Local Sports Headlines – Area Girls Basketball Players Honored

Three area girls’ players have been named Players of the Year by the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches.

Canadian’s Haevyn Risley is the top player in Class 3A, Claude’s Jenna Cooper is the Class 2A player of the year and Nazareth’s Allie Schulte is the winner for Class 1A. All three had incredible seasons with Risley and Schulte led their teams to state titles while Cooper averaged 22 points and 10 rebounds per game for Claude, which made it to the Regional final and was ranked number one in the state most of the season.

– West Texas A&M’s Ashley Hardin and Kilee Halbert swept the final Lone Star Conference Softball Player of the Week awards. It marks the second time for each player to pick up the league’s weekly honor this season.

Hardin hit .800 on the weekend. Her performance included a double and three home runs to drive in six RBI with 18 total bases.

Halbert went 2-0 with a 0.88 ERA as the Lady Buffs swept past Eastern New Mexico in Portales to conclude the regular season. The Dalhart native allowed just six hits in her 8.0 innings of work with four walks and four strikeouts.

The Lady Buffs start play in the LSC Tournament in San Angelo on Friday.

– The West Texas A&M women’s track & field team remained first in the latest U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) national team rankings. It marks the fifth straight week that the Lady Buffs have been ranked first in the national team computer rankings.

WT head coach Darren Flowers said being ranked first in the nation is great but they need to take care of business this weekend if we are going to win the Lone Star Conference team title.

The WT men’s team dropped one spot to 14th in the latest poll.

Both teams will take part in the LSC Championships tomorrow through Saturday in Commerce.

- Marwin Gonzalez hit two home runs, including a go-ahead grand slam in the eighth inning that rallied the Houston Astros over the Texas Rangers 8-7 last night. The grand slam gave the Astros and 8-5 lead. The Rangers scored two in the ninth but stranded the tying run at third base.

- Texas pitcher Cole Hamels was scratched from his scheduled start last night because of tightness in his right oblique. Hamels will return to Arlington on Wednesday to be examined by team physician.

- Isaiah Thomas scored 53 points, including 20 in the fourth quarter and nine in overtime to lead the Celtics past the Wizards 129-119. Boston takes a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinals. The 53 points were the most in an NBA playoff game since 2003 and the second-highest total in Celtics playoff history, behind John Havlicek.

Thomas big game came on the birthday of his sister, Chyna, who died in a car crash on the eve of the playoffs. He also had oral surgery the day before the game and played despite his mouth being swollen.

Golden State rolled past Utah 106-94 to win the opener of that Western Conference semifinal.

- Alabama trustees have approved a three-year extension through the 2024 season that could pay football coach Nick Saban at least $65 million over the next eight years and again make him college football’s highest-paid coach. Saban will make $11.125 million this year, counting a $4 million signing bonus and a $400,000 completion bonus.