Sports

Dalhart falls 1-point short against Brownfield

Area game marked by questionable officiating

The Dalhart Golden Wolves played two playoff games last week, blowing past Littlefield for the Bi- District championship on Monday February 23 to set up an Area game against Brownfield on Friday February 27. The Wolves led for much of the game against the Cubs, but ultimately lost a game that featured controversial officiating, with multiple Dalhart players in foul trouble and two fouling out while Brownfield only had 10 fouls for the entire game. 

The game on Monday started out close, with the Wolves outscoring Littlefield by four points during the first quarter. Hunter Trusler, Maddix Blanco and Zach Drew each scored four points in the first. Talon Garcia added three points, and Cash Schniederjan had two points. Dalhart held a 17-13 lead after one period. 

The Wolves took command of the game in the second period. Dalhart clamped down hard on defense, not allowing Littlefield to score at all during the stanza. Keldon Allen knocked down two three-pointers for six points in the second, and Garcia and Trusler also had six points each while Drew added two points. At halftime the score was 37-13 in favor of Dalhart, and the Wolves had already scored more points than Littlefield would score during the entire game. 

The third quarter was the closest of the game, with one point separating the two teams. Drew led the Wolves with six points in the third, and Garcia and Blanco each added two points. Dalhart outscored Littlefield 10-9 during the third, and led 47-22 as the third period ended. 

Dalhart closed out the win in the fourth quarter, outscoring Littlefield by nine during the final period. Blanco knocked down a three and led the team with five points in the fourth. Garcia also hit a three, and Aaron Valdez, Aaron Camacho and Drew each added two points. Dalhart won the game by a final score of 61- 27. 

Garcia and Drew each scored 14 points to lead the Wolves. Blanco had 11 points, and Trusler added 10 points. Trusler led with eight rebounds, and Drew had seven rebounds. Blanco had five assists and Garcia had four assists. Garcia led the team with six steals, and Trusler had four steals, and Trusler and Drew each had one block. 

The start of the game against Brownfield was very similar to the start against Littlefield, with the Wolves outscoring the Cubs by five. Garcia led Dalhart with five points in the first. Trusler scored four points, Blanco hit a three, and Drew added two points. Dalhart led 14-9 as the first period came to a close. 

Brownfield outscored the Wolves by a single point in the second quarter. Garcia scored four points in the second to lead the team again. Blanco hit another three, and Trusler and Drew each added two points. More importantly however, by the end of the second quarter Schniederjan, Trusler and Drew each had two fouls. Dalhart’s lead was 25- 21 at halftime. 

Brownfield closed the gap a little more in the third quarter. Garcia caught fire in the third, knocking down a three and leading the team with 11 points, and Blanco added two points. Unfortunately, Blanco was limited because he picked up three fouls during the quarter, which put him at four, and Trusler received his third foul. Dalhart held a 38-37 lead when the third period ended, with Garcia’s three taking back the lead from Brownfield. 

The fourth quarter was the highest scoring of the game, with the teams combining for 40 points during the final period. Trusler and Drew each scored four points to lead the Wolves, although Trusler picked up his fifth foul late in the period, which removed him from the game. Allen and Garcia each put in a three, and Blanco came back in the game about halfway through the fourth and also hit a three before picking up his fifth foul. The teams went back-and-forth until Brownfield had a three-point lead with just a few seconds remaining. The Wolves took one three-point shot that missed, and Camacho rebounded the ball and put in a layup since he had no passing lanes to kick the ball back out. By that point there were less than five seconds in the game, and Brownfield was able to run out the clock by just holding the ball out of bounds instead of passing it in. Brownfield won the game 58-57. 

Brownfield only had 10 fouls for the entire game, with only one player picking up a third foul, while Dalhart had 17 fouls and had Trusler and Blanco foul out and had two other players with three fouls by the end of the game. The Cubs ended up with 12 free throws, while Dalhart’s players made all seven of their free throws. Only three of Brownfield’s free throws came in the fourth, so it wasn’t a matter of Dalhart fouling to stop the clock. Officiating almost definitely had an impact on the final outcome. 

Garcia led the team with 22 points. Blanco scored 11 points despite limited playing time. Trusler had 10 points despite also having to sit at times, and Drew added eight. 

The Wolves will lose seven seniors, including all five starters. They are bringing back several very talented players, some of whom would’ve been starters if the seniors hadn’t had so much experience. Three players ended up moving up from JV for one game, so the Wolves will have a good core of players for next season, and should have a good shot at a playoff run next year.

 

Lady Tornadoes show grit in close loss to Nazareth

The Texline Lady Tornadoes beat Whitharral in the Regional Semifinals last Monday, moving on to face Nazareth in the Region I Final for the second straight year. While the Lady Tornadoes ultimately lost to the Swiftettes, they showed an incredible amount of tenacity and gave Nazareth its first scare of the playoffs as they attempted a furious comeback in the fourth quarter before falling by 10 points. 

Texline played Whitharral, who was ranked eighth in the final Texas Association of Basketball Coaches poll, on Monday February 23 at Tascosa High School. Texline took an early lead, outscoring Whitharral by nine in the first quarter. Jada Clay and Amarissah Johnson each knocked down a three and scored seven points in the first. Alexandra Montes scored three points, Prezlee Potter and Taylor Mann each added two points, and Raley Valdez hit a free throw. Texline led 22-13 after one period. 

The Lady Tornadoes expanded their lead in the second quarter, outscoring Whitharral 16-9. Clay nailed another three-pointer and led the team with six points, and Raley Valdez, Potter, Mann, Johnson and Montes each added two points. At halftime the score was 38-22 in favor of Texline. 

The third quarter was much closer, with two points separating the two teams. Montes drained a three and led the team with five points. Johnson also hit a three, and Raley Valdez scored three points as well. Texline outscored Whitharral 11-9 during the stanza, and held a lead of 49-31 when the buzzer sounded. 

The Lady Tornadoes held Whitharral to just seven points in the fourth quarter as they closed out the win. Clay led the team again, this time with eight points. Montes scored three points, and Raley Valdez, Potter and Johnson added two points apiece. Texline won the game by a score of 66-38. 

Clay led the team with 21 points. Johnson scored 14 points, and Montes added eight points. 

The win over Whitharral put Texline up against Nazareth on Thursday February 26 at Amarillo High School. Nazareth had a big first quarter to take an early lead, outscoring Texline by nine points. Mann led the Lady Tornadoes with five points, and Raley Valdez and Montes each added two points. Nazareth led 18-9 as the first period ended. 

Texline closed the gap a little in the second quarter, outscoring the Swiftettes by two points. Clay knocked down a three and scored seven points in the second. Mann scored four points, and Montes added two points. At halftime Nazareth’s lead was 29-22. 

Texline struggled to score in the third quarter as the Swiftettes expanded their lead. Clay hit another three-pointer, and Montes scored two points. Nazareth scored 15 points in the third, and held a lead of 44-27 after three quarters. 

While most Class 1A teams would quit once Nazareth had such a huge lead (at one point the lead was 20 points), the Lady Tornadoes did their best to make a comeback. The game became a three-point shooting contest at one point, with the teams exchanging threes until Texline slowly cut the lead. Montes knocked down three three-pointers for nine points before picking up her fifth foul late in the period. Johnson and Potter each nailed a three and scored five points each, and Clay also put in a three. Texline cut the lead to 10 points, but there just wasn’t enough time left to complete the comeback, and Nazareth won the game by a final score of 59-49. 

Montes led the team with 15 points in the game. Clay scored 13 points, Mann had nine points, and Potter and Johnson each added five points. 

Almost the entire team will return next season, and the team will be able to add Faith Sneller, who injured her knee very early in the season. The Lady Tornadoes will definitely be heavy favorites to repeat as district champions and make another playoff run, and they may get one another chance to knock of Nazareth next year. 

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