Forgan 46, Victory Life 0.
The Victory Life Eagles have been in the OSSAA for 3 years now, but due to the structuring of the districts, the Eagles' football program is enjoying membership for just the second year. And it's taken only 2 seasons to make the playoffs.
The Eagles 55-7 victory at Grandfield on Friday, coupled with the Corn Bible Academy loss to Temple, thrust VLA into the postseason. And with Thackerville's 22-point loss at Tipton, the Eagles slipped ahead of the Wildcats and into third place in District C2. One slot up in the district standings also means that, though the Eagles will have to make a journey almost out of our time zone, they will avoid a first-round matchup with Shattuck and its (current) 92-game winning streak.
Hey, everyone. Long time, no blog.
Let's start with a quick update.
SOSU 27, ECU 26
This one was a blowout early, and then the Savage Storm had to hang on at the end. Southeastern scored 27 points in the first quarter and didn't score in the final 46:24. But the Storm finishes at 7-4.
Victory Life 55, Grandfield 7
VLA not only makes the playoffs for the first time ever in the OSSAA, but snags the 3rd spot in District C2.
More about all of this later, but I needed to get back in the proverbial saddle.
See you.
Hey everyone.
Long time, no blog.
Well, I've got to tell you that coaching takes a lot out of you. I really tried to blog throughout the season and, as you may have noticed, I got only a little past halfway through.
But the seasons were great! The girls finished with a winning record (12-11) and did so in dramatic fashion with incredible come-from-way-behind wins over Haworth and Coleman to close out the regular season. The boys earned the school's first ever Boys' District Championship by defeating Eagletown 50-40 in the title game. They ended the campaign at 12-14.
There will be more info on the seasons with recaps later on, but after an absence of nearly two months, the site needed an update. I'm pretty much rested and recovered now and ready for March Madness.
Bring it.
The Lady Eagles took the court for the first time this week, while the Eagles were playing their third game in four nights as Victory Life travelled to Wister on Friday night. For the first time in some weeks, both teams came away with victories in the same setting. The Lady Eagles defeated the Lady Wildcats 58-51 to move to 7-8 on the season. The Eagles were victorious over the Wister J.V. team, 53-48, going 2-1 for the week and moved to 6-10 this year.
The Lady Eagles defeated Wister earlier in the season at the EOSC Tournament and picked up where they left off in that first round game. VLA shot well all night and forced Wister to play aggressively from behind from the second quarter on.
Meagan Woodall led all scorers with 20 points. Lizzi Needham went 4-for-5 from outside the arc and had 15 points of her own. Cailee Jones also got into double figures with 12 points on one of her best shooting displays of the season.
The Eagles needed a win and were able to grab it on Friday over the Wister junior varsity team. [This game was scheduled late and the Wister girls’ team had an opening in the schedule, while the boys’ team did not. A JV game was arranged.] After Wednesday night’s loss to the Texas Torah Institute, the Eagles were in a bit of disarray. They showed more teamwork in this win and played with a higher level on intensity. It was a back and forth affair though as the Eagles couldn’t seem to put the JVers away until the very end.
They did, however, keep a season long trend alive and 50 does seem to be the magic number. VLA is 6-1 on the year when the Eagles score 50+ points; they are 0-9 when don’t reach the 50-point mark.
Trey Weatherly has stepped up his offensive game as the season has gone on (much like last year) and led all scorers with 17 points. Dayton Booth has 11 more for Victory Life.
After playing so many games on the road or at neutral sites this season, Victory goes back home for a four-game stand starting Tuesday night, when the teams play host to McAlester Christian Academy.
Friday’s box scores:
Girls
VLA (7-8) 9 16 16 17 58
WHS (?-?) 9 12 12 18 51
VLA > Meagan Woodall 20, Lizzi Needham 15, Cailee Jones 12, Cassadi Jones 5, Jessi Balentine 3, Olivia Rustin 3.
WHS > Jill White 16, Ashley Hudlow 7, Kelsey Crane 6, Mary Martin 6, Melanie Carpenter 4, Brittany Murray 4, DelDeana Billinger 2, Kathleen Morgan 2, Tori Wadley 2, Aston Ward 2.
VLA > Lizzi Needham – 4 three-pointers tonight. Also note that this is her final game with us as she will be homeschooled from this point on. We will miss her.
Boys
VLA (6-10) 8 14 14 17 53
WJV 9 12 18 9 48
VLA > Trey Weatherly 17, Dayton Booth 11, Cameron Roesler 8, Tyler McKinney 7, Andrew Cacho 5, Tony Ramos 3, Jon Penton 2.
WJV > Cody Laman 14, Scoute Warren 9, Logan Warren 7, Kolter Borden 6, Dayton Brown 2, Clint Crane 2, Cory Hill 2, Curtis Martin 2, Dej Mathis 2, Josh Wolf 2.
Another night of split results for the Victory Life basketball teams and this time the win went to the boys. The host Eagles, at home for only the second time this year, stayed unbeaten in those two games, with a 50-43 win over Tupelo and snapped a four-game losing streak. The Lady Eagles extended their losing streak to four games as they lost 51-32 to Tupelo.
For the second time this week, Victory Life fell behind big early as the Lady Tigers got off to an impressive 26-6 first quarter lead and never looked back. VLA played with next to no intensity in the first sixteen minutes and trailed by 24 at the break.
The lights seemed to come on in the third period, but the damage had already been done.
Lizzi Needham had 3 three pointers on her way to 11 points on the night. She also had 7 rebounds. Her play was a big part of the Lady Eagles' improved effort in the second half. Meagan Woodall had 9 points and Amber Wright also had 5.
The Eagles played with fervency throughout the entire ballgame for the second time this week, but the results were different on Friday since VLA was able to pull off the victory. However, Victory betrayed itself at the free throw line once again as they did in Dickson. They shot 40 foul shots and made only 20. Tupelo's strategy of sending the Eagles to the free throw line started in the third quarter and was effective enough to stay with for most of the rest of the game since VLA was only 50% from the line. Hopefully the boys will practice a few more free throws over the Christmas Break.
Cameron Roesler led all scorers with 16 points, but had a difficult time at the charity stripe, going only 2-7 there. Seniors Trey Weatherly and Andrew Cacho also scored in double digits, with 13 and 11 points, respectively, and combined for 10 of 17 free throws made.
Friday's box scores:
Girls
THS (8-4) 26 4 8 13 51
VLA (5-5) 6 0 11 16 32
THS > Grace Leland 14, Megan Bray 11, Chesna Henry 10, Shanna Davidson 10, Josie Soukup 4, Kaci Bullard 2.
VLA > Lizzi Needham 11, Meagan Woodall 9, Amber Wright 5, Cassadi Jones 3, Jessi Balentine 2, Brittany Renfro 2.
Boys
THS (3-10) 7 4 14 18 43
VLA (4-5) 11 13 6 20 50
THS > Jeremy Stein 15, Jake Sanders 13, Dakota Ingram 6, Trevor Walkup 3, Matt Benedict 3, Nathan Hogue 2, Tyler Griffin 1.
VLA > Cameron Roesler 16, Trey Weatherly 13, Andrew Cacho 11, Cody Furrh 7, Tyler McKinney 3.
Victory Life travelled to Dickson on Tuesday night to take on the Class 4A Comets. Dickson swept the contests with the Lady Comets winning 55-39 and the Comets holding on for a 48-44 victory.
VLA's Lady Eagles are now 5-4 and the Eagles drop to 3-5 in 2008-2009.
The Lady Comets came in undefeated and showed why against VLA with their sharp shooting. They didn't seem to miss in the first half and opened up a 21 point lead by the break. The Dickson starters saw action only until late in the third quarter when the game seemed to be decided.
VLA fought hard but just didn't have the horses in this one. Cailee Jones found her shot and had 12 points. Meagan Woodall also had 12 points for the Lady Eagles along with 4 blocks.
The boys' game was closer and the Eagles played as intense a ballgame as they have played all season. Victory came out and may have caught the Comets sleeping a bit. Dickson made baskets at the end of each of the first two quarters, including a three-pointer at the buzzer of the first half just to tie the game at 17 apiece.
VLA fought valiantly through the second half and were within one at 36-35 over midway through the final period, but missed important free throws late that could have made it a different outcome. The Eagles were 3 of 4 from the foul line in the first half, but went 1 for 6 from the stripe in the fourth quarter.
Cameron Roesler had yet another double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Andrew Cacho scored 14 points for the Eagles and Cody Furrh had 10.
Victory Life will host Tupelo on December 19 to close out the first half of the schedule.
Tuesday's box scores:
Girls
VLA (5-4) 5 13 9 12 39
DHS (4-0) 21 18 9 7 55
VLA > Cailee Jones 12, Meagan Woodall 12, Cassadi Jones 5, Olivia Rustin 3, Jessi Balentine 2, Lizzi Needham 2, Katy Lehr 2, Amber Wright 1.
DHS > Tory Dwyer 14, Dara Gray 9, Cierra Burton 7, Brittany McLaury 5, Madison Donica 4, Megan Mays 4, Courtney Dodson 4, Juliann Jantz 3, Tiffany Davis 2, Alyssa Wheeler 2, Chell Armstrong 1.
Boys
VLA (3-5) 8 9 12 15 44
DHS (3-1) 9 8 15 16 48
VLA > Cameron Roesler 15, Andrew Cacho 14, Cody Furrh 10, Dayton Booth 5.
DHS > Bean 20, Royal 16, Riggle 8, Allen 2, Bolin 2.
Junior Lady Eagle Meagan Woodall and sophomore Eagle Cameron Roesler were selected to their respective All-Tournament teams this weekend.
Woodall averaged 10 points per game in three games, averaged 6 rebounds per game, and had 10 blocks in the three game set (including 5 against Spiro in limited action on Saturday).
Roesler averaged 15 points per contest in the Eagles' two losses vs. Wister and Spiro. He had a double-double against Wister with 18 points and 10 boards.
Congratulations to both of them. They deserve the honor.
Lady Eagles’ Game 8
Class 3A’s Spiro Lady Dogs came out quickly and got an early jump on Victory Life on Saturday in the EOSC Tournament Third Place game in the “A” Bracket. Spiro led by eight early and then by 20 at the intermission en route to a 58-31 victory over VLA on Saturday afternoon. Dropping consecutive games for the first time this season, Victory falls to 5-3 on the season. There won’t be much time to recover either as they travel to Dickson on Tuesday.
Quite frankly, the Lady Eagles haven’t seemed all the way “right” since defeating Rock Creek a week ago. Olivia Rustin injured her ankle pretty badly in the fourth quarter of that contest and hasn’t been able to rest it for it to recover fully. It is becoming apparent just how big a piece of this puzzle she is.
On top of that, some sickness going through the school this past week; the Lady Eagles weren’t spared and it showed. The girls seemed sluggish throughout the tournament. Able to slip away with a 7 point win over Wister, they couldn’t do the same against teams like Eagletown and Spiro, who had much more of a physical presence inside.
Spiro’s guard/forward duo of Kassandria Orozco and Kayli Fouts put in 12 and 11 points, respectively, before calling off the “Dogs” midway through the third.
Victory Life was led in scoring by freshman Cassadi Jones with 11. Meagan Woodall, who has herself been on a personal shooting slump, had 8 points to go along with 5 blocked shots and a great defensive effort.
The Lady Eagles need to play some inspired basketball in the coming week or they could be looking a .500 by the Christmas Break.
Saturday’s box score:
Girls
VLA (5-3) 5 7 10 9 31
EHS (3-2) 11 21 15 9 58
VLA > Cassadi Jones 11, Meagan Woodall 8, Jessi Balentine 3, Amber Wright 2, Lizzi Needham 2, Cailee Jones 2, Brittany Renfro 2, Olivia Rustin 1.
SHS > Kassandria Orozco 12, Kayli Fouts 11, Angel Miller 9, Jenni Bigler 8, Bethany Lashley 7, Sarah McLaughlin 5, Kendra Ledbetter 2, Megan Garrett 2, Meosha McKesson 2.
Lady Eagles’ Game 7
For those watching the Lady Eagles play on Friday night, it was déjà vu of Friday night the previous week. Victory Life looked as though they hadn’t shot a ball in weeks (maybe months) and the scoreboard reflected it. Eagletown took the contest 56-20 and sent Victory Life to the third place contest for the second consecutive weekend. The Lady Eagles are now 5-2 and will face Spiro at 3 pm on Saturday.
When we last left Olivia Rustin, she had played a fantastic game on Thursday night, but tweaked the ankle she injured in the Rock Creek Tournament. Rustin tried to make it out on the court; however, she just couldn’t stay. The ankle needs rest and Rustin will be a gametime decision tomorrow.
As for the rest of the Lady Eagles, Meagan Woodall once again led the way in scoring, but this time with only 9.
Meanwhile, Eagletown’s inside duo of ShaVannah Short and LaKrisha Pennon was a force to be reckoned with. The size mismatches in the lane proved to be too much for Victory Life this time around.
This was the first big test for VLA this season and Eagletown’s Lady Eagles showed Victory that there is still a way to go.
Eagles’ Game 7
The Eagles were not at full strength in either game in the Eastern Tournament. With ankle injuries to three of the top eight players and another of those eight recovering from sickness, those watching Victory Life in the tournament this week were not treated to seeing the Eagles at their best.
That aside, the Spiro Bulldogs came out and played with the desperation of a team that badly needed a win. And in doing so, they outhustled the Eagles in every facet of the game. They pressed the entire game (and I mean for 30 of the 32 minutes) and forced numerous Eagle turnovers. Spiro also caught fire from outside the arc, draining 12 three-pointers.
VLA was led in scoring by Cameron Roesler who had 12 points. The Eagles also got 7 points apiece from Andrew Cacho and Tony Ramos.
Victory falls to 3-4 on the season now and will take the court again on Tuesday night at Dickson.
Friday’s box scores:
Girls
VLA (5-2) 4 9 3 4 20
EHS (5-4) 22 7 19 8 56
VLA > Meagan Woodall 9, Lizzi Needham 3, Cassadi Jones 3, Cailee Jones 2, Amber Wright 2, Jessi Balentine 1.
EHS > ShaVannah Short 14, LaKrisha Pennon 13, Kristie Baker 10, Briana Billy 8, Lacey Griffin 5, Amber Roan 2, Alexis Burris 2, Maeson McCaig 2.
Boys
VLA (3-4) 7 7 13 7 34
SHS (1-3) 15 18 24 15 72
VLA > Cameron Roesler 12, Andrew Cacho 7, Tony Ramos 7, Tyler McKinney 3, Cody Furrh 2, Trey Weatherly 2, Jacob Hance 1.
SHS > T. Seymour 23, H. Solomon 12, M. White 11, M. Catelett 11, S. Thompson 5, T. Williams 4, G. Releford 2, K. Simmons 2, B. Anderson 2.
Lady Eagles' Game 6
The Lady Eagles picked up where they left off on Saturday and grabbed their fifth win of the season, defeating Wister 50-43 in the first round of the Eastern Oklahoma State College Open Tournament. Now 5-1, VLA will face top seed Eagletown on Friday at 4 pm.
Sophomore Olivia Rustin played through injury (She hurt her ankle last week in the Rock Creek Tournament) but led all scorers with 14 points.
Cailee Jones and Meagan Woodall each added 12 points to help the Lady Eagles.
Most of Victory Life’s players were fighting sickness and it was a struggle to keep going on the court. Jessi Balentine had 4 points and controlled the game well from the point guard position, though feeling the effects of the virus. Lizzi Needham also had only 4 points on the evening, but pulled down 11 boards as well.
VLA struggles were most apparent when at the free throw line. The Lady Eagles went 10-24 from the stripe, a place that is supposed to be one of their strengths.
Eagles' Game 6
The Eagles found themselves in a hole before the game even started. With a rotation that generally consists of eight players, Victory Life was missing Jon Penton, who was still out due to a sprained ankle from the Rock Creek Tournament, and Cody Furrh, who was out with illness. But the boys fought very hard on Thursday night. And though they lost 57-48 to Wister, it was truly a valiant effort.
VLA is now 3-3 and will meet the loser of the Eagletown/Spiro contest on Friday at 12:20.
Tyler McKinney had 4 three-pointers on his way to 21 points and led all scorers. Cameron Roesler also put in 18 points for Victory.
What shouldn’t be lost in the Eagles’ defeat was how well they executed the defensive game plan. VLA held the Wildcats to only 24 points in the first half and kept Wister’s Chris Gandee to just two before the break.
But the loss of senior speedster Trey Weatherly early in the first period to an ankle injury became tougher as the game went on and Wister responded by coming out with a 17-8 third quarter, putting the Eagles in an 11 point hole that they could not overcome.
Adding another injury to the insult (pardon the bad play on words), Dayton Booth also turned his ankle in the fourth period.
The Eagles are hoping to heal up quickly as they face another tough opponent on Friday.
Thursday’s box scores:
Girls
VLA (5-1) 16 12 14 8 50
WHS 12 8 16 7 43
VLA > Olivia Rustin 14, Cailee Jones 12, Meagan Woodall 12, Jessi Balentine 4, Lizzi Needham 4, Cassadi Jones 2, Brittany Renfro 2.
WHS > Melannie Carpenter 10, Jill White 9, Kelsey Crane 7, Mary Martin 6, Brittany Murry 6, Shelbie Billy 5, DelDeana Billinger 2.
Boys
VLA (3-3) 9 13 8 18 48
WHS (5-3) 12 12 17 16 57
VLA > Tyler McKinney 21, Cameron Roesler 18, Andrew Cacho 3, Tony Ramos 3, Trey Weatherly 2, Dayton Booth 1.
WHS > Chris Gandee 20, Tyler Shoup 11, Jake White 10, Craig Morgan 6, Ben Shipman 4, Rusty Meeks 2, Cory Hill 2, Kolten Braden 2.
Lady Eagles' Game 5
Victory Life put the previous day's shooting debacle behind them and responded with their highest point total of the year to date. They defeated the tournament host Rock Creek, 72-65, and earned the Third Place plaque for the weekend. VLA moves to 4-1 for the year.
Meagan Woodall led the Lady Eagles with 24 points and was also recognized as a member of the All-Tournament team. Cassadi Jones came off the bench and had 12 points for Victory Life. Lizzi Needham and Olivia Rustin each had 10 points.
It was a back and forth battle throughout the first half and the Lady Mustangs led 19-16 after the first eight minutes. But VLA took the lead for good late in the half and went up by five points, 31-26, on a buzzer-beating tip back by Woodall which gave the Lady Eagles momentum going into the break.
VLA came out on fire in the third and led by as many as 14 early in the fourth, when Woodall left the contest with five fouls with just over 6 minutes remaining and a ten point advantage. The Lady Eagles were up by 8 with about three minutes left when they lost Rustin also to fouls. Cailee Jones also fouled out in the final minute, but VLA was able to maintain their lead by matching Rock Creek's free throws at the end.
Eagles' Game 5
The Consolation Chamionship gave the fans a hard fought contest that showed them Eagles who wouldn't quit, but too much Marcellous Hill for those Eagles to overcome. Hill led all scorers with 32 points. Boswell came away with a 72-59 win over Victory Life, who fell to 3-2.
Dayton Booth continued to play well on his old court and poured in 18 points to lead the Eagles. Trey Weatherly was the only other VLA player in double figures with 10. Cameron Roesler and Andrew Cacho each had eight.
As in their only prior loss in the season, the halftime deficit proved to be too much for VLA to surmount.
Saturday's box scores:
Girls
VLA (4-1) 16 15 23 18 72
RCHS 19 7 18 21 65
VLA > Meagan Woodall 24, Cassadi Jones 12, Lizzi Needham 10, Olivia Rustin 10, Amber Wright 6, Cailee Jones 5, Jessi Balentine 5.
RCHS > Taylor Robinson 15, Halie Heflin 13, Katelynn Burns 12, Jade Graham 9, Raylee Mitchell 8, Kassidy Goforth 4, Brianna Akins 4.
Boys
VLA (3-2) 10 13 17 19 59
BHS 15 20 16 21 72
VLA > Dayton Booth 18, Trey Weatherly 10, Cameron Roesler 8, Andrew Cacho 8, Tyler McKinney 7, Cody Furrh 5, Tony Ramos 3.
BHS > Marcellous Hill 32, Martin Stevens 25, James Ribera 7, Trey Phillips 6, Matt Godsby 2.
Lady Eagles' Game 4
Day Two of the Rock Creek Tournament saw the Lady Eagles drop their first game of the season, 50-30, to Boswell and fell to 3-1. And as bad as the score looks, that's how bad Victory Life looked on the court.
Victory Life will play the loser of the second semifinal, Rock Creek vs. Durant JV, on Saturday.
The Lady Scorpions held VLA to single digits in scoring in three quarters and the Lady Eagles never really got on track. Cailee Jones was the only player in double figures for Victory with 10 points. Lizzi Needham and Cassadi Jones each had 6. The nine three-pointers made in Thursday's win were a distant memory; VLA made only one on Friday.
Eagles' Game 4
The Eagles got back on the winning track on Friday with a 58-43 victory over Rock Creek's junior varsity. The close score was not really indicitive of the game as VLA played everyone who suited up. The Eagles are now 3-1 in 2008-09.
Victory Life will face the winner of the Boswell/Durant J.V. game in Saturday's consolation championship.
A pair of sophomores led the way for Victory. Dayton Booth, who transferred from Rock Creek in 2007, topped all scorers with 19 and Cameron Roesler put in 13 points. Trey Weatherly also had 10 for the Eagles.
Friday's box scores:
Girls
VLA (3-1) 8 6 5 11 30
BHS (4-4) 8 17 16 9 50
VLA > Cailee Jones 10, Lizzi Needham 6, Cassadi Jones 6, Meagan Woodall 4, Olivia Rustin 2, Amber Wright 2.
BHS > Merideth Mullenix 24, Kaitlyn Crawford 10, Shay Love 8, Vinyard 4, Josie Redwine 2, Kelbie Brinkley 1, Cassidy Percer 1.
Boys
VLA (3-1) 12 17 23 6 58
RCJV 6 13 8 16 43
VLA > Dayton Booth 19, Cameron Roesler 13, Trey Weatherly 10, Tyler McKinney 8, Cody Furrh 6, Andrew Cacho 2.
RCJV > Kodi From 10, Joe Phillips 8, Chance Dobbins 6, Bradley Robinson 6, Matt Owens 6, Lane Beauchamp 3, Trey Davis 2, Jordan Bishop 2.
Lady Eagles' Game 3
Victory Life opened the 2008 Rock Creek Tournament as the #3 seed taking on #6 seed Fort Towson. Good outside shooting from Victory Life kicked back in for them in the fourth and the Lady Eagles held on for a 56-42 victory in the tournament's opener and moved to 3-0 on the season.
The Lady Eagles got off to a really good start and held a 19 point advantage going into halftime. But the Lady Tigers came out of the break and played with a little more fire and at one point in the fourth cut the lead to only 7.
Meagan Woodall once again had a good showing for VLA. She had 23 points, including 18 that came from outside the arc. Cailee Jones also got into double figures with 11 points.
Victory will face the winner of Boswell and Soper J.V. on Friday at 4:20.
Eagles' Game 3
The seeds held up in the opening round at Rock Creek on Thursday in the first boys' game of the day as #4 beat #5. Victory Life suffered their first loss of the year at the hands of Fort Towson on Thursday, falling 62-42. The Eagles are now 2-1.
Fort Towson started off hot with an 8-0 run to open the game, but the Eagles quickly answered to tie it at 8. Then the Tigers pulled away, leading 24-14 after one and stretching the lead to 20 at the break. Hot shooting and good rebounding fueled Fort Towson in the first half.
The Eagles shifted defenses in the second half and held Zach Samaha scoreless after he had dropped 18 on the Eagles in the first 16 minutes.
Trey Weatherly and Tyler McKinney were the only two VLA players in double figures with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
VLA will face the loser of Stringtown and Rock Creek J.V. in the consolation bracket on Friday at 3:00.
Box scores:
Girls
VLA (3-0) 14 16 12 12 56
FTHS (0-7) 6 5 17 14 42
VLA > Meagan Woodall 23, Cailee Jones 11, Lizzi Needham 8, Jessi Balentine 5, Cassadi Jones 4, Amber Wright 2, Olivia Rustin 1.
FTHS > Heather Bevills 14, Lauren Beckwith 9, Seana Garrison 8, Bekah Walters 6, Kiley Johnson 4, Chelsea Bolt 1.
VLA > Team hit 9 three-pointers, Woodall made 6 of them.
Boys
VLA (2-1) 14 6 16 6 42
FTHS (4-3) 24 16 12 10 62
VLA > Trey Weatherly 11, Tyler McKinney 10, Dayton Booth 7, Tony Ramos 6, Cameron Roesler 4, Cody Furrh 4.
FTHS > Zach Samaha 18, Shane Acker 15, Allan Roden 14, Jimmy Smith 7, Vince Casella 6, Phillip Clark 2.
The first game after the Thanksgiving break usually shows that there is a little rust to shake off and Tuesday night’s contests fell into that category for Victory Life. However, the Lady Eagles and Eagles were just too much for the overmatched Red River Home School Rattlers.
VLA won the girls’ game 49-15 to move to 2-0 on the season. This is only the second time in school history that the girls’ team has won its first two contests and that’s fairly interesting considering the really good teams that have come through in the 2000’s. 10 out of 11 players scored, led by Meagan Woodall with 10. Olivia Rustin followed with 8 points and Cassadi Jones and Katy Lehr each had 6.
Victory Life’s boys are also now 2-0 for the year after their 70-49 victory over the Rattlers. Cameron Roesler had 31 points for the Eagles. Dayton Booth put in 20 and Tyler McKinney also had 10.
Next up for VLA is the Rock Creek Tournament which starts on Thursday.
Tuesday's box scores:
Girls
VLA (2-0) 7 12 14 16 49
RR 2 1 4 8 15
VLA > Meagan Woodall 10, Olivia Rustin 8, Cassadi Jones 6, Katy Lehr 6, Cailee Jones 5, Amber Wright 4, Jessi Balentine 3, Brittany Renfro 3, Maegan Crawford 2, Lizzi Needham 2.
RR > V. Blessing 6, K. Palmer 4, H.Hough 2, T. Hough 2, M. Ayers 1.
Boys
VLA (2-0) 13 15 21 21 70
RR 7 16 15 17 49
VLA > Cameron Roesler 31, Dayton Booth 20, Tyler McKinney 10, Colby Hix 5, Sean Mathis 2, Tucker Weatherly 2
RR > Daniel Hoffman 18, Alec Hilliard 16, Tyler Markle 9, Andrew Flowers 3, Timothy Teater 3.
Friday night was a big night for the Lady Eagles and Eagles. Both teams opened their seasons with wins at home over Dodd City.
The girls won 55-41 and were led by Meagan Woodall, who had 27 points and 8 blocks. Olivia Rustin also had 13 points, including the go-ahead three-pointer at the buzzer ending the third quarter.
The boys won a nailbiter, 56-54, and Cameron Roesler paced the Eagles with 24 points. Tyler McKinney had a pair of baskets outside the arc in the third, cutting a nine point deficit to just three and starting a 20-2 run for VLA.
Here are the box scores:
Girls
DCHS (1-1) 11 10 14 16 41
VLA (1-0) 8 12 17 18 55
DCHS > Samantha McCarty 10, Hailey Spindle 10, Cassidi Rogers 8, Callie Maxwell 5, Morgan Hartnett 4, Syndee Horton 4.
VLA > Meagan Woodall 27, Olivia Rustin 13, Cailee Jones 7, Lizzi Needham 3, Jessi Balentine 2, Cassadi Jones 2, Amber Wright 1.
Boys
DCHS (1-1) 16 10 12 16 54
VLA (1-0) 15 10 13 18 56
DCHS > Ethan Stephens 22, Nathan Roberts 8, Patrick Moore 8, Reed 5, Herndon 4, Jaylen Wallace 3, Renfro 3, Williams 1.
VLA > Cameron Roesler 24, Andrew Cacho 7, Tyler McKinney 6, Cody Furrh 6, Jon Penton 5, Dayton Booth 4, Tony Ramos 2, Trey Weatherly 2.
Well, it's almost here. The 2008-2009 versions of the Victory Life Lady Eagles and Eagles are about to take the floor. On Friday night, Dodd City, TX, comes to Durant for the VLA season opener. There will be a JV Boys' game at 5:00 and the Varsity games will get underway at 6:30.
And for those who are wanting to know, the seeding meeting for the Rock Creek Tournament took place today. Below are the brackets for girls and boys. The Tournament dates are Dec. 4-6, but the game times haven't been set yet. I'll update the brackets as the days' games are finished.
The first season is always a challenge, but the Eagles fought valiantly on the football field in their first year in the OSSAA. In fact, they were a play or two and a missed call or two (including a phantom offensive pass interference call at Tipton) from having four or five wins right now. As it stands, VLA is 2-5 in District C-2 and are 2-7 overall. The playoffs are out of the picture, but senior night is coming this weekend. Here’s to one more game in 2008 and to hoping for a victory over Grandfield on Friday.
