Progress staff reports
Rusk demolishes
Westwood in opener
PALESTINE — The Rusk Eagles kicked off the new season by trouncing Palestine Westwood, 88-53, Tuesday night at Panther Gymnasium.
The Eagles (1-0) used a balanced scoring attack, getting double-figure efforts from Mike Katon, DeMarrio Richards and J. D. Beard to easily handle the Panthers (0-1).
Katon notched a double-double (23 points and 12 rebounds), Richards added 17 points, four rebounds, seven steals and four assists, while Beard tossed in 15 points and had three boards and three assists.
Blake Fletcher chipped in nine points for Rusk by going 3-for-3 from behind the arc, and Kalon Skinner pumped in eight points.
Rusk pounced on the Panthers early, taking a 25-9 lead after the opening quarter, and never looked back.
The Eagles also turned in a fine defensive performance, forcing Westwood to commit 35 turnovers in the contest.
Rusk head coach Tracy Kincade was pleased to get the win, no doubt, but also said his team was not exactly where he wanted them to be overall.
“We played well in spurts,” he said. “But we will have to continue to work hard and get better.”
Next up for the Eagles is Friday’s home opener against Tatum. The varsity tipoff should occur around 7:30 p.m., following freshman and junior varsity tilts between the two schools.
Shorthanded Panthers
drop opener to Sabine
LIBERTY CITY — Playing without two key players who were inactive due to injury put Bullard at a severe disadvantage against the No. 2-ranked team in Class 2A, Sabine. The combination of being shorthanded coupled with playing a strong Cardinal team proved to be too much for the Panthers to overcome as Sabine dished out a 43-30 defeat to Bullard in the season opener for both teams Tuesday night.
Noah Jackson led Sabine in scoring with 21 as the Cardinals put Bullard on lock down in the second half — the Cards held the Panthers to just nine points over the final two periods of action.
Bullard played their best early, as the Panthers led 21-20 at the break. Lance Anding paced the Panthers with 10 points, and Taft Rose added seven.
The Panthers travel to Mount Pleasant for a 4 p.m. tipoff Saturday.
Lindale hands Lady Panthers first loss; 45-40 in OT
LINDALE — The Lady Eagles of Lindale remain undefeated (3-0) by scoring a 45-40 overtime victory over Bullard (1-1), who came into the game as the No. 12-ranked team in Class 3A.
The game was a defensive struggle all night — the teams were deadlocked at 12 at intermission — before the Lady Eagles edged in front 24-21 after three segments were in the book. The Lady Panthers bounced back to tie the game at 34 at the end of regulation.
Kayla Welling led Bullard in scoring with 14 points, with Minta Spears adding 11 and Ashley Ricci 10. Spears drained two buckets from long range for the Lady Panthers, who return to the court at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Hallsville.
Dayre Marsh and Alicia Sanders guided Lindale, scoring 12 and 10 points, respectively.
Local Sports
Hoops Roundup for Nov. 19, 2009
- Local Sports
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17-3A All-District softball team filled with familiar names
Local softball fans will find plenty of well-known names on this year's 17-3A All-District softball team, as players from Rusk and Bullard High School comprised a large portion of the prestigious squad.
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Lady 'Cat soccer adds height in the net by adding Marshall goalkeeper, Emerson
The Lon Morris College Lady Bearcat soccer team addressed one of its greatest needs when it signed Stephanie Emerson of Marshall (Texas) High School to a National Letter of Intent (NLI) last week.
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Men’s Junior college hoops: Lon Morris College’s Jurkovic signs letter with Florida International
Florida International University (FIU) has swooped down and hooked yet another player that played his final year of junior college basketball in Jacksonville this past season.
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Top-ranked Robinson wins regional series over Panthers
After upsetting top-ranked Waco Robinson 1-0 in the first game of a best-of-three series on Friday night, the Bullard Panthers needed just one win on Saturday to advance into the Class 3A, Region III semi-final round.
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Troup's historic playoff run ends with loss to Linden-Kildare
For six innings Troup held a precarious 1-0 lead over Linden-Kildare on Saturday afternoon at Lady Maverick Field in Marshall in what was a must-win game for Troup.
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Years of hard work pay dividends for Bullard's Holcomb
A student-athletic trainer's days are long and arduous, with little day-to-day reward, aside from an occasional 'atta girl.
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Bullard shocks top-ranked Robinson 1-0 in Game 1
The Bullard High School baseball team followed down a trail that the Panther football squad forged out late last year in pulling off a major upset of a team from Waco Robinson High.
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Linden-Kildare trips up Troup in regional semi-final opener
One big inning was enough to enable Linden-Kildare to defeat Troup 5-0 in Game 1 of a best-of-three Class 2A Region III semi-final series, that took place in front of a crowd estimated to number 700 at Marshall's Lady Maverick Field on Friday afternoon.
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Guard's Langemeier to play football at Wheaton College
After four years of reaping numerous awards in a four-sport career at The Brook Hill School, Austin Langemeier put the icing on his laureled-high school stint Thursday, inking to play football at Wheaton College.
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Rusk’s Arthur loses Bellator 69 MMA bout
Rusk’s Booker Arthur lost in a unanimous decision to Shanon Slack of Orange County, Calif. on Friday night in lake Charles, La.
- More Local Sports Headlines
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17-3A All-District softball team filled with familiar names

