H.S. Basketball Roundup: Abilene High races past Early; Cooper rips Legacy

Chris Motl poured in a game-high 16 points, and Jake Breckenridge added 10 as Abilene High beat Early 62-28 in a non-district boys basketball game Tuesday at Eagle Gym.

Motl hit four of AHS’ 12 3-point goals, while Early had 11 total field goals. Brooks Reese hit three treys and finished with nine points for the Eagles (5-7), who jumped out to a 12-2 lead and led 33-8 at halftime.

“We had 10 guys play tonight, and everybody contributed, played well,” AHS coach Justin Reese said. “Had a lot of minutes for a lot of kids, and I think that’s important this time of year. We had fun and got after it. Hopefully, this will help our confidence for the tournament this weekend.”

The Eagles open the Catclaw Classic against Fort Worth Chisholm Trail at 6 p.m. Thursday at Wylie’s Bulldog Gym.

Kamden Gamblin and Kaleb Hoffman led the Longhorns (4-3) with six points each, and Jeremy Brown had five.

Early coach Eric Davis said it was good to play a Class 5A team like AHS to get ready for District 8-3A play – a league that includes No. 7 Peaster and No. 10 Brock.

“What’s really great about it is, they’re just a really well-coached team,” Davis said about the game. “Coach Reese does a fantastic job with them. They’re going to play hard and get up in your grill. For us to get ready for our district, we needed that. I’m glad we came.”

The Longhorns return seven players, including three starters, from a 23-11 team that lost to Holliday in the first round of the playoffs.

However, starter Jaxyn Price is rehabbing from shoulder surgery. Davis said Price, the quarterback for the football team, won’t be ready to play until late in district play.

“He gives a lot of energy and effort, and he works his tail off,” Davis said of Price. “The other guys are starting to buy into that mentality. I’m proud of them. We didn’t play our best today, but, again, it was definitely good for us to come here.”

NON-DISTRICT

Abilene High 62, Early 28

Early … 2 … 6 … 19 … 1 – 28

Abilene High … 12 … 21 … 15 … 14 – 62

EARLY (4-3) – John Hill 2 0-0 4, Jeremy Brown 2 1-2 5, Alex Perez 0 0-0 0, Kamden Gamblin 2 0-0 6, John-Stewart Gordon 1 0-0 3, Caygen Schroeder 0 0-0 0, Andrew Caten 0 1-2 1, Rohyn Price 0 1-2 1, Kaleb Ozuna 0 0-0 0, Dalton Adam 1 0-0 2, Kaleb Hoffman 3 0-0 6. Totals 11 3-6 28.

ABILENE HIGH (5-7) – Chris Motl 6 0-0 16, Demarco Upshaw 2 0-0 5, Eric Salazar 1 0-0 3, Brooks Reese 3 0-0 9, Mario Berry 0 0-0 0, Connel Colley 2 2-2 7, Sawyer Moss 2 0-0 4, Carter Wyatt 1 2-2 4, Jake Breckenridge 4 0-0 10, Bryce Neves 2 0-0 4. Totals 23 4-4 62.

3-Point Goals – Early 3 (Gamblin 2, Gordon), AHS 12 (Motl 4, Upshaw, Salazar, Reese 3, Colley, Breckenridge 2). Total Fouls – Early 7, AHS 11. Fouled Out – None. Technical Fouls – None.

Coogs roll past Legacy

Jaelyn Rivera scored a game-high 27 points to power Cooper past Midland Legacy 61-42 in a non-district game at Cougar Gym.

Rivera hit eight shots from the field, including a 3-point goal, while converting 11 of 15 free throws. He scored all but five of his points in the second half as Cooper won its fifth consecutive game.

Jordan Willis added 11 points for the Cougars (6-3).

Colin Brazzell led the Rebels (0-9) with 18 points.

Cooper opens the Catclaw Classic against Midland Christian at 4:30 p.m. Thursday at Wylie’s Bulldog Gym.

The Coogs beat Midland Christian 45-43 on Friday at the Raising Cane’s Key City Classic at Cougar Gym.

NON-DISTRICT

Cooper 61, Midland Legacy 42

Legacy … 13 … 9 … 9 … 11 – 42

Cooper … 8 … 14 … 20 … 19 – 61

MIDLAND LEGACY (0-9) – Michael Mead 0 0-0 0, Javarius Bell 0 0-0 0, Deonta Sonnier 0 0-0 0, Max Vera 2 2-2 7, Jordan Williams 2 1-2 5, Tim Whitfield 3 0-0 6, Tommy Johnson 0 0-0 0, Courtez Black 0 0-0 0, Colin Brazzell 6 4-5 18, Colin Berry 1 0-0 2, Cutter Clark 2 0-2 4. Totals 16 7-11 42.

COOPER (6-3) – Kale Sage 1 0-0 3, Jaden Carrillo 2 0-0 4, Savion Vinson 0 0-0 0, Jordan Willis 4 0-0 11, Jaelyn Rivera 8 11-15 27, Maxwell Falade 2 0-1 5, Eric Tonche 1 0-0 2, Kam Gray 4 0-0 8, Dycin Davis 0 0-0 0. Totals 22 11-16 61.

3-Point Goals – Legacy 3 (Vera, Brazzell 2), Cooper 5 (Sage, Willis 2, Rivera, Falade). Total Fouls – Legacy 13, Cooper 11. Fouled Out – None. Technical Fouls – None.

Paducah edges Knox City

At Knox City, Jayken Wright scored a game-high 19 points in Paducah’s 53-52 victory over Knox City in a non-district game.

Joshua Gonzales added 13 for Paducah (4-4).

Devin Guillory led Knox City (3-2) with 15 points, while Gage Morrow and Bryson Callaway had 13 each.

Forsan fights off Coahoma

At Forsan, Weston Layman scored a game-high 14 points in Forsan’s 54-31 win over Coahoma.

Jake Myers and Jackson Hopper had 10 each for the Buffaloes (3-4).

Ryan Shifflet led Coahoma (2-3) with 12 points, and Devin Bennett had 11.

GIRLS

Stephenville routs Rider

At Wichita Falls, Lillie Skiles scored a game-high 19 points to lead No. 12 4A Stephenville past Wichita Falls Rider 53-26 in a non-district game.

Mya Wilson added 14 points for the Honeybees (14-2), and Brinley Hall had 10.

Olivia Vanderburg led Rider (0-11) with nine points.

Coahoma tops Forsan

At Big Spring, Madisyn Renteria, Isabella Cox and Shae Lang combined for 38 points as Coahoma beat Forsan 60-39 in a non-district game at Howard College.

Renteria led the Bulldoggettes with 15 points, while Cox had 12 and Lang 11.

Harleigh Greer led Forsan with 20 points.

This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Abilene High beat Early in boys basketball, while Cooper beat Legacy