.”

CC then met up with Odessa at home on Saturday and fell 71-95.

Leading the way for the Lady Bulldogs was Brandi Leal with 37 points, 12 of 21 from the floor, and 8 of 16 for 3s.

Angenay Williams led for OC with 24 points and 7 rebounds. OC had 24 offensive rebounds.

“We went in at half down 2 points and I thought we were playing pretty well and we had some momentum.” Vanden Boogaard said. “Brandi had 23 at half, and we were optimistic about the second half, but we came out flat and just got smashed on the backboard. You just can’t play that way against good people and expect to win.”

The Lady Bulldogs defeated Western Texas College in the Dawg House Monday night, with a final score of 77-70.

Brandi Leal led for CC with 16 points and 7 rebounds, followed by Anissa Reyna with 10 points and 12 rebounds and Cory Minijarez with 13 points and 6 rebounds. CC had 28 offensive rebounds.

Breanna Burton had 25 points and 6 rebounds for WTC.

“This was a very good win for us,” Vanden Boogaard said. “Western got us last month at their place, but the girls showed a lot of character tonight. I am very proud.”

 The Clarendon College Lady Bulldogs and Bulldogs travelled to Frank Phillips College in Borger Monday night and both brought home wins.

The Lady Bulldogs came out on top with a final score of 97-74.

Leading scorers for CC were sophomores Jessica Williams with 20 points and Alex Stice with 17 points and 9 rebounds, 3 of 4 from the 3, and 6 of 8 from the free throw line.

Freshman Brandi Leal had 14 points and 10 rebounds and freshman Liz Angong had 13 points, 4 steals, and was 6 of 7 from the field.

“This was a great win for us!” CC head coach Brad Vanden Boogaard said. “The girls have been going really hard in practice, and I feel like we are getting better every day.”

The Bulldogs beat the Plainsmen with a final score of 103-98.

CC’s leading scorers were sophomore Keon Littleton with 32 points and 9 rebounds; sophomore Jerard Graham with 11 points; freshman Julius Foster with 15 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists; and freshman Hershell Grant with 23 points and 9 rebounds.

“We have been playing well enough to win this last month so we are extremely pleased to get a big one on the road,” Bulldog head coach Tony Starnes said. “We had big games from several individuals but as a team everyone chipped in and made contributions.”

 

Bulldogs fall in double OT

The Bulldogs faced off against the South Plains College Texans in an intense game Thursday night that ended in double overtime and the Bulldogs coming up one point short in the final seconds to end the game at 84-83.

The leading scorers for Clarendon were sophomore Keon Littleton from Desoto, with 19 points and 8 rebounds; freshman Julius Foster from Dallas, with 18 points and 8 rebounds; and freshman Hershell Grant from Washington, DC, with 16 points and 8 rebounds.

The leading scorers for South Plains College were 6’1″ Yanick Moreira with 22 points and 18 rebounds and 6’9″ Ryan Martin with 18 points and 19 rebounds.

“The kids played their hearts out and I am very proud of them,” Coach Tony Starnes said.

The Bulldogs travelled to Frank Phillips College in Borger Monday, February 4, and return home against Howard on Thursday, February 7, at 7:45 p.m. in Bulldog Gym.

 

CC to face Western Texas College

The Clarendon College Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs will play two games at home this next week.

On Thursday, February 7, Howard College will be in the Dawg House with the women facing off at 5:45 p.m. followed by the men at 7:45 p.m.

On Monday, February 11, CC will take on Western Texas College in the Dawg House. Again, the women start play at 5:45 p.m. followed by the men at 7:45 p.m. This game will be “Cancer Awareness Night” and the Dawg House. Fans are encouraged to wear pink and donations to benefit Harrington Cancer Foundation will be accepted during the game.

The community is invited to come out and support the Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs.

By Sandy Anderberg

The Lady Broncos are red-hot in district play and are looking to go deep into the playoffs with recent wins over Vega and White Deer. The wins put the ladies at 25-2 overall and perfect in District at 7-0.

The Lady Broncos hustled up a big win at home last week against Vega 56-51. A slow shooting first quarter put the Lady Broncos behind on the scoreboard by six points, but aggressive play put them right back in the hunt before the break.

After trailing in the early part of the third quarter, the Lady Broncos turned on their offense to tie the game with 2:56 left in the quarter. They were able to build on that lead in the final eight minutes and hit some crucial free throws to win the game.

Coach Molly Weatherred knew the ladies came through when they needed to. “We made shots when we needed and made stops when we needed them,” she said.

McKayla Cartwright has been strong inside all season and did not disappoint against the Lady Horns. She finished with 16 points. Deborah Howard slammed down 11 points and Jentry Shadle connected on two three pointers in her 10 point total.

Also scoring: Ryann Starnes 7, Audrey Shelton 6, Lydia Howard 3, Taylor Gaines 2, and Anna Ceniceros 1.

The Lady Broncos stayed on their hot streak and hunted down the White Deer Lady Does 71-25 on the road.

Dominance was the main theme in the win, as the ladies were not denied on either end of the court. They shut out their opponent in the opening quarter and kept them to single digits in the first half. Jency Burton exploded off the bench and led the ladies with 17 points that included hitting two three-pointers and going six for six from the bonus line. Shadle also finished in double figures with 14.

Despite the win, Weatherred wants to see the Lady Broncos play a cleaner game.

“I thought we played really hard and with a lot of energy,” she said. “We did a good job of creating turnovers, but we still need to clean some things up and get rid of our unforced turnovers.”

Also scoring: Gaines 7, Ceniceros 7, Starnes 7, D. Howard 5, Cartwright 4, L. Howard 4, Maci White 3, and Shelton 3.

 By Fred Gray

Last Friday, January 31, in a game against their district rivals, the Lady Owls of Hedley travelled to McLean and put a whipping on the Lady Tigers, 34-22.

The Lady Owls played great defense in limiting McLean to just 22 points, 13 of which came in the fourth quarter, after the game had been decided. Coach Wallace, the Lady Owls’ coach commented, “When you struggle a little bit on offense, it’s nice to know your defense will step up, and that’s just what they did.”

Kati Adams (8 points) and Bailey Wood (9 points) lead the way in scoring, with a combined 17 points. Kortney Burton added a very respectable 6 points to the result, while Kassie O’Dell put forth a strong effort in scoring 5 points. Salem Shelp was steady with 4 points, and Charlie Neeley contributed 2 points.

The Lady Owls host the Groom Lady Tigers on Tuesday, February 5 for their last game of the season.

By Fred Gray

On Tuesday, January 29, sporting an improved defense, the Hedley Owls held the Valley Patriots to their smallest point total of the year, 52 points. However, the Owls’ offense scored 22 points, resulting in a loss for Hedley.

Coach Bains said, “the boys played good defense.” Coach Bains was pleased that the Owls held Valley High School, undefeated in district play, to its lowest point totals in each half in the game. He was pleased with their effort and gritty play.

Coltin Kingston led the Owls in scoring with 10 points, and added 3 boards. Brandon Evans led the team in rebounding with 4 boards and added 5 points. Wyatt Wheatly added a respectable 3 boards along with 4 points. Rooster Moore added 1 point and 2 boards while Bryan Evans scored 2 points and grabbed 3 rebounds.

On Friday, January 31, the Owls travelled to McLean and beat the Tigers 53-38.

Of the Owls’ play Coach Bains said, “The boys played very aggressive with great defense. Although not in the official stats, but I did keep track of it in this game, Wyatt Wheatly had 9 blocks against McLean, which he was very proud of.”

Bryan Evans lead the scoring when he scored 17 points and grabbed 5 rebounds. Wyatt Wheatly had a beast of a game with 10 points, 15 rebounds, and 9 blocked shots. Coltin Kingston scored 9 points in additional to hauling in 9 rebounds. Brandon Evans also scored 9 points and added 5 rebounds. Rooster Moore was effective with 5 points and 6 rebounds. Tanner Chambliss scored 3 points and had 3 rebounds.

The Owls close out their season February 5, when they host the Groom Tigers. Though not yet official, it appears that Hedley will end the season in fourth place and just miss the playoffs. Check next week’s edition for the final season stats on each of the players.

By Sandy Anderberg

The Broncos put together 32 minutes of aggressiveness and determination to get a big win at home over the Vega Longhorns Friday night at 63-56. The Broncos opened up with a big first quarter, but began to waiver somewhat before the break as Vega came storming back.

After a fairly even third quarter of play, the Broncos claimed the final quarter as their own and got the win. The Broncos shot solid free throws down the stretch and shot 84 percent on the night as a team. Several Broncos made clutch shots at the end to keep the lead. Adam Topper worked hard inside and finished with 25, and Cole Ward and Trajen Johnson posted double figures also.

“I thought we moved the ball well and were able to get good shots,” coach Brandt Lockhart said. “It was the best free throw game of the year and it could have not come at a better time. We were 21 for 24 from the line. Cody Wood, Jonah Sell, and Charles Mason did a good job of defending their best player. Adam Topper had 17 rebounds (for a double-double), and Diego Santos had eight assists.” Also scoring: Wood 7, Santos 4, and Mason 2.

On Friday night, the Broncos traveled to White Deer and defeated the Bucks 40-31. After trailing in the first quarter, the Broncos stepped up their game and worked to retake the lead. The team played hard together and worked as a team despite facing a night of adversity.

“We did not shoot the ball well,” Lockhart said. “But we were able to play well enough defensively to get the win.” The wins put the Broncos at 17-9 on the year and 6-1 in District play.

Scoring: Ward 20, Wood 8, Topper 5, Mason 2, Sell 2, Johnson 2, and Chance McAnear 1.

The Broncos will play in Canyon in the Randall Playoff Preview next Saturday, February 16, at 3 p.m. against Grady.