Weekly Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Ward County, Trans Pecos, Big Bend of West Texas

Sports

Jan. 14, 1999

Loboes take on Blue Devils

To beat the Blue Devils, the Loboes (5-10, 0-1 in District
4-3A play) would have to rely on their inside game,
dominated by their twin towers, Jason Merrick and Carlos
Suton, and great bench support from shorter, but no less
effective, posts Chris Adams, David Williams, and Wayne
Branham. Presidio (13-3, 0-1) lacked the size that the
Loboes had, but great perimeter shooting and inside position
on offense kept their point totals high in the preseason.

But that was a few games ago.

Riding the great inside play essential for victory, the
Loboes defeated the Presidio Blue Devils 60-50, to move
their record to 1-1 where it matters, in district. The loss
was only Presidio's fourth of the year. The Loboes scored
36 of their 60 points in the paint, with Chris Adams leading
the way inside with 13 points.

When the Blue Devils overpursued to the inside, the Lobo
posts would kick the ball out to point guard Brian Morris,
who hit four three pointers and 14 points in the game.

The Loboes opened up the game somewhat sluggish on the
offensive end of the ball, but continued to hold Presidio's
potent offense. It was a trade off that kept the Loboes in
a position to pull away later in the game. The stifling
defense featured quick movement to Presidio's potent
three-point arsenal, forcing the Blue Devils inside. There
was little success to be found there, as the Loboes cleanly
blocked four shots. Despite their defensive success, the
Loboes were down 14-12 at the end of the first quarter.

The second quarter with the same stifling defense, but this
time coupled with an offensive arsenal. The Loboes rode the
great inside play of Branham and Suton early in the quarter,
combined with Williams, Merrick, and Adams, who all found
playing time later in the quarter.

Presidio's attempts to stop the inside attack only provoked
the hungry Loboes to the outside, as Brian Morris hit two of
his four three-pointers in the 2nd quarter. The Lobo crowd
stood as Monahans took a 29-21 lead into halftime.

The third quarter began with Loboes attacking early, but
this time with another potent weapon, Micah Tuxhorn. As the
Blue Devil defense attempted to keep the ball from the
inside, lanes to the basket were naturally set-up, and
Tuxhorn used these to his advantage and had 12 points on the
game. The Loboes held a 47-34 advantage entering the final
stanza. As the minutes ticked away, Presidio began playing
in desperation, throwing up long three-point attempts and
relying on rebounds inside to keep them close. They cut the
gap to 50-42 with just over five minutes remaining in the
game.

The stellar defense that showed itself true the entire game
buckled late, but refused to be destroyed, and allowed the
Loboes to emerge with a 60-50 victory.

Scoring
Brian Morris 14
Chris Adams 13
Micah Tuxhorn 12
David Williams 6
Wayne Branham 5
Carlos Suton 4
Jason Merrick 4
Shorty Porras 2
Monahans 12 17 18 13 -60
Presidio 14 7 13 16 -50

Lady Loboes fall short

Coach Mike Swigert employed the same starting lineup he has
used in the last four games, all district wins. The Devils
came quickly out of the block, and took advantage of a
sputtering Lobo offense. The Pack defense, the stalwart of
its entire season, guarded their opponents timidly, and
allowed the Devils to capitalize on many a fast break.

The lone bright spot for the team's offense was post Dedra
Wessels. She had eight points in the first quarter, the
total scoring output for the entire team. The Pack's
problems with the ball stemmed from the ferocious Blue Devil
full-court press, which caused several turnovers and hurried
plays. The first period ended with the Loboes trailing,
11-8.

The second quarter opened with a Lobo offensive stand, and
the women returned the Devils' quick play with a ferocity of
their own. Costly turnvers proved to be the downfall of the
Pack, and hindered a comeback by the offense. Lori Enriquez
sank two free throws to end the half. The Loboes went into
the locker room trailing 30-15.

After a spirited discussion, led by Coach Swigert, during
the break, the team hit the floor ready to make up the
scoring deficit and overcome the Devils. Presidio had the
ball and scored quickly to open the third quarter. The
Loboes' inbounds pass was stolen under the visitors basket,
and another quick layup frustrated the women even further.
The Loboes kicked their effort up another notch, but it
proved to be to no avail. More turnovers and several
Presidio fast breaks led to the highest scoring output of
the night by the Devils. The Pack entered the final stanza
behind the visitors, 51-19.

The Loboes' objective for the fourth quarter was to win, and
because of the enormous lead, meant a fast-paced offense.
The relentless press by the Devils again hurried the Loboes
and caused many more disastrous turnovers. The Pack was
also unable to capitalize on several foul shots, which
proved only to add fuel to the offensive fire of the
visitors. The Devils continued their quick-passing offense,
and cushioned their lead. A desperation three-pointer by
Kristy Almanza roused the crowd, but was too little, too
late to propel the women to win.

The Devils won their fourth district game, tying them for
first place with the Loboes at four wins and one loss.
Though the first district loss of this season is
disenheartening, the Loboes are still vying for postseason
play. After the game, no members of the team were available
for comment. However, upon his exit from the locker room,
manager Adam Tarr reported on the morale of the team. "The
girls are definitely disappointed with the outcome of the
game. They felt like they could have played much better,
and did not achieve their potential," said Tarr.

Varsity Girls
January 12 vs. Presidio

QUARTER 1 2 3 4 F
Monahans 8 7 4 10 29
Presidio 11 19 21 12 63
Scoring: Points
Dedra Wessels 11
Lori Enriquez 10
Kristy Almanza 3
Monica Loera 2
Shayla Terry 2
Jeanette Franco 1

Cowboys beat Pirates in opener

The Cowboys dominated the Pirates physically from the
opening tip-off. Sr. Jason Carter scored the first two hoops
and the Cowboys took an early lead. A lay up by James Stocks
was followed by an 8' jump shot and the Cowboys were on a
roll, leading after one quarter 19-7.

Grandfalls kept up their dominance in the second quarter as
well, five different Cowboys scored hoops in a well balanced
attack. The Cowboys lead increased to 36-17 at the half.

Third quarter action saw Stocks and Stephen Phillips lead
the Cowboys to an 18 point advantage after three quarters
52-34.

The final score was 76-59, Cowboys over the Pirates.
Phillips had 22 points for a team high while Stocks had 15
points.

Coach Ed Jones of Grandfalls said, "I'm pleased with our
effort tonight." but noted "our offense is not quite where
it needs to be, but our defense played well."

Game two for Grandfalls found Buena Vista a bit too much for
the Cowboys as they lost 52-37 Friday night. The Cowboys got
off to a slow start, but led after one quarter 9-8 over the
Buena Vista Longhorns from Imperial.

The Cowboys were in command at the half leading 24-21.
Stocks scored 6 points in the 2nd quarter and the Cowboys
appeared to have the upper edge.

The third period Buena Vista went on a 17-3 run and lead,
40-27 after three periods and 52-37 at the end of the game.

Stocks was high scorer with 11 points followed by Carter
with 10 points.

Coach Jones said, "We missed too many shots. It was our
poorest shooting performance this year."

Saturday the Cowboys lost to the Red Devils from Rankin,
67-52. Stocks had 18 points and Carter followed with 10
points.

"We played better than we did against Buena Vista," said
Coach Jones. "We are getting in better condition and our
free throw percentage is improving. We shot 67% from the
free throw line."

Red Devils defeat Cowgirls

Misty Stocks had five rebounds and Debra Gonzales had 6
boards for the Cowgirls.

Coach Laura Moses said after the game, "We're getting better
and improving a lot.

Game 2 played Friday night saw Grandfalls Cowgirls lose
69-29 to the Lady Longhorns from Imperial.

The Buena Vista Longhorns dominated the game from the
outset. Lack of experience showed the Cowgirls never got
untracked.

Miller scored 12 points and had 15 rebounds, while Tonya
Rodriguez scored 10 points. Stocks had 5 rebounds for the
Cowgirls.

Bass club fish fry closes out '98

Ward Newspapers, Inc.
Joe Warren, Publisher
107 W. Second St., Monahans TX 79756
Phone 915-943-4313, FAX 915-943-4314
e-mail monnews@ultravision.net