This page contains articles about athletic events of the LaPoynor Flyers and Lady Flyers  chronicalogically arranged for the convenience of readers.

Browse by Date of Event

April 4, 2022

2A REGION III QUALIFIERS — The LaPoynor Boys Golf Team won first place in the District 19-2A Golf Tournament in Athens on Monday, April 4 and will compete in the 2A Region III Tournament in Jacksonville on April 18-19. For more information, see the story. — LISD Courtesy Photo

March 11, 2022

Flyers comeback surge falls short;

Clarendon wins state semis 69-60

The LaPoynor Flyers basketball team mounted a determined comeback Friday, March 11 in the State Semifinals but Clarendon held on for a 69-60 win to end an outstanding season for the LaPoynor boys at the Alamodome in San Antonio, according to a report from Flyers Coach Jim Reid.

The first-year Head Coach for the Flyers described his team’s comeback.

“We made a furious comeback,” Coach Reid said. “We were down 20 plus at one point, cut it to 5 in the fourth quarter, but just ran out of time.”

The Flyers were behind 23-12 going into the second quarter and Clarendon turned a 17-10 second quarter into a 40-22 lead at halftime. LaPoynor’s comeback began in the third quarter as they outscored Clarendon 21-13, just 10 points ahead of the Flyers at 53-43 going into the fourth. The Flyers outscored Clarendon 17-16 in that final quarter but it just wasn’t enough to overcome the earlier Clarendon lead.

The Flyers scored 30 points in the paint, 16 on put-backs and 12 on the fast break. They hit 3 of 22 three-point tries and 20 of 60 two-pointers. Clarendon hit 5 of 23 in three-point range and 26 of 75 inside. At the free throw line, the Flyers were 17 of 29 for 58.6 percent and Clarendon was 12 of 18 for 65.7 percent.

Three Flyers scored in double figures led by Kase Johnston’s 18 points, including one three-pointer in 11 attempts, seven goals inside and a 3 of 9 performance on free throws. Dijuan Whitehead sank 15 points, 2 of 3 on three-point goals and 5 of 9 inside. He was 3 of 3 at the free throw line. Cooper Gracey had 10 points, 3 of 10 inside and 4 of 6 free throws. Cort Reid sank 2 of 4 inside and was 4 of 5 in free throws for 8 points. Matt Driskell was 2 of 6 inside and sank 4 of 6 free throws for 6 points. Evan Almeida scored 3 on a two-point field goal and a free throw.

Jmaury Davis was leading scorer for Clarendon with 24 points, 11 inside and 2 of 3 from free throws. Two others were in double figures with a combined total of 31.

As a team, the Flyers had 46 rebounds, 10 assists, 4 blocks, and 13 steals compared to Clarendon’s 55 rebounds, 15 assists, 3 blocks and 16 steals.

Johnston had 14 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks and 4 steals. Almeida had 11 rebounds and an assist. Gracey had 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks and 4 steals. Reid had 4 rebounds and a steal. Driskell had 3 rebounds and Whitehead had 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 4 steals. Four rebounds were unassigned to a player.

Score by Quarters:

Flyers              12    10    21    17 — 60

Clarendon      23    17    13    16 — 69

March 5, 2022

Flyers going to 2A State semis

after 76-71 win over Beckville

The LaPoynor Flyers are on their way to the State Class 2A Boys Basketball Tournament after defeating the Beckville Bearkats 76-71 to win the Region III Finals Saturday, March 5, according to a report by Flyers Coach Jim Reid.

The Flyers were to face Clarendon at 10 a.m. in the State Semifinals Friday, March 11 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Coach Reid said.

The win over Beckville was the second in less than 24 hours for the Flyers who defeated Timpson in the Regional Semifinals the evening before in Athens.

In the Beckville game, the Flyers outscored the Bearkats 17-14 in the first quarter and 18-12 in the second period to lead 35-26 at halftime. The third quarter was close as LaPoynor had only a 20-19 edge but they still led 55-45. Bearkat scorers surged in the fourth outscoring the Flyers 26-21 but at the final buzzer, the Flyers had prevailed by 5 points.

LaPoynor sank 22 field goals for a 44 percent average inside the paint. They found the range to score 5 three-point goals. At the free throw line they shot 80 percent dropping in 17 of 21.

Dijuan Whitehead led scorers with 26 points, hitting 9 baskets inside and launching 2 three-point goals. He sank 2 of 3 at the free throw line. Kase Johnston had 15 points, 3 in the paint and two 3-pointers. He was 3 of 4 in free throws. Cooper Gracey and Evan Almeida each had 13 points. Gracey hit 5 of 7 inside and was 3 of 3 at the charity stripe. Almeida sank three inside the paint and dropped in 7 of 8 free throws. Cort Reid had 5 points a 2 of 2 free throw performance and a three-point field goal. Matt Driskell got two baskets inside for 4 points.

As a team, the Flyers had 46 rebounds, 20 assists, 4 blocks, 9 steals and 6 deflections.

Johnston had 16 rebounds, 9 assists, a block, 5 steals and a deflection. Gracey had 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 blocks,  and 2 deflections. Whitehead pulled down 9 rebounds and had 1 deflection. Almeida had 6 rebounds, an assist, 3 steals and a deflection. Reid had 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal. Driskell had 2 rebounds, 3 assists and a deflection.

Score by Quarters:

Flyers         17    18    20    21 — 76

Beckville    14    12    19    26 — 71

March 4, 2022

Flyers battle Timpson to end,

win Region Semifinals 70-69

The LaPoynor Flyers had to battle to the final buzzer Friday night, March 4 in the  Region III Class 2A Semifinals before edging out a talented Timpson Bears team 70-69 advancing to the Region III Finals game with Beckville to be played the next day, according to a report from Flyers Coach Jim Reid.

The Flyers had a close first quarter with Timpson having a 20-19 edge.  However, in the second quarter, the Flyers picked up the pace and outscored the Bears 24-15. The Flyers took a 43-35 lead into the locker room at halftime. Timpson picked up their game in the third quarter, outscoring the Flyers 15-7 and tied the game at 50-50 at the end of the third quarter. The Flyers had a scoring battle with the Bears in the fourth but turned a 20-19 edge in the period into a single point win.

The Flyers shot 52 percent overall in field goals, including seven 3-pointers and 58 percent in two-point field goals. They were 15 of 31 at the free throw line compared to Timpson’s 14 of 23 or 60 percent.

Leading scorer was Kase Johnston with 21 points including three 3-point field goals. He was 2 of 5 in free throws. Dijuan Whitehead had 18 points, all inside and sank 4 of 8 free throws. Cooper Gracey scored 14 points, including two 3-point goals and a 6 of 8 free throw performance. Evan Almeida scored 10, hit 3 of 4 baskets in the paint and sank a three-point goal and a free throw. Matt Driskell had 5 points, sinking a 3 and a 2-point goal. Cort Reid dropped in 2 of 4 at the free throw line.

As a team, the Flyers had 40 rebounds, 16 assists, 2 blocks, 8 steals and 6 deflections.

Johnston had 18 rebounds, 6 assists, a block, 3 steals and a deflection. Whitehead pulled down 11 rebounds, had 2 assists and 2 steals. Gracey had 5 rebounds, a blocked shot and 2 steals. Almeida had 4 rebounds, an assist, a steal and 3 deflections. Driskell had 2 rebounds, 2 assists and a deflection. Reid had 5 assists and a deflection.

Score by Quarters:

Flyers       19    24      7    20 — 70

Timpson  20    15    15     19 — 69

March 1, 2022

Flyers down Grapeland 72-60

for trip to Region Semifinals

The LaPoynor Flyers continued their Class 2A playoff success Tuesday, March 1, defeating Grapeland 72-60 in a Region III Quarterfinals game at Athens High School, according to a report from Flyers Coach Jim Reid.

The win set up a Regional Semifinals matchup with the winners of District 23-2A, Timpson, at 6 p.m., Friday, March 4, also at Athens High School.

The Flyers moved out to a 22-14 lead in the first quarter and padded their lead in the second period with a 19-14 performance. They led at halftime 41-28. Grapeland managed a 17-15 advantage in the third quarter but that only narrowed the Flyers’ lead to 56-45. The LaPoynor boys secured their 12-point win with a 16-15 fourth quarter performance.

As a team, the Flyers shot 54 percent inside and sank five three-point goals. They were 17 of 29 at the free throw line for 58 percent.

Dijuan Whitehead led Flyers scorers with 16, seven of eight inside and sank 2 of 2 free throws. Cooper Gracey and Kase Johnston got 15 points each. Gracey was 4 of 9 on field goals inside and 7 of 11 from the free throw line. Johnston combined two 2-point goals with three 3-pointers and was 2 of 8 in free throws. Matt Driskell scored 11 points, three goals inside and three-point goal. He was 2 of 3 from the charity stripe. Evan Almeida had 9 points, three inside and a three-pointer. Cort Reid scored 6 with a 2-pointer and a 4 of 4 trip to the free throw line.

The team had 39 rebounds, 12 assists, 2 blocks, 15 steals and 10 deflections for the game.

Johnston collected 10 rebounds, had 5 assists, 2 blocks, 6 steals and 3 deflections. Also Gracey had 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and a deflection. Driskell had 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals and a deflection. Almeida got 6 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 deflections.Whitehead had 3 rebounds, an assist, a steal and a deflection. Reid had 2 rebounds and a deflection. Jackson Young had a rebound.

Score by Quarters:

Flyers            22    19    15    16 — 72

Grapeland    14    14    17    15 — 60

Feb. 25, 2022

Flyers advance to Quarterfinals

downing Meyer 85-65 at Area

The LaPoynor Flyers advanced to the Class 2A Region III Quarterfinals Friday night, Feb. 25 with a convincing 85-65 win over Waco Meyer in an Area game played in Corsicana, according to a report from Flyers Coach Jim Reid.

The Flyers will be carrying their playoff success into a Quarterfinals game with Grapeland, on Tuesday, March 1 at 6:30 p.m. at Tyler Legacy.

The LaPoynor boys hit the court in the first quarter and outscored Meyer 25-17. They had a narrow 18-17 advantage in the second quarter but led 43-34 at halftime.  The Flyers padded their lead in the third quarter 19-14 and secured their win in the fourth with a 23-17 edge. As a team they had a 55 percent success rate on shots inside and connected on seven three-point shots. At the free throw line they were 4 of 7.

Four Flyers scored in double figures. Cooper Gracey hit 60 percent of his 2s and had four three-pointers for an impressive 31 points. He was a perfect 1 of 1 at the free throw line. Kase Johnston added 14, sinking 4 inside and two from three-point territory. Matt Driskell and Dijuan Whitehead each had 12. Driskell had a three-pointer and was 3 of 5 in free throws. Whitehead sank 6 of 12 inside. Evan Almeida scored 8, all inside. Cort Reid had 6, all three of his baskets inside. Jackson Young had one 2-pointer.

As a team, they pulled down 37 rebounds, had 26 assists, 3 blocks, 14 steals and. 9 deflections.

Gracey collected 8 rebounds, had 4 assists and 2 steals. Driskell had 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 steals and 3 deflections. Whitehead had 6 rebounds, 3 assists, a steal and a deflection. Almeida had 6 rebounds and 2 steals. Reid had 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and a deflection. Johnston had 4 rebounds, 9 assists, 3 blocks, 2 steals and 4 deflections. Jackson Young had a rebound.

Score by Quarters:

Flyers     25    18    19    23 — 85

Meyer    17    17    14    17 — 65

Lady Flyers praised for successful

season after close semifinals loss

The LaPoynor Lady Flyers, second seed in District 19-2A, finished a successful season falling to Douglass 56-55 in the Region III Semifinals on Friday, Feb. 25, but staging an impressive comeback attempt after being behind by 10 points going into the fourth quarter, according to reports from the game.

  Coach Jammie Maze had words of praise for his team.

“We had a great season with our girls team this year,” the coach said.  “They were everything that a coach would want from a young group of ladies. I'm very proud of all that we have accomplished this season.”

Coach Maze pointed out that the Lady Flyers had many young players emerge as potential stars in the future.

He said Markayla Hurd (Junior) was a great floor general who took on a huge leadership role and Kitty Eldridge (Sophomore), a bench player last yearl, who rose to become the leading scorer. Additionally, he said that Payton Maze (Sophomore) was a very tough player who averaged a double/double for the entire season. The coach described T'mia Mitchell (junior) as “a shut-down defender” and praised senior Natalie Tobin, who he said became that true all around player, leading us in most categories during our playoff run.

“These girls worked hard and our coaching staff is very proud.” Coach Maze said.

Feb. 25, 2022

Quarterfinals champion Lady Flyers’

comeback falls short 56-55 in semis

The LaPoynor Lady Flyers saw their successful 2021-2022 basketball season come to a close as they lost to Douglass 56-55 in the Region III Class 2A Semifinals on Friday, Feb. 25, despite a strong comeback in the second half, according to a report from Lady Flyers Coach Jammie Maze.

The Lady Flyers had captured the Region III Quarterfinals championship after emerging from District 19-2A as the second seed with an 8-2 record, losing only to Martins Mill, which has advanced to the State Class 2A Tournament.

The Lady Flyers were within an eyelash of advancing themselves, thanks to an impressive effort in the second half against Douglass, who had held a 32-21 lead at halftime and a 49-39 third quarter advantage. The Lady Flyers outscored Douglass in the final quarter 16-7, but not quite enough to regain a lead and the win.

Natalie Tobin led LaPoynor scorers with 20 points, thanks to a 70 percent scoring percentage inside and a 6 of 7 or 86 percent performance at the free throw line. Kitty Eldridge also was in double figures with 11 points, making 4 of 6 inside and sinking a three-pointer. Markayla Hurd had 8 points, including a three-point goal. Tmia Mitchell had 7 points, scoring on three 2-pointers and a free throw. Payton Maze had 6 on three goals inside. Riley Thaw scored 2 and Bre Howard 1.

As a team, the Lady Flyers had 34 rebounds, 21 assists, 4 blocks, 4 steals and 5 deflections.

Tobin supplemented her scoring performance with 13 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 blocks, a steal and 2 deflections. Howard had 7 rebounds, an assist and a deflection. Mitchell had 6 rebounds, 3 assists and a block. Eldridge had 5 rebounds, 7 assists and a steal. Hurd had 4 assists, a steal and a deflection. Maze had 2 rebounds, a steal and a deflection. Thaw had a rebound.

(See Coach Maze’s review of the season in separate story above )

Score by Quarters:

Douglass        19    13    17      7 — 56

Lady Flyers   13     8    18    16 — 55

Feb. 22, 2022

Lady Flyers go to Region semifinals

after victory over Crawford 44-29

The LaPoynor Lady Flyers advanced to the Class 2A Regional Semifinals with a 44-29 victory over Crawford Tuesday, Feb. 22 in basketball action at Fairfield.

The victory pits the Lady Flyers, runners-up of District 19-2A, against the Douglass Lady Indians, winners of District 22-2A, in the Region III semis in Athens at 8 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 25. Douglass defeated Hawkins 76-58 in their quarterfinals game on Feb. 22 to advance.

In the Lady Flyers low-scoring game against Crawford, the two teams were in a 7-7 tie in the first quarter but the Lady Flyers outscored their opponents 13-9 in the second period to lead 20-16 at the half. The LaPoynor girls increased their lead in the third quarter with a 15-7 advantage and secured their 15-point win. The Lady Flyers held Crawford to single digits in all four quarters.

Bre Howard led Lady Flyer scorers with 10 points, including two 3-point goals and a 4 of 4 performance at the free throw line. Five other players added to scoring. Natalie Tobin scored 9, including a three-pointer. Tmia Mitchell had 8, with a 6 of 8 trip to the free throw stripe. Kitty Eldridge and Markayla Hurd each scored 7, with Hurd sinking 3 of 5 free throws and Eldridge hitting 1 of 2. Payton Maze had 3 with a field goal inside and a free throw.

As a team, the Lady Flyers had 20 rebounds, 13 assists, 5 blocks, 11 steals and a deflection.

Eldridge had 5 rebounds, 2 assists, a block and a steal. Hurd had 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals. Maze had 3 rebounds, 4 assists, a block, 4 steals and a deflection. Howard had 3 rebounds and a steal. Mitchell had 2 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal. Tobin had 2 rebounds, an assist and 3 blocks.

Score by Quarters:

Lady Flyers      7    13    15      9 — 44

Crawford         7      9      7      6 — 29  

Feb. 22, 2022

LaPoynor boys finish third

in Eustace Golf Tournament

The LaPoynor Flyers golf team finished third Tuesday, Feb. 22 in a 11-team field of golfers which included schools as big as Corsicana and Palestine playing in the Eustace Boys Golf Touranment on the Pinnacle Country Club course.

Senior Jeff Young shot an overall score of 77, second only to the 75 scored by Nathan Thomas of Wills Point.

Coach Jammie Maze praised his team for their performance.

“Our LaPoynor boys did great,” the coach said.

The LaPoynor team had an overall score of 379 behind Palestine’s 342 and Kaufman’s 377.

Other LaPoynor individual scorers were Daniel Payton who each shot 98 and Keaton Young 99. Jericho Young had a 105 and Corbin Moeller a 110.

Teams participating were Palestine, Kaufman, Canton, Corsicana, Wills Point, Kemp, Eustace Purple, Kerens, Scurry and Eustace White.

The LaPoynor girls were scheduled to compete in the Eustace Tournament on Wednesday, Feb. 23.

See complete results of the tournament HERE .

Feb. 18, 2022

LHS Flyers win big in bi-district

game over 20-2A Slocum 105-58

The LaPoynor Flyers captured the first round of the Class 2A playoffs, winning a bi-district game with Slocum with a convincing 105-58 performance against the District 20-2A third seed in bi-district play, acccording to Flyers Coach Jim Reid.

Next up will be an Area contest as the second round of the playoffs. The Flyers will face 17-2A third seed Waco Meyer on Friday, Feb. 25 at 7:30 p.m. at Corsicana.

The Flyers gave a preview of what might be ahead for Slocum as they took a 28-15 first quarter lead. The Mustangs picked up their scoring in the second quarter but LaPoynor continued its prolific scoring to lead 25-22 in the second period and 53-37 at halftime. The Flyers continued to outscore the Mustangs in the second half, starting with a 31-8 third quarter and finishing out their victory 21-13 for the big win.

Five Flyers scored in double figures, Cort Reid leading with 24 points, including 3 three-point goals and a 3 of 4 trip to the free throw line. Kase Johnston scored 23 with a couple of three-pointers and a 3 of 5 free throw performance. Dijuan Whitehead had 19 with 8 goals inside and 3 of 4 at the free throw line.  Cooper Gracey added 18 with three 3-point goals. Matt Driskell had 10 and one three-pointer. Evan Almeida scored 9 on three 3-pointers. Jackson Young scored 2 inside.

As a team, the Flyers pulled down 46 rebounds, had 34 assists, 2 blocks, 14 steals and 9 deflections.

Gracey had 12 rebounds, 6 assists, a block, 4 steals and 3 deflections. Johnston had 11 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals and 4 deflections. Driskell ha 6 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 steals and a deflection. Whitehead had 5 rebounds, an assist, a block and a steal. Almeida had 5 rebounds, 3 assists,  and a steal. Casey Ruiz had 3 rebounds, and an assist. Jackson Young had 2 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal. Reid had a rebound, 7 assists, a steal and a deflection. Zade Howard had a rebound.

Score by Quarters:

Flyers     28    25    31    21 — 105

Slocum   15    22      8    13 —   58

Feb. 21, 2022

Lady Flyers down Marlin 49-30,

eye Crawford in Quarterfinals

The LaPoynor Lady Flyers prepare for the Region III 2A Quarterfinals after a 49-30 win over Marlin in Area competition Friday, Feb. 18, according to a report from Lady Flyers Coach Jammie Maze.

The Lady Flyers are scheduled to play Crawford in the Region Quarterfinals game on Tuesday, Feb. 22 at 7:30 p.m. at the Fairfield High School gymnasium.

The LaPoynor girls outscored their Marlin opponents in three of the four quarters of a relatively low-scoring game. The Lady Flyers took an early lead 13-3 but Marlin came back to edge LHS 14-12, not enough to avoid a 25-17 Lady Flyer lead at halftime. The LaPoynor girls built on that lead in the second half, holding Marlin to single digits, outscoring their opponent 14-6 in the third and 10-7 in the final period for a 19-point victory.

Two Lady Flyer players scored in double figures. Natalie Tobin led scorers with 17 points, 14 from at or near the free throw circle and 3 of 4 free throws. Payton Maze was second with 12, sinking 6 of 8 field goal tries inside. Two LHS players scored 7. Kitty Eldridge had a three-point goal and sank two insiders and Tmia Mitchell dropped in two field goals inside while hitting 3 of 4 at the free throw line. Markayla Hurd scored 6, including a three-pointer and one inside along with a  free throw.

As a team, the Lady Flyers had 30 rebounds, 18 assists, a block, 13 steals and a deflection.

Tobin had 11 rebounds, 2 assists, a block and 2 steals. Maze had 8 rebounds, 2 assists and 7 steals. Hurd had 6 rebounds, 5 assists, a steal and a deflection. Mitchell had 3 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal. Eldridge had 2 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals.

Score by Quarters:

Lady Flyers   13    12    14    10 — 49

Marlin             3    14      6      7 — 30

Feb. 15, 2022

Flyers finish regular season with

84-56 win over Cayuga Feb. 15

The LaPoynor Flyers ended their regular season dominating Cayuga 84-56 in District 19-2A basketball action on Tuesday, Feb. 15 at the Nichols-Corley Gymnasium on the LaPoynor campus, according to a report from Flyers Coach Jim Reid.

The Flyers finished their district schedule with a 9-1 record and were 28-6 for the season.

The win, coupled with a Martins Mill loss to Frankston, moved the Flyers into first place in 19-2A and a first seed playoff spot against Slocum in bi-district on Monday, Feb. 21 at 7 p.m. at New Summerfield.

The Flyers outscored Cayuga in every quarter in their game on Tuesday. The LaPoynor boys hit the court in the first quarter and earned a 24-11 lead. Then in the second they had the advantage 20-17 to lead at halftime 44-28. They continued their dominance in the second half taking the third quarter 22-15 and capping their win with an 18-13 fourth quarter performance.

Four players for the Flyers scored in double figures, led by Cooper Gracey with 22 points. He sank four 3-point goals and was 4 for 4 at the free throw line. Matt Driskell followed with 19 points and was 3 of 4 in free throws. Cort Reid scored 18 points, also with four 3-pointers and also a perfect 4 of 4 at the charity stripe. Evan Almeida scored 13 points, including a 3, and he too was 4 of 4 in free throws. Jackson Young scored 5, a three-pint goal and a 2 of 2 trip to the line. Dijuan Whitehead scored 4 inside and Casey Ruiz had a three-point goal.

As a team, the Flyers pulled down 33 rebounds, had 23 assists, 4 blocks, 13 steals and 11 deflections.

Gracey had 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 blocks, 2 steals and a deflection. Almeida had 9 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals and 3 deflections. Reid had 6 rebounds, 6 assists, a steal and a deflection. Driskell had 4 rebounds, 3 assists, a block, 4 steals and 2 deflections. Young had 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and 3 deflections. Whitehead had a rebound, an assist, a steal and a deflection. Ruiz had a rebound.

Score by Quarters:

Cayuga    11    17    15    13 — 56

Flyers      24    20    22    18 — 84

Feb. 14, 2022

Lady Flyers advance to 2A Area

with victory over Slocum 56-24

The LaPoynor Lady Flyers advanced to Area competition in the Class 2A playoffs Monday, Feb. 14 with a 56-24 victory over the Slocum Lady Mustangs in basketball action at Tyler Junior College, according to a report by Lady Flyers Coach Jammie Maze.

The Lady Flyers will be playing Marlin Friday, Feb. 18 at 6 p.m. at Corsicana in the second round of the girls playoffs.

The win made the Lady Flyers season record 21-5. They had finished as second seed in the District 19-2A race with an 8-2 record.

The LaPoynor girls outscored the Lady Mustangs 20-11 in the first quarter and had a 9-5 advantage in the low-scoring second period. LaPoynor led 29-16 at halftime. They outscored Slocum 27-8 in the second half to gain their big win.

Three Lady Flyers scored in double figures led by Kitty Eldridge and Payton Maze with 13 each. Markayla Hurd had 11. Eldridge had a three-pointer and Hurd had two. Eldridge was 4 for 5 at the free throw line. Maze was 3 for 3. Other scorers were Natalie Tobin with 8. Tmia Mitchell had 6, Riley Thaw 3 on a three-pointer, and Bre Howard, who was 2 for 2 in free throws.

Maze had 7 rebounds, 2 assists, a steal and a deflection. Tobin had 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 blocks, a steal and 2 deflections. Hurd had 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and a deflection. Howard had 5 rebounds, an assist, a steal and a deflection. Mitchell had 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and a deflection. Thaw had 3 rebounds, a steal and a deflection. Eldridge had 4 assists and 3 steals.

Score by Quarters:

Lady Flyers    20      9    11    16 — 56

Slocum           11      5      3      5 — 24   

Feb. 11, 2022

Lady Flyers down Neches five

58-42 in prep for 2A playoffs

The LaPoynor Lady Flyers built a 38-16 halftime lead over the Neches Lady Tiger and went on to secure a 58-42 non-district win Friday, Feb. 11 at LaPoynor School, according to a report from Lady Flyers Coach Jammie Maze.

The game was played preparatory to the Lady Flyers bi-district game with Slocum in the Class 2A playoffs on Monday, Feb. 14 at 6 p.m. at Tyler Junior College. The Lady Flyers are second seeds in District 19-2A and Slocum is third seed in 20-2A.

The Lady Flyers had a 16-11 first quarter and posted a 22-5 advantage in the second period to secure their halftime lead. In the third quarter, the Lady Flyers padded their lead with a 16-6 margin. Neches came back to make it closer as they outscored the Lady Flyers 20-4 in the last quarter.

The Lady Flyers had three players in double figures. Markayla Hurd led with 17 points, including a three-point goal. Kitty Eldridge had 15, also with a three-pointer. Payton Maze had 12 and was 2 for 4 at the free throw line. Natalie Tobin scored 8 inside. Tmia Mitchell had 4 inside and Bre Howard got a 2-point goal.

Maze had 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 7 steals and 2 deflections. Mitchell had 3 rebounds, 2 assists, a block and a deflection. Hurd had 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and 3 deflections. Tobin had 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks and 3 deflections. Eldridge had a rebound, 6 assists and 2 steals. Howard had a rebound, a block, 3 steals and a deflection.

Score by Quarters:

Neches              11      5      6    20 — 42

Lady Flyers     16    22    16      4 — 58

Feb. 8, 2022

Flyers increase district record

with win over Kerens Feb. 8

The LaPoynor Flyers outscored Kerens in every quarter to post a 92-32 victory in a District 19-2A contest on Tuesday, Feb. 8 at the Nichols-Corley Gymnasium at LaPoynor School, according to a report from Flyers Coach Jim Reid.

The win kept the Flyers in a tie with Martins Mill for first place in the district  with a 7-1 district record and a season mark of 26-6. Final playoff seeding is to be determined.

The Flyers came onto their home court and immediately posted a 27-6 first quarter lead over the Bobcats. They stretched the lead further with a 31-8 performance in the second period to lead 58-14 at the half. They continued their scoring lead in the third quarter with a 19-11 advantage and sealed a 60-point win with a 15-7 fourth quarter.

Five Flyers players scored in double figures. Leading scorer was Cooper Gracey (24) with 22. He nailed three 3-point goals and had 1 for 2 free throws. Kase Johnston(00) was second with 17 points, including three 3-pointers. Dijuan Whitehead (32) scored 14 points with seven coming on the inside. Matt Driskell (1l) had 14 points and Cort Reid (12)  had 12. Reid was 2 for 2 and Driskell was 4 for 5 at the free throw line. Jackson Young (3) had 9 points, including a three-pointer. Evan Almeida (23) scored two inside for 4 points.

Gracey had 10 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals and 2 deflections, Driskell had 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals and 2 deflections. Whitehead had 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals and 2 deflections. Johnston had 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 7 steals. Young had 4 rebounds and a steal. Reid had 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals and a deflection. Almeida had 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and a deflection.

Score by Quarters:

Kerens      6      8    11      7 — 32

Flyers     27     31   19    15 — 92

Feb. 8, 2022

Lady Flyers defeat Kerens 64-22

in regular season finale on Feb. 8

The LaPoynor Lady Flyers increased their hold on second place in the District 19-2A standings with a convincing 64-22 win over the Kerens Lady Bobcats Tuesday, Feb. 8 in their final regular season game, according to a report by Lady Flyers Coach Jammie Maze.

The Lady Flyers are second seed in District 19-2A and will play the 20-2A third seed team Slocum in bi-district competition Monday, Feb. 14 at 6 p.m. at Tyler Junior College, according to latest information from LaPoynor ISD.

The Lady Flyers held Kerens to single digits in all four quarters while making 24 field goals inside or near the free throw circle, connecting on three 3-point goals and making 54 percent of their free throws. They started strong with a 19-7 first quarter advantage and a 16-7 performance in the second quarter to lead 35-14 at halftime. They scored 12 points to only 2 for Kerens in the third quarter and secured their big win with a 17-6 margin in the final period.

Leading scorer for the Lady Flyers was Kitty Eldridge (3) with 18 points, including a three-point goal. She also sank 5 of 6 free throws. Natalie Tobin (31) had 13 points, including a three-pointer. Markayla Hurd (5) connected for 11 and got a three-point basket. Bre Howard had 8 points and was 2 for 2 at the free throw line. Payton Maze (11) also sank 8 points on four two-point baskets. Tmia Mitchell (12) got 4 and Emily Richardson (00) who had 2.

Maze had 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals and 2 deflections. Eldridge had 5 rebounds, 6 assists, and 5 steals. Hurd had 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 steals. Mitchell had 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 5 steals and a deflection. Tobin had 4 rebounds, 2 assists, a block and 3 steals. Howard had 4 rebounds, an assist and 2 steals. Riley Thaw (2) had 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and a deflection. Richardson had 2 rebounds and a block.

The Lady Flyers finished the regular season at 8-2, in second place and seeded second in the upcoming 2A playoffs.

Score by Quarters:

Kerens               7      7      2      6 — 22

Lady Flyers    19    16    12    17 — 64

Feb. 5, 2022

Flyers turn early lead into big

win over Cross Roads 89-29

The LaPoynor Flyers surged to a 30-5 first quarter lead over Cross Roads and continued to dominate their District 19-2A opponent in every quarter to take a convincing 89-29 victory Saturday, Feb. 5 at the Nichols-Corley Gymnasium at LaPoynor School.

It was Homecoming for the Flyers and LaPoynor faithful and the games and Homecoming festivities had been moved from Friday to Saturday because of the inclement winter weather.

The Flyers shot 59 percent in and around the paint and sank 9 three-point goals. They shot 4 free throws and made them all.

Cort Reid led Flyers scorers with 23 points. He sank five 3-point goals for most of his points. Coming in second was Cooper Gracey with 18 points. Gracey shot 70 percent in or near the paint and was 4 for 4 at the free throw line. Dijuan Whitehead and Kase Johnston each had 14 points. Johnston hit on 2 three-point goals and shot 80 percent on two-point goals. Whitehead was 7 for 9 in two-pointers inside. Matt Driskell had 10 points. Evan Almeida scored 6 on two 3-point goals. Jackson Young sank two 2-pointers for 4 points.

The Flyers, as a team, pulled down 34 rebounds, had 25 assists, two blocks, and 20 steals during the contest.

Almeida had 7 rebounds, 3 assists,  and 3 steals. Gracey had 7 rebounds, 5 assists, a block and 7 steals. Reid had 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals and a deflection. Driskell had 5 rebounds, 4 assists, a block, 2 steals and 2 deflections. Whitehead had 3 rebounds and a steal. Johnston had 2 rebounds, 6 assists and a steal. Young had 2 rebounds. Casey Ruiz had 2 rebounds and 2 steals.

The Flyers will host Kerens on Tuesday, Feb. 8. Junior varsity games start at 4:30 followed by Flyers and Lady Flyers varsity games at LaPoynor School.

Score by Quarters:

Cross Roads    5    11      7      6 — 29

Flyers            30    19    23    17 — 89

Feb. 5, 2022

Lady Flyers defeat Cross Roads 67-30

in Homecoming 19-A game on Feb. 5

The LaPoynor Lady Flyers increased their District 19-2A record and held onto second place in the league standings by winning big against Cross Roads 67-30 at Homecoming Saturday, Feb. 5 at LaPoynor School, according to a report from Lady Flyers Coach Jammie Maze.

The game had been rescheduled from Friday, Feb. 4 due to inclement winter weather.

The Lady Flyers hit the court in the first quarter scoring 38 points to 19 for Cross Roads. Neither team scored in the second period and the Lady Flyers had a 38-19 halftime lead. In the second half the LaPoynor girls outscored Cross Roads 29-11, leading 18-7 in the third and 11-4 in the final period.

Four Lady Flyers players scored in double figures. Leading scorer was Natalie Tobin with 15 points, one on a three-point goal, and hitting 2 of 3 free throws. Kitty Eldridge and Bre Howard each had 13. Howard sank two 3-pointers and was 3 of 4 at the free throw line. Eldridge got one three-point goal and scored five shots inside. Markayla Hurd scored 12 points, two of which were free throws. Payton Maze had 8 and Tmia Mitchell 6.

Maze had 9 rebounds, 2 assists, a block, 4 steals and 4 deflections. Eldridge had 7 rebounds, 7 assists, and a steal. Howard had 7 rebounds and 5 steals. Mitchell  had 6 assists, 5 steals and 3 deflections. Emily Richardson had 6 rebounds. Hurd had 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 5 steals and a deflection. Tobin had 4 rebounds, 2 blocks and a steal. Adriana Estrada had 1 rebound and an assist. Riley Thaw had 2 assists.

The Lady Flyers were to play Kerens on Tuesday, Feb. 8 with junior varsity play starting at 4:30 p.m. It will be the last game of the regular season.

Score by Quarters:

Cross Roads    19     0      7     4 — 30

Lady Flyers    38     0    18    11 — 67

Feb. 1, 2022

Flyers defeat Martins Mill 85-62

in battle for District 19-2A lead

The LaPoynor Flyers outscored the Martins Mill Mustangs in every quarter Tuesday, Feb. 1 and went on to win over the previous district leaders 85-62 at the Nichols-Corley Gymnasium at LaPoynor School, according to a report by Flyers Coach Jim Reid.

The Flyers are now 5-1 in District 19-2A play and 24-6 for the season.

The Flyers jumped out to an 16-8 lead in the first quarter and then scored 32 points in the second to 20 for the Mustangs. They led 48-28 at halftime. In the second half, the scoring was closer with the Flyers edging the Mustangs 19-17 in the third and 18-17 in the fourth but the big first half for the Flyers assured the win.

As a team, the Flyers had six three-point goals and hit 17 of 20 or 85 percent at the free throw line. They sank 64 percent of their two-point field goals.

Leading scorer for the Flyers was Kase Johnston with 26. Dijuan Whitehead had 18, Cooper Gracey 15 and Evan Almeida 14. Cort Reid had 6, Jackson Young 4, and Matt Driskell 2. Almeida had 4 three-pointers and Johnston and Gracey had 1 each. Whitehead and Gracey hit 4 for 4 at the free throw line, Reid 4 for 6, Johnston 3 for 4 and Young 2 for 2.

The Flyers had 37 rebounds, 19 assists, 10 steals and 12 deflections as a team.

Gracey had 11 rebounds, 5 assists, a block and 3 steals. Whitehead had 7 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal. Driskell had 6 rebounds and 2 assists. Johnston had 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals. Young had 4 rebounds and 2 deflections. Almeida had 3 rebounds, 3 steals and 5 deflections. Reid had a rebound, 4 assists, a steal and 5 deflections.

Score by Quarters:

Martins Mill   8    20    17    17 — 62

LaPoynor      16    32   19    18 — 85

Feb. 1, 2022

Lady Flyers fall to top-ranked

Martins Mill 69-56 on Feb. 1

The Martins Mill Lady Mustangs held on to first place in District 19-2A with a 69-56 win over the LaPoynor Lady Flyers Tuesday, Feb. 1 at LaPoynor, according to a report from Lady Flyers Coach Jammie Maze.

The Lady Flyers are still holding on to second place in the district race with a 6-2 record. Martins Mill goes to 8-0.

LaPoynor took an early lead over Martins Mill 18-15 at the end of the first quarter. However, the Lady Mustangs came back in the second period with a 24-12 performance. At halftime, they were ahead 39-30. In the second half Martins Mill outscored the Lady Flyers 30-26 to secure their victory.

Two LaPoynor players scored in double figures during the game. Markayla Hurd led with 19 points followed by a 16-point performance by Kitty Eldridge. Payton Maze and Natalie Tobin each scored 9 points. Bre Howard had 2 and Tmia Mitchell had 1. Eldridge and Tobin each sank a three-point goal. Eldridge was 9 of 10 at the free throw line. Hurd was 7 of 10 and Maze was 5 of 6. Howard was 2 for 2.

Maze had 8 rebounds. Mitchell had 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals. Tobin had 5 rebounds and an assist. Hurd had 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 4 steals. Eldridge had 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 2 deflections. Howard had 3 rebounds and a steal.

Score by Quarters:

Martins Mill     15    24   14    16 — 69

Lady Flyers      18    12    11    15 — 56

Jan. 28, 2022

Flyers dominate Cayuga 88-44,

solidify second place in 19-2A

The LaPoynor Flyers solidified their hold on second place in the District 19-2A standings with a convincing 88-44 win over the Cayuga Wildcats Friday, Jan. 28 in basketball action at Cayuga, according to a report by Flyers Coach Jim Reid.

The win increased the Flyers’ season record to 23-6 and their district mark at 4-1.

The Flyers set the pace in the first quarter with a 27-2 advantage over the Wildcats. The second quarter was closer, 15-13, but it was enough to give the Flyers a 42-15 halftime lead. In the third quarter, the Flyers almost duplicated the first half scoring as they sank 26 points to only 14 for the Wildcats. They went into the final quarter with a 68-29 advantage and proceeded to outscore Cayuga 20-15 to secure their big win.

As a team, the Flyers shot 62 percent in two-point field goals and made 5 three pointers, attempting 23. At the free throw line they were 79 percent, hitting 19 of 24. They had 48 rebounds, 23 assists, 2 blocks, 13 steals and 18 deflections.

Cort Reid led Flyers scorers with 22 points, including 8 for 8 trips to the free throw line. Evan Almeida got 18 points, including four 3-point field goals. Cooper Gracey scored 16 points, including a three-point goal and sank 3 of 4 free throws. Dijuan Whitehead also had 16 points and was 4 of 5 at the charity stripe. Kase Johnston had 9 points and was 1 for 2 in free throws. Jackson Young scored 7, including 3 points in 4 trips to the free throw line.

Gracey had 17 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals and 2 deflections. Johnston had 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks, 2 steals and 3 deflections. Reid had 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals and 2 deflections. Almeida had 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 steals and 4 deflections. Young had 4 rebounds and 2 assists. Casey Ruiz had 4 rebounds and 4 deflections. Whitehead pulled down 3 rebounds and had an assist, 2 steals and 3 deflections.

Score by Quarters:

Flyers     27    15    26    20 — 88

Cayuga    2     13    14    15 — 44

Jan. 28, 2022

Lady Flyers hold on to second

in 19-2A victory over Cayuga

The LaPoynor Lady Flyers increased their District 19-2A record to 6-1 and second place in district standings with a 58-26 win over the Cayuga Lady Wildcats Friday, Jan. 28 on the road, according to a report by Lady Flyers Coach Jammie Maze.

The Lady Flyers had the advantage in every quarter, taking 17-7 lead in the first quarter and increasing their lead to 32-11 at halftime. They also commanded the third quarter with a 11-5 margin. It was closer, 15-10, in the fourth quarter but added still more to the Lady Flyers’ victory margin.

Three LaPoynor players scored in double figures during the game. Kitty Eldridge led with 17. Markayla Hurd sank 11 and Tmia Mitchell had 10. Payton Maze scored 7, Bre Howard 5, and Riley Thaw  and Natalie Tobin, each had 4.

Emily Richardson had 8 rebounds. Tobin had 5 rebounds, 2 assists, a block, a steal and a deflection. Maze had 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 9 steals and 3 deflections. Bre Howard had 4 rebounds and 2 steals. Hurd had 3 rebounds, 8 assists and 4 steals. Thaw had 2 rebounds and a steal. Mitchell had a rebound, 2 steals and a deflection.

Score by Quarters:

Lady Flyers   17    15    11    15 — 58

Cayuga            7      4      5    10 — 26

Jan. 25, 2022

Flyers hand Indians first 19-2A

loss 59-40 at LaPoynor Jan. 25

The LaPoynor Flyers handed the Frankston Indians their first District 19-2A loss 59-40 Tuesday, Jan. 25 while increasing their record to 3-1 and their season mark to 23-6, according to reports by Indians and Flyer coaches.

The loss by the Indians made their season record 20-5 and their district mark 3-1.

The Flyers had a big first quarter, taking a 20-7 lead. The Indians came back, taking a 14-12 edge in the second period but they trailed 32-21 at halftime. Neither team could score as much in the third quarter but the Flyers had an 11-5 advantage extending their lead to 43-26. The final quarter was close but the Flyers had a 16-14 edge to further assure their final victory.

Two LaPoynor players scored in double figures. Dijuan Whitehead led with 17 points and Cooper Gracey sank 16. Kase Johnston scored 9 and Evan Almeida 8. Matt Driskell had 5 and Cort Reid 4. Almeida had two 3-point goals and Johnston, Driskell and Gracey 1 each. Gracey was 3 for 5 at the free throw line and Whitehead was 1 for 2.

According to Flyers Coach Jim Reid, Whitehead had 13 rebounds and 3 assists. Gracey had 9 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 deflections. Almeida had 4 rebounds and 5 steals. Johnston had 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals and a deflection. Driskell had 3 rebounds, an assist, a steal and 2 deflections.  Reid had 2 rebounds, 3 assists and a deflection.

Indians Coach Scotty Albritton reported that Cael Bruno was leading scorer for Frankston with 13 points. Caleb Ramsey had 9,  and Benton Allen and Isaiah Allen 6 each. Reese Hicks, Kason Newport and Kody Loebig each scored 2. Bruno had a three-point goal. Benton Allen was 2 for 4 at the free throw line. Bruno was 4 for 7 and Ramsey 1 for 2.

The Indians will go to Martins Mill for action on Friday, Jan. 28. Junior varsity action begins at 4:30 p.m. followed by Maidens and Indians varsity play.

The Flyers will be at Cayuga on Friday with JV play starting at 4:30 p.m. followed by varsity games for the Lady Flyers and Flyers.

Score by Quarters:

Indians     7    14      5    14 — 40

Flyers     20    12    11    16 — 59

Jan. 25, 2022

Lady Flyers win over Maidens;

Frankston JV wins on Jan. 25

The LaPoynor Lady Flyers varsity improved their district record to 5-1 Tuesday, Jan. 25 with a 67-44 victory over the Frankston Maidens, now 3-3 in district play, according to reports from coaches for both teams.

In the junior varsity game, the Maidens JV won over the Lady Flyer JV 32-12, boosting their season record to 14-2 and the district mark to 4-0.

The Lady Flyers took an early 16-8 lead but the Maidens came back in the second quarter to outscore the LaPoynor girls 17-12 to narrow the Lady Flyer lead to 28-25. In the third quarter the Lady Flyers extended their lead to 44-33 with a 16-8 performance over the Maidens. Flyers scorers secured the win with a 23-11 fourth quarter. The Lady Flyers hit 92 percent of their free throws, sinking 23 of 25.

Three Flyers players scored in double figures in the game. Markayla Hurd led with 18 points, followed by Payton Maze’s 15 points and Kitty Eldridge’s 12. Natalie Tobin and Tmia Mitchell each had 9 and Bre Howard had 4. Hurd, Maze, Mitchell and Tobin each had three-point field goals. At the free throw line, Howard was 2 for 2, Eldridge 4 for 4, Hurd 5 for 5, Maze 6 of 8, Mitchell 2 for 2 and Tobin 4 of 4.

Two Maidens were in double figures. Wila Davis had 15 and Maggie Caveness 14. Ja’Shalyn (Shay) Hatton had 9,  and Brianna (Bri) Looney, Kaylee Davis and Bandy Bizzell 2 each. Wila Davis had three 3-point goals. She was 2 for 2 at the free throw line. Hatton was 3 for 4 in free throws and Caveness was 2 for 4.

According to Lady Flyers Coach Jammie Maze, other statistics were:

For the Lady Flyers, Payton Maze had 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and 2 deflections. Eldridge had 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals and 2 deflections. Tobin had 4 rebounds, an assist, a block, 2 steals and a deflection. Howard had 3 rebounds, an assist, 3 steals and 3 deflections. Thaw had 2 rebounds and a steal. Mitchell had 2 rebounds, a steal and a deflection. Hurd had a rebound, 6 assists, 5 steals and 2 deflections.

For the Maidens, Caveness had 15 rebounds, an assist and 2 steals. Hatton had 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals and a deflection. Wila Davis had 8 rebounds and 3 assists. Looney had 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and a deflection. Kaylee Davis had 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals. Bizzell had 2 rebounds and an assist.

Maidens JV defeats Lady Flyers JV 32-12

Maidens JV Coach Suzanne Braly reported that her team started out slow but picked up the pace  and “played much better in the second half” in their victory.

The Frankston girls had a 6-2 lead in the first quarter and led 11-7 at halftime. In the third quarter they had an 8-1 edge and they scored in double figures in the final quarter 13-4 to secure the win.

Leading scorer for the Maidens JV was Kaysiah Burnett with 12 points, nine in the final quarter. Kaysie Nabors, Desi Hatton and Pauline Passchier had 4, Zoey Walker 3, and Aryonna Hatton and Trinity Coats 2 each. Mariyah Hatton had 1.

The Maidens go to Martins Mill on Friday, Jan. 28 with JV action starting at 4:30 p.m. followed by varsity actions by the Maidens and the Indians.

The Lady Flyers will be at Cayuga the same day with JV action scheduled at 4:30 followed by varsity games by the Lady Flyers and Flyers varsities following.

Scores by Quarters:

Maidens            8    17      8    11 — 44       Maidens JV          6   5   8   13 — 32

Lady Flyers    16    12    16    23 — 67       Lady Flyers JV    2   5   1     4 — 12

Jan. 21, 2022

Flyers take convincing 100-55

win over Kerens five Jan. 21

The LaPoynor Flyers increased their District 19-2A record to 2-1 and their season mark to 22-6 Friday, Jan. 21 with a convincing 100-55 victory over the Kerens Bobcats at Kerens, according to a report by Flyers Coach Jim Reid.

The Flyers led the Bobcats in every quarter, and after the tip they outscored Kerens 24-10 in the first quarter and went on to a 19-16 edge in the second period. Leading 43-26 at halftime, they proceeded to a 33-12 third quarter performance and secured their convincing win in the fourth quarter with a 24-17 advantage.

The Flyers had a 59 percent 2-point mark and were 66 percent at the free throw line. They hit 6 of 16 in 3-point tries. They had 39 rebounds and 22 steals as a team.

Five Flyers players scored in double figures led by Cooper Gracey’s 28 points, including two 3-pointers and a 2 for 3 performance at the free throw line. Two players sank 21 points. Dijuan Whitehead hit 72 percent of his shots and was 5 of 9 in free throw tries for his 21. Cort Reid also had 21, shooting 80 percent in 2-point field goals and sinking two 3-pointers. He was 7 of 8 at the free throw line. Evan Almeida scored 15 points including two 3-pointers and was 57 percent in 2-point shots. Kase Johnston scored 13 including a 3 for 4 mark in free throws. Jackson Young had 2 points,

Almeida had 11 rebounds, 3 assists, a steal and 2 deflections. Gracey pulled down 8 rebounds, had 4 assists, a block, 4 steals and 6 deflections. Johnston had 6 rebounds, 10 assists, 4 steals and 3 deflections. Whitehead had 6 rebounds, 2 assists, and 5 steals. Reid had 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and 3 deflections. Young had 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals. Driskell had 3 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals.

The Flyers will host Frankston (3-0) in a first round district game at Nichols-Corley Gymnasium on Tuesday, Jan. 25. Junior varsity action begins at 4:30 p.m. and varsity action for the Lady Flyers and Flyers is scheduled to follow.

Score by Quarters:

Flyers    24    19    33    24 — 100

Kerens  10    16    12    17 —   55

Jan. 18, 2022

Lady Flyers increase 19-2A mark

with 72-43 victory at Cross Roads

The LaPoynor Lady Flyers increased their District 19-2A record to 3-1 Tuesday, Jan. 18 with a convincing 72-43 victory over Cross Roads on the road, according to a report from Lady Flyers Coach Jammie Maze.

The Lady Flyers outscored Cross Roads in three of the four quarters, dominating in the first two 15-4 and 24-12 to lead 39-16 at halftime. They also outscored their opponents 19-12 in the third quarter. Cross Roads had the edge 15-14 in the final period but that was not nearly enough to offset the earlier LaPoynor lead.

Five Lady Flyers players scored in double figures. Leading scorer was Markayla Hurd with 21 points. Natalie Tobin had 13, Payton Maze 11 and Kitty Eldridge and Bre Howard each had 10. Tmia Mitchell scored 4 and Riley Thaw 3.

Tobin had 6 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 blocks. Eldridge had 5 rebounds, 8 assists,  and 5 steals. Maze had 4 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 deflections. Hurd had 3 rebounds, 9 assists, a block and 5 steals. Howard had a rebound, 2 assists, 4 steals and a deflection.

The Lady Flyers will be going to Kerens on Friday, Jan. 21 to play along with junior varsities and the Flyers varsity.

Score by Quarters:

Lady Flyers  15    24    19    14 — 72

Cross Roads   4    12    12    15 — 43

Jan. 18, 2022

Flyers dominate Cross Roads five

93-25 for District 19-2A victory

The LaPoynor Flyers dominated play Tuesday, Jan. 18 defeating Cross Roads 93-25 increasing their District 19-2A record to 1-1 and scheduled to go to Kerens Friday, Jan. 21, according to a report from Flyers Coach Jim Reid.

The Flyers won every quarter, holding the Cross Roads team to single digits in three quarters. The LaPoynor boys started the game with a 31-10 performance  and a 27-4 second quarter advantage, to lead 58-14 at halftime. They continued to dominate in the second half, outscoring Cross Roads 17-2 in the third quarter and 18-9 in the final period to secure their convincing victory.

Five Flyers players scored in double figures. Cort Reid led with 22 points. Kase Johnston got 16, Cooper Gracey 15, Matt Driskell 13 and Evan Almeida 12. Casey Ruiz had 7, Dijuan Whitehead 6 and Jackson Young 2. As a team, the Flyers had 9 three-point goals with Reid hitting 4 of 7. Johnston had 2 of 3 and Ruiz, Almeida and Gracey with one each.

As a team, the Flyers had 33 rebounds, 25 assists, 26 steals, 5 blocks and 9 deflections. Gracey had 7 rebounds, an assist, 3 steals, 2 blocks and a deflection. Driskell had 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and a deflection. Whitehead had 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals and a block. Almeida had 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks and 2 deflections. Reid had 4 rebounds, 6 assists, 6 steals and 2 deflections. Johnston had 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and 2 deflections. Young had 3 rebounds, 2 assists,  and 2 steals.

The Flyers, Lady Flyers and their junior varsities are scheduled to be at Kerens on Friday, Jan. 21 with action starting at 4:30 p.m.

Score by Quarters:

LaPoynor       31    27    17    18 — 93

Cross Roads  10      4      2      9 — 25

Jan. 14, 2022

Flyers seeking first 19-2A wins

after loss to Martins Mill five

The LaPoynor Flyers will be trying to bounce back in the District 19-2A race Tuesday, Jan. 18 when they journey to Cross Roads after falling to the Martins Mill Mustangs in their district opener on Friday, Jan. 14, according to a report by Flyers Coach Jim Reid.

The Flyers still sport a 19-6 overall record even though they lost 78-69 to the Mustangs leaving them at 0-1 in district play.

They closed out their non-district season with a couple of losses, falling to a strong private school, Brook Hill, at Bullard 60-35 and then being edged by eight points at home against a formidable Addison Greenhill 64-56, a Dallas-Fort Worth area school.

Despite the fact that they were playing a highly-ranked 2A and district opponent on that opponent’s home court, the Flyers lost by only nine points. The Flyers will have another chance against Martins Mill in the second round on the Flyers’ home court.

The game was close for three quarters against Martins Mill. The Flyers were behind just 15-14 after the first quarter and 34-30 at halftime. The two teams each scored 18 in the third quarter and a win was in reach of the Flyers by that same four-point margin 52-48 going into the final period. However, the Mustangs outscored the Flyers 26-21 in the final period to take the narrow win.

Three Flyers players were in double figures against Martins Mill. Cooper Gracey led with 17 and Kase Johnston 16. Dijuan Whitehead had 14 points. Evan Almeida had 9 and Cort Reid 8. Matt Driskell scored 5. Johnston and Gracey each had two 3-pointers. The team was only 1 of 4 at the free throw line.

Gracey had 12 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks, 2 steals and a deflection. Almeida had 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 3 deflections. Reid had 4 rebounds, 3 assists, a steal and 3 deflections. Whitehead had 4 rebounds and a deflection. Driskell had 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and 3 deflections. Johnston had a rebound, 4 assists, a block, a steal and 4 deflections.

Against Greenhill, the Flyers started out strong with a 24-10 first quarter, but Greenhill came back with a 16-8 second quarter to narrow the Flyers score to 32-26 at halftime. However, Greenhill had a big second half outscoring the LaPoynor boys 38-24 to secure their 8-point win.

Gracey again led Flyers scorers with 21 points, including four 3-pointers. Whitehead had 16 points and Johnson 12, both with two 3-point field goals. Driskell had 5, with a three-point goal and Reid had 2. The team was 2 for 3 at the free throw line.

Almeida had 7 rebounds, 3 steals and 8 deflections. Reid had 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals and 2 deflections. Gracey had 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and a deflection. Driskell had 4 rebounds, an assist, 3 steals and 3 deflections. Whitehead had 3 rebounds, 2 steals and 3 deflections. Johnston had 2 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and 11 deflections.

Against Brook Hill, the Flyers fell behind in first half 29-10 and narrowed the Brook Hill lead to 34-27 at the end of the third quarter. However, Brook Hill came back strong in the final period 26-8 to secure the big win.

Only one Flyer scored in double figures. Whitehead had 12 points including a 2 for 2 performance at the free throw line. Johnston scored 9 points, Driskell and Gracey 5 each and Reid and Almeida 2 points each.

Reid had 6 rebounds, 3 assists, a steal and 2 deflections. Johnston had 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks and 2 steals. Gracey had 5 rebounds, an assist, 4 steals and 2 deflections. Whitehead had 3 rebounds.

In addition to the Cross Roads game on Tuesday, the Flyers will journey to Kerens on Friday, Jan. 21.

Scores by Quarters:

LaPoynor      4     6    17      8 — 35              Greenhill    10    16    19    19 — 64

Brook Hill   12   17     5     26 — 60              LaPoynor   24      8    17      7 — 56

LaPoynor        14    16    18    21 — 69

Martins Mill   15    19    18    26 — 78

Jan. 11, 2022

Lady Flyers defeat Cayuga 72-25

to increase record in 19-2A to 2-0

The LaPoynor Lady Flyers increased their District 19-2A record to 2-0 on Tuesday, Jan. 11 with a decisive 72-25 victory over the Cayuga Lady Wildcats at Nichols-Corley Gymnasium at LaPoynor School, according to a report by LHS Coach Jammie Maze.

The Lady Flyers started out strong against Cayuga in the first quarter taking a 21-13 lead. After that the Lady Flyer defense held the Lady Wildcats to single digits in every other quarter, posting a 36-17 lead at halftime and outscoring Cayuga 36-8 in the final two quarters.

Three LaPoynor players scored in double figures in the game. Natalie Tobin and Kitty Eldridge led with 17 points each. Payton Maze scored 13. Bre Howard and Tmia Mitchell each scored 9. Markayla Hurd had 4 and Riley Thaw 3. Thaw, Maze and Tobin each sank three-point goals. At the free throw line Howard was 7 for 8, Eldridge 5 for 6, and Maze and Tobin 2 for 2. Mitchell was 1 for 2.

Maze had 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 5 steals and 2 deflections. Howard had 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals. Tobin had 4 rebounds, 2 blocks, 4 steals and 2 deflections. Hurd had 2 rebounds, 7 assists and 5 steals.

Score by Quarters:

Cayuga          13       4      3      5 — 25

Lady Flyers   21    15    16    20 — 72

Dec. 28-30, 2021

LaPoynor Flyers win third at Houston Counnty Tournament

Dec. 28-30, 2021

Third Place Game — Flyers 66, China Spring 62

Semifinals — Palestine 77, Flyers 50

Flyers defeated Coldspring-Oakhurst 81-54, Ferris 58-55, Mexia 80-72

and Westwood 70-45 to reach the semifinals.

Dec. 28, 2021

Lady Flyers fall to Central Heights

69-58 in non-district test on Dec. 28

The LaPoynor Lady Flyers fell 69-58 in a non-district basketball contest to Central Heights on Tuesday, Dec. 28 at LaPoynor, according to a report from Lady Flyers Coach Jammie Maze.

The Lady Flyers took an early 11-10 lead over their opponents but were outscored 27-17 in the second period to trail 37-28 at halftime. Central Heights padded their lead in the third quarter with an 18-11 advantage. The Lady Flyers came back in the fourth period to outscore their opponent 19-14, but it was not enough to overcome their earlier deficit.

Two Lady Flyers scored in double figures. Leading scorer was Payton Maze with 15 points and Markayla Hurd had 12. Kitty Eldridge score 9, Riley Thaw and Tmia Mitchell had 7 each. Bre Howard had 6 and Emily Richardson 2. Hurd and Maze each hit one 3-pointer. Hurd was 5 of 6, Eldridge 3 of 4, Mitchell 5 of 9, Maze 2 of 4 and Thaw 1 of 2 from the free throw line.

Mitchell had 6 rebounds, an assist and 2 deflections. Hurd had 4 rebounds, 9 assists, 3 steals and a deflection. Eldridge had 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and 2 deflections. Howard had 4 rebounds. Maze had 3 rebounds, an assist, 2 steals and a deflection. Thaw had a rebound, an assist, 3 steals and a deflection.

The Lady Flyers will go to Brownsboro for non-district games on Saturday, Jan. 1 with junior varsity action starting at 1 p.m. They begin district play at Frankston on Friday, Jan. 7, starting at 4:30 p.m.

Score by Quarters:

Central Heights    10    27    18    14 — 69

LaPoynor              11    17    11    19 — 58

Dec. 17, 2021

Flyers defeat North Hopkins

70-49 to boost record to 14-2

The LaPoynor Flyers boosted their season record to 14-2 on Friday, Dec. 17 with a 70-49 win over North Hopkins in a non-district basketball contest, according to Flyers Coach Jim Reid.

The game was close in the first two quarters as the Flyers held only a 15-14 advantage in each quarter. They held a 30-28 halftime lead. However, the Flyers increased their advantage, outscoring their opponents 17-10 in the third quarter to pad their lead to 47-38. Then in the fourth quarter, they sealed their 21-point victory with a 23-11 surge in scoring.

Dijuan Whitehead’s nine field goals inside or near the paint and a free throw netted him 19 points. Evan Almeida hit 7 of 8 jumpers and was 3 for 4 at the free throw line to score 17. Cooper Gracey sank 5 of 7 for 2 points each and a three-pointer from the corner for 13 points. Matt Driskell was a perfect 3 for 3 in two-point field goals and sank a 3 from the corner for 9 points. Cort Reid also scored 9 thanks to a 4 for 4 performance at the charity stripe, a 2-pointer and a 3 from the corner. Casey Ruiz sank a three-pointer to add to the score.

Almeida had 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, 5 steals and 3 deflections. Gracey had 8 rebounds, 5 assists, a block, a steal and 2 deflections. Reid had 4 rebounds, 8 assists, 5 steals and 2 deflections. Whitehead had 3 rebounds, an assist, a steal and 2 deflections. Jackson Young had 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and a deflection. Driskell had 4 assists, 2 steals and 3 deflections.

The Flyers next compete in the Houston County Tournament at Grapeland and Crockett on Dec. 28-30.  Then on Jan. 4, they journey to Bullard to take on Brook Hill in games starting at 5 p.m.

Score by Quarters:

Flyers                    15    15    17     23 — 70

North Hopkins    14    14    10      11 — 49

Dec. 14, 2021

Flyers dominate Tenaha 100-56

in non-district offensive display

The LaPoynor Flyers dominated play against Tenaha Tuesday, Dec. 14 in a non-district contest 100-56 at Nichols-Corley Gymnasium, according to a report by Flyers Coach Jim Reid.

The Flyers increased their record to 13-2.

The Flyers led Tenaha in every quarter but the second, jumping out to a 26-8 first quarter lead and leading 40-24 at the half. They took a 26-21 advantage in the third quarter to further increase their lead and then outscored Tenaha by 34-11 in the final quarter for the 44-point victory.

Cooper Gracey led Flyers scoring with 31 points, followed by Dijuan Whitehead’s 28 points. Evan Almeida add to the double figure scoring with 13. Kase Johnston had 9 and Matt Driskell 8 followed by Cort Reid with 7. Jackson Young and Casey Ruiz each had 2. Gracey dropped in six 3-pointers and Johnston, Reid, Almeida and Whitehead each had one three. Gracey was 5 for 6 and Reid was 2 for 5 at the free throw line. Whitehead was 3 for 3 and Johnston and Driskell were 2 for 4,

Gracey had 12 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals and 2 deflections. Whitehead had 7 rebounds, an assist and 2 blocks. Driskell had 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 5 steals and 3 deflections. Johnston had 3 rebounds, 6 assists, a block and 6 deflections. Reid had 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 5 steals and 2 deflections. Almeida had a rebound, 4 assists, 6 steals, 2 blocks and a deflection.

The Flyers will go to North Hopkins for a varsity only game to start at 1 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 17. On Dec. 28-30, the varsity will be in the Houston County Tournament at Grapeland and Crockett.

Score by Quarters:

Tenaha      8    16    21    11 —   56

Flyers     26    14    26    34 — 100

Dec. 14, 2021

Lady Flyers fall to Tyler High

Dec. 14 in close contest 63-59

Tyler High School edged the LaPoynor Lady Flyers 63-59 Tuesday, Dec. 14 in a non-district basketball thriller at the Nichols-Corley gymnasium, according to a report by LHS Coach Jammie Maze.

Tyler outscored the Lady Flyers 17-12 in the first quarter, but LaPoynor came back to win the second period 17-15. Tyler led 32-29 at halftime. The Lady Flyers won the third quarter 18-11 to go into the final period ahead 47-43. However Tyler came roaring back with a 20-12 fourth period to take the 4-point win.

Payton Maze led LaPoynor scorers with 20 points. Kitty Eldridge and Markayla Hurd each got 14 points. Tmia Mitchell scored 7 and Natalie Tobin 4. Hurd had three 3–pointers and Maze and Eldridge each had 1. Eldridge was 5 for 7, Hurd 3 for 4, Mitchell 1 for 3 and Maze 1 for 2.

Maze had 9 rebounds, a steal and a deflection. Tobin had 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 blocks and 2 steals. Mitchell had 5 rebounds, an assist and 2 steals. Eldridge pulled down 3 rebounds, had 11 assists and a steal. Hurd had 2 rebounds, 6 assists, a steal and a deflection. Riley Thaw had 2 rebounds.

The next game for the Lady Flyers will be against Central Heights on Tuesday, Dec. 28 at home. The junior varsity game starts at 5 p.m.

Score by Quarters:

Tyler High     17    15    11    20 — 63

Lady Flyers   12    17    18    12 — 59

Dec. 11, 2021

Lady Flyers win championship

of Central Heights Tournament

The LaPoynor Lady Flyers are champions of the Central Heights Tournament after defeating Woden 48-23 in the championship game on Saturday afternoon, Dec. 11, according to a report from LHS Coach Jammie Maze.

Lady Flyers Markayla Hurd was selected as tournament Most Valuable Player and Payton Maze was named to the All-Tournament Team. She averaged a double, double for the tournament.

The Lady Flyers reached the finals by winning the first round Thursday, Dec. 9 over Timpson 68-42 (see separate story), defeating Cushing in the second round 66-33 on Friday morning, Dec. 10 and then winning over Prestonwood in the semifinals 57-39 on Friday afternoon.

In the finals game against Woden, LaPoynor outscored their opponent in every quarter, taking the first quarter 14-10 and the second quarter 9-4 to take a 23-14 lead into the dressing room at halftime. They combined their offense with a stifling defense in the second half, outscoring Woden 11-4 and 14-5 in the respective quarters to secure their victory.

Three Lady Flyers scored in double figures against Woden. Hurd led with 16 points, followed by Kitty Eldridge with 11 and Maze with 10. Natalie Tobin had 5 and Riley Thaw and Tmia Mitchell each got 3. Thaw, Eldridge, Hurd and Tobin each had a three-pointer. Maze was 6 of 8 and Eldridge was 2 for 2 at the free throw line.

Maze had 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and a deflection. Eldridge had 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. Tobin had 4 rebounds, a block and a steal.

In the semifinals game against Prestonwood, the Lady Flyers also won all four quarters outscoring their opponents 14-6 in the first quarter and 17-12 in the second to lead 31-18 at the half. The third quarter was close 14-13 but it was 12-8 in the final period on the way to the win.

Two Lady Flyers scored in double figures against Prestonwood. Eldridge had 12 and Hurd 11 while Maze and Mitchell had 9 and 8 respectively. Thaw also had 8 and Tobin sank 7. Adrianna Estrada got 2. Thaw had two 3-pointers and Eldridge, Hurd and Tobin had one apiece. As a team, the Lady Flyers made 22 free throws. Eldridge was 3 for 4, Hurd 2 for 5, Mitchell 2 for 4 and Maze 1 for 1.

Maze had 6 rebounds and 2 steals. Eldridge had 4 rebounds, 6 assists, 5 steals and a deflection. Tobin had 2 rebounds, 2 blocks and 2 steals. Mitchell had 2 rebounds, an assist, a steal and a deflection. Hurd had a rebound, 9 assists, 7 steals and 3 deflections.

In the second round game against Cushing, the Lady Flyers outscored their opponent in every quarter but they dominated the first two, scoring 18-9 in the first and 14-3 in the second, to lead 32-12 at the half. It was closer in the third but the Flyers still had the edge 18-12 and went on to rule in the fourth 16-9 for the 33-point victory.

Maze laid the groundwork for the win with a 21-point performance. Tobin scored 15, Eldridge 12 and Hurd 10 to round out the double-figure scoring. Thaw had 3, Emily Richardson and Mitchell 2 each and Kayleigh Logan 1. Maze and Hurd each had a three-pointer. Tobin was 3 for 4, Eldridge and Maze 2 for 2 each and Thaw, Hurd and Logan were 1 for 2 at the free throw line.

Tobin had 9 rebounds, 2 blocks, a steal and 2 deflections. Eldridge had 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 6 steals. Maze had 5 rebounds, a block and 5 steals. Hurd had a rebound, 13 assists, 6 steals and a deflection. Thaw had a rebound, 2 assists and a steal. Richardson and Estrada each had a rebound and a steal.

The Lady Flyers are scheduled to host Tyler High on Tuesday, Dec. 14 with junior varsity action starting at 4 p.m.

Score by Quarters:

Lady Flyers  18 14  18   16 — 66               Prestonwood    6    12   13    8 — 39

Cushing          9   3  12     9 — 33               Lady Flyers    14    17   14  12 — 57

Lady Flyers 14    9   11  14 — 48

Woden         10    4    4     5 — 23  

Dec. 9, 2021

Lady Flyers down Timpson to go

to tournament second round play

The LaPoynor Lady Flyers advanced to the second round of the Central Heights Tournament Thursday, Dec. 9 with a 68-42 win over the Timpson Lady Bears in the first round of the tournament, according to a report from LHS Coach Jammie Maze.

The Lady Flyers are scheduled to play Cushing at 10 a.m. at the tournament.

The Lady Flyers were coming off a 62-26 win over Kemp on Tuesday, Dec. 7.

In the Timpson game, the Lady Flyers outscored the Lady Bears in every quarter but the fourth. They took a 21-14 lead in the first quarter and had a 19-7 advantage in the second period to lead 40-21 at the half. They continued to pad their lead in the third quarter 20-11 before being outscored 10-8 in the final period, not nearly enough to make a difference for Timpson in the outcome.

Scoring for the Lady Flyers against Timpson were Kitty Eldridge with 18, Payton Maze with 17 and Markayla Hurd with 16. Natalie Tobin had 9, Riley Thaw with 5 and Tmia Mitchell 3. Eldridge was 4 for 4 in 3-pointers

Maze had 15 rebounds, an assist and a deflection. Tobin had 8 rebounds, 2 assists, a block, a steal and a deflection. Eldridge had 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and a deflection. Hurd had 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals. Adrianna Estrada had 5 rebounds and a deflection. Mitchell had 3 rebounds, 4 assists and a steal. Emily Richardson had 2 rebounds.

In the Kemp game, the Lady Flyers jumped out to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter and outscored Kemp 16-7 in the second period to lead 37-7 at halftime. Kemp had a slight 17-15 advantage in the third quarter but the Lady Flyers outscored their opponents 10-2 in the final quarter to secure the win.

Maze had 19 points, Eldridge 15, Hurd 12, Thaw 7, Tobin 4, Richardson 3 and Mitchell 2. Maze was 3 for 4, Eldridge 2 for 2 and Hurd 1 for 1 at the free throw line.

Maze had 11 rebounds, an assist, 2 blocks, 4 steals and 3 deflections. Thaw had 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 3 deflections. Tobin had 6 rebounds, an assist, 3 blocks,  a steal and a deflection. Eldridge had 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals and a deflection.

Score by Quarters:

LaPoynor     21     19    20      8 — 68

Timpson        4       7     11    10 — 42

Kemp            0       7     17      2 — 26

LaPoynor   21     16     15    10 — 62

Dec. 7, 2021

Flyers stage comeback victory

over Malakoff 66-44 on Dec. 7

The LaPoynor Flyers upped their season record to 12-2 Tuesday, Dec. 7 with a 66-44 non-district win over Malakoff at the Nichols-Corley Gymnasium at LaPoynor School, according to Flyers Coach Jim Reid.

The Flyers trailed 17-16 after the first quarter and 24-22 at the half but they came roaring back in the second half to outscore the Tigers 44-20, posting a 20-8 margin in the third quarter and a 24-12 fourth quarter performance.

Four Flyers players ended up in double figures. Dijuan Whitehead led with 18, Cooper Gracey 14, Evan Almeida 12 and Cort Reid 10. Kase Johnston scored 6, Matt Driskell 5 and Jackson Young 1. Driskell and Gracey each had a 3-pointer. Johnston was 2 for 3 and Young 1 for 2 at the free throw line.

Gracey had 11 rebounds, 5 assists, a steal and 4 deflections. Johnston had 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, a block and a deflection. Whitehead had 9 rebounds, a steal, 2 blocks and 2 deflections. Almeida had 6 rebounds and 2 steals. Reid had 3 rebounds, an assist, 5 steals, a block and 3 deflections. Driskell had 2 rebounds, 8 assists and 5 steals.

The Flyers host Tenaha on Tuesday, Dec. 14 at 6:30 p.m. and on Friday, Dec. 17 they have an away game against North Hopkins with varsity only action starting at 1 p.m.

Score by Quarters:

Malakoff    17      7      8    12 — 44

LaPoynor  16      6    20    24 — 66

Dec. 4, 2021

Lady Flyers receive third place

in action at Athens Tournament

The LaPoynor Lady Flyers came away from the Athens Tournament with third place after competition on Thursday thru Friday, Dec. 2-3, according to LHS Coach Jammie Maze.

In the first round of the tournament on Thursday, Dec. 2, the Lady Flyers defeated Gladewater 76-56. Then later in the day in the second round, they won over Texas City 89-36. On Friday morning Dec. 3, they lost to Bullard 57-49 and then on Friday afternoon, they won over Athens 62-42.

In the first round game, the Lady Flyers won every quarter but the fourth, taking the first quarter 19-9 and the second quarter 28-18 to lead 47-27 at halftime. They padded their lead in the third quarter 20-17 and then were slightly outscored in the fourth 12-9. The 32 points in the second half compared to 26 for Gladewater was enough for the 20-point win.

Leading scorer for LaPoynor was Kitty Eldridge with 24. Payton Maze had 17, Natalie Tobin 13, Markayla Hurd 9, Bre Howard 6, Tmia Mitchell 4, and Riley Thaw 3.

Maze had 16 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 deflections. Howard had 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and a deflection. Tobin had 8 rebounds, an assist and a steal. Hurd had 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals. Eldridge had 3 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 steals. Mitchell had 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals. Emily Richardson had 3 rebounds.

In the second round game with Texas City, the Lady Flyers dominated in every quarter. In the first quarter they outscored their opponent 19-8 and 30-12 in the second period. LaPoynor led 49-20 at halftime. In the second half they outscored Texas City 40-16 to cement the win.

Leading scorer for the Flyers was Eldridge with 30 points, including three 3-pointers. Howard scored 20 points, including a three-pointer. Maze had 12 points, Hurd and Tobin had 10 each, Tobin with two 3-pointers. Thaw had 4 and Mitchell 3. Eldridge scored 5 of 6 at the free throw line and Howard 11 of 12.

Maze had 13 rebounds, 5 steals and a deflection. Howard had 12 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals. Eldridge had 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 5 steals. Mitchell had 6 rebounds, 6 assists and  steals. Hurd had 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals and 2 deflections. Richardson had 3 rebounds.

In the third round game Friday morning, Bullard outscored the Lady Flyers in three of the four quarters. They took the first quarter15-13 and the second quarter 13-11 to lead 28-24 at halftime. The two teams had a 10-10 draw in the third but the Panthers won the fourth quarter 19-15 to secure an 8-point win.

For the Lady Flyers, Eldridge led scorers with 16 points and Hurd 15 including a three-pointer. Mitchell had 8, Howard and Maze 4 each and Thaw 2. Eldridge was 6 of 8 at the free throw line.

Howard had 7 rebounds, an assist and a steal. Eldridge had 6 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 steals. Hurd had 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 4 steals. Tobin had 4 rebounds and 2 assists.

In the fourth round game against Athens, the Lady Flyers had a 22-19 edge in the first quarter and a 6-4 edge in the second to lead 28-23 at the half. Athens had a one point advantage 13-12 in third quarter but LaPoynor surged to a 22-6 lead in the fourth, assuring a 20-point victory.

Scoring for the Lady Flyers were Hurd with 21 points including a three-pointer and Eldridge with 19. Maze had 8 and Howard 5. Scoring 3 points each were Thaw, Mitchell and Tobin. Hurd was 10 of 12 and Eldridge was 5 of 8 at the free throw line.

Maze had 14 rebounds, 3 steals and a deflection. Eldridge had 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals and 2 deflections. Tobin had 8 rebounds, an assist, and 5 steals. Mitchell had 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 5 steals. Hurd had 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and a deflection.

The Lady Flyers are scheduled to host Kemp with junior varsity action to start at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 7. Then on Thursday through Saturday, Dec. 9-11, they will be in the Cushing Tournament.

Scores by Quarters:

Gladewater   9     18     17     12 — 56     LaPoynor     19     30     21    19 — 89

LaPoynor    19    28     20       9 — 76     Texas City      8     12     13       3 — 36

Bullard        15    13     10     19 — 57      LaPoynor    22      6      12     22 — 62

LaPoynor    13    11     10     15 — 49      Athens         19      4      13       6 — 42

Dec. 4, 2021

Flyers fall to Bullard 60-54

in Athens Tourney title play

The LaPoynor Flyers ended a successful run in the Athens Tournament Saturday, Dec. 4 falling to Class 4A-1 Bullard 60-54 in the championship game, according to a report by Flyers Coach Jim Reid.

The Flyers are now 11-2 so far in non-district competition.

Bullard built up an early lead in the contest outscoring the Flyers in the first quarter 21-11 and following up with a 13-7 advantage in the second period to lead at the half 34-18. The Flyers made a strong comeback in the second half, outscoring the Panthers 19-14 in the third and 17-12 in the fourth quarter but Bullard won by six points.

Dijuan Whitehead led Flyers scorers with 18 points and Cooper Gracey added 16 along with Kase Johnston’s 11 points. Cort Reid added 5 and Evan Almeida 4. Gracey sank three 3-pointers and was 3 of 7 at the free throw line. Whitehead was 2 of 3 and Johnston was 1 of 2 at the charity stripe and contributed two 3-point goals. Reid also had a three-pointer.

Johnston had 11 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and a deflection. Gracey had 7 rebounds, a steal and 3 deflections. Whitehead had 5 rebounds, an assist, and 3 steals. Almeida had 5 rebounds, 5 assists and a steal. Reid had 3 rebounds, 2 assists, a steal and 2 deflections. Matt Driskell had 3 rebounds  and a deflection.

The Flyers earned the spot in the championship game with wins in the first round over Dallas Christian 89-54 on Thursday, Dec. 2 and in the second round over Henderson 63-39 on Friday. Then they defeated Athens 61-58 Friday in a semi-finals matchup.

LaPoynor and Dallas Christian were close in the first quarter with the Dallas team taking a 19-17 lead, but the Flyers came roaring back in the second quarter with a 27-9 advantage to give them a 44-28 lead at halftime. The Flyers continued to dominate in the second half, outscoring Dallas Christian 45-26 to secure their victory.

Kase Johnston led scorers for the Flyers with 21 points, shooting 71 percent from the field. Three other LaPoynor players were also in double figures. Dijuan Whitehead had 18, Evan Almeida 16, including two three-pointers, and Cooper Gracey 14. Matt Driskell had 7, Cort Reid 6, Jackson Young 5 and Casey Ruiz 2.

Johnston had 12 rebounds, 10 assists, 6 steals, a block and 2 deflections. Whitehead had 9 rebounds, 2 assists, a steal and a deflection. Reid had 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 deflections. Almeida had 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, a block and 2 deflections. Gracey had 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 8 steals and 3 deflections. Driskell had 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and 3 deflections.

Against Henderson, things were close in the first half. The Flyers led by only a point in the first and second quarters and had only a 25-23 lead at halftime. However, the LaPoynor team picked up the pace in the second half, outscoring the Lions 16-6 in the third quarter and 22-10 in the final period to move out for the win.

Leading the Flyer scoring against Henderson was Gracey with 18 including two three-pointers. Whitehead had 16 including a three-pointer. Johnston had 12 points including a three-pointer. Almeida had 8 and Driskell had 7 points and Reid 2. Gracey was 4 for 6 at the free throw line for 67 percent.

Gracey had 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals and 5 deflections. Johnston had 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals, a block and 4 deflections. Whitehead also had 7 rebounds as well as a steal. Almeida had 4 rebounds, an assist, 6 steals and 7 deflections. Reid had 3 rebounds, 5 assists, a steal and a deflection. Driskell had 3 rebounds, an assist,  and 2 deflections.

In the Athens game, the Hornets took an early lead outscoring the Flyers 13-9 in the first quarter, but the Flyers came back in the second period with an 18-14 performance to knot things at halftime at 27-27. Athens went ahead 17-13 in the third quarter but the Flyers came back with a 21-14 fourth quarter to take the narrow win.

Gracey led Flyer scorers with 23 including two three-pointers, followed closely by Whitehead with 20, including a three-pointer. Almeida had 8 points. Reid had 8 points, including a three-pointer. Johnston scored 2.

Johnston had 11 rebounds, 9 assists, a steal, a block and 3 deflections. Whitehead had 9 rebounds, a block and a deflection. Gracey had 6 rebounds, 3 assists, a steal, 3 blocks and 2 deflections. Almeida had 5 rebounds, an assist, a steal, a block and a deflection. Reid had 3 rebounds, 3 assists, a steal and a deflection. Driskell had 2 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 deflections.

Score by Quarters:

LaPoynor    11      7    19    17 — 54

Bullard       21    13    14    12 — 60

Dec. 3, 2021

Flyers in Athens Tournament

Championship game Dec. 4

The LaPoynor Flyers are headed to the championship game of the Athens Tournament Saturday, Dec. 4 and will face Bullard at 5 p.m., according to a report by Flyers Coach Jim Reid.

The Flyers earned the spot in the championship game with wins in the first round over Dallas Christian 89-54 on Thursday, Dec. 2 and in the second round over Henderson 63-39 on Friday. Then they defeated Athens 61-58 Friday in a semi-finals matchup.

LaPoynor and Dallas Christian were close in the first quarter with the Dallas team taking a 19-17 lead, but the Flyers came roaring back in the second quarter with a 27-9 advantage to give them a 44-28 lead at halftime. The Flyers continued to dominate in the second half, outscoring Dallas Christian 45-26 to secure their victory.

Kase Johnston led scorers for the Flyers with 21 points, shooting 71 percent from the field. Three other LaPoynor players were also in double figures. Dijuan Whitehead had 18, Evan Almeida 16, including two three-pointers, and Cooper Gracey 14. Matt Driskell had 7, Cort Reid 6, Jackson Young 5 and Casey Ruiz 2.

Johnston had 12 rebounds, 10 assists, 6 steals, a block and 2 deflections. Whitehead had 9 rebounds, 2 assists, a steal and a deflection. Reid had 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 deflections. Almeida had 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, a block and 2 deflections. Gracey had 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 8 steals and 3 deflections. Driskell had 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and 3 deflections.

Against Henderson, things were close in the first half. The Flyers led by only a point in the first and second quarters and had only a 25-23 lead at halftime. However, the LaPoynor team picked up the pace in the second half, outscoring the Lions 16-6 in the third quarter and 22-10 in the final period to move out for the win.

Leading the Flyer scoring against Henderson was Gracey with 18 including two three-pointers. Whitehead had 16 including a three-pointer. Johnston had 12 points including a three-pointer. Almeida had 8 and Driskell had 7 points and Reid 2. Gracey was 4 for 6 at the free throw line for 67 percent.

Gracey had 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals and 5 deflections. Johnston had 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals, a block and 4 deflections. Whitehead also had 7 rebounds as well as a steal. Almeida had 4 rebounds, an assist, 6 steals and 7 deflections. Reid had 3 rebounds, 5 assists, a steal and a deflection. Driskell had 3 rebounds, an assist,  and 2 deflections.

In the Athens game, the Hornets took an early lead outscoring the Flyers 13-9 in the first quarter, but the Flyers came back in the second period with an 18-14 performance to knot things at halftime at 27-27. Athens went ahead 17-13 in the third quarter but the Flyers came back with a 21-14 fourth quarter to take the narrow win.

Gracey led Flyer scorers with 23 including two three-pointers, followed closely by Whitehead with 20, including a three-pointer. Almeida had 8 points. Reid had 8 points, including a three-pointer. Johnston scored 2.

Johnston had 11 rebounds, 9 assists, a steal, a block and 3 deflections. Whitehead had 9 rebounds, a block and a deflection. Gracey had 6 rebounds, 3 assists, a steal, 3 blocks and 2 deflections. Almeida had 5 rebounds, an assist, a steal, a block and a deflection. Reid had 3 rebounds, 3 assists, a steal and a deflection. Driskell had 2 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 deflections.

Scores by Quarters:

Dallas Christian 19      9    12    14 — 54     Henderson         13    10      6    10 — 39

LaPoynor            17    27    25    20 — 89     LaPoynor          14     11    16    22 — 63

LaPoynor           9    18     13    21 — 61

Athens              13    14     17   14 — 58

Nov. 30, 2021

Flyers dominate Woden 99-53

in non-district action Nov. 30

The LaPoynor Flyers varsity basketball team dominated play in all four quarters to win 99-53 over Woden Tuesday, Nov. 30 at the Nichols-Corley Gymnasium at LaPoynor School, according to a report by Flyers Coach Jim Reid.

The Flyers are now 8-1 for the season in non-district play.

The Flyers jumped out to a 28-12 lead in the first quarter and outscored Woden 22-19 in the second quarter to lead 50-31 at halftime. They continued to pad their lead in the third quarter with a 26-15 advantage and they cemented their win with a 23-7 fourth quarter performance.

Five players scored in double figures for the Flyers with Dijuan Whitehead leading with 25 points, followed closely by Cooper Gracey with 22 and Matt Driskell with 21. Evan Almeida had 14 points and Kase Johnston 11. Other scorers were Cort Reid with 4 and Jackson Young 2. Driskell had 4 three-pointers, Gracey 3 and Almeida 2. The Flyers were strong at the free throw line. Almeida sank 8 for 8, Driskell 9 for 12, Gracey 7 for 10, Johnston 4 for 6, Young 2 for 2 and Whitehead 3 for 9.

Whitehead had 9 rebounds and two steals. Gracey had 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals and 3 deflections. Driskell had 6 rebounds, 7 assists, 5 steals and a deflection. Johnston had 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 4 steals and 3 deflections. Almeida had 3 rebounds, 4 steals and a deflection. Reid had 2 rebounds, 4 assists, a steal and 2 deflections.Young had 2 rebounds.

The Flyers varsity will be in the Athens Tournament and the Flyers Junior Varsity will be in their own LaPoynor JV Tournament Thursday thru Saturday, Dec 2-4. On Tuesday, Nov. 7, the Flyers will host Malakoff with the JV game starting at 6:30 p.m. followed by the varsity contest.

Score by Quarters:

Woden    12    19    15      7 — 53

Flyers     28    22    26    23 — 99

Nov. 27, 2021

Flyers defeat Tyler Gorman 77-42

in non-district contest on Nov. 27

The LaPoynor Flyers defeated Bishop Gorman of Tyler 77-42 on Saturday, Nov. 27 in a non-district basketball game, according to Flyers Coach Jim Reid.

The LaPoynor boys are now 7-1 for the season so far, losing only to Lipan, one of the top ranked 2A teams in the state.

The Flyers outscored the Gorman Crusaders in the first three quarters, 14-5 in the first, 20-10 in the second and 28-12 in the third. They led 34-15 at halftime.

Three Flyers players scored 19 points to lead the scorers. They were Evan Almeida, Cooper Gracey and Dijuan Whitehead. Matt Driskell score 10, Cort Reid 5, Casey Ruiz 4 and Kase Johnston 1. Almeida has three 3-pointers, Gracey four and Reid one. Driskell was 4 for 7 at the free throw line and Ruiz and Almeida were 2 for 2. Whitehead went 1 for 1. The team scored 61 percent at the free throw line.

Gracey had 13 rebounds, 3 assists, a deflection and a block. Almeida had 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals and 5 deflections. Whitehead had 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. Johnston had 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, 2 deflections and a block. Driskell had 5 rebounds, 2 assists, a steal and 2 deflections. Reid had 4 rebounds, 7 steals, 2 deflections and a block. Ruiz had 4 rebounds and a deflection. As a team, the Flyers had 49 rebounds, 21 assists, 17 steals and 17 deflections.

The Flyers are scheduled to host Woden on Tuesday, Nov. 30 at the Nichols-Corley Gymnasium with junior varsity action starting at 5 p.m. On Thursday thru Saturday, Dec. 2-4, the JV will host their own tournament and the Flyers varsity will be in the Athens Tournament, along with the Lady Flyers varsity.

Score by Quarters:

LaPoynor     14    20    28    15 — 77

Gorman         5    10    12    15 — 42

Nov. 22, 2021

Lady Flyers dominate Athens

early for 50-23 win on Nov. 22

The LaPoynor Lady Flyers outscored the Athens Lady Hornets in three quarters Monday, Nov. 22 to win 50-23 in a non-district game at LaPoynor, according to a report by LHS Coach Jammie Maze.

The Lady Flyers scored 16 points in the first quarter and held their opponents to no points. In the second quarter LaPoynor scored 14 points to only 6 for the Lady Hornets. They led 30-6 at halftime. Athens had the edge in the third quarter 10-8 but LaPoynor came back in the fourth quarter to outscore Athens 12-7 and preserve a 27-point victory.

Payton Maze led Lady Flyer scorers with 18 points. Natalie Tobin had 12. Markayla Hurd had 7, Kitty Eldridge 5, Bree Howard 4, and Emily Richardson and Tmia Mitchell 2 each.

Maze and Tobin had 8 rebounds. Eldridge and Adrianna Estrada had 4 each. Howard, Hurd and Mitchell had 3 each and Richardson had 2. Hurd had 5 assists and 5 steals. Mitchell had 4 assists and 2 steals. Tobin had 3 assists and 2 blocks. Howard had 3 steals. Maze had 2 steals.

The Lady Flyers will journey to Mt. Vernon on Tuesday, Nov. 30 with junior varsity action starting at 4:30 p.m.

Score by Quarters:

Athens           0      6    10      7 — 23

LaPoynor   16    14      8    12 — 50

Nov. 22, 2021

Flyers dominate Athens five

for 86-79 non-district victory

The LaPoynor Flyers boosted their season record to 6-1 Monday, Nov. 22 with an 86-79 victory over the Athens Hornets in basketball action at LaPoynor, according to a report by Flyers Coach Jim Reid.

The Flyers outscored the Hornets in every quarter but the fourth, leading Athens 46-41 at halftime and ahead 71-53 at the end of the third quarter. Athens outscored the Flyers 26-15 in the fourth quarter but it was not enough to overcome the earlier Flyer lead.

Cooper Gracey led Flyers scorers with 24 points. Dijuan Whitehead had 21, Kase Johnston 14, Evan Almeida 13, Cort Reid 8 and Matt Driskell 6.

Gracey also led in rebounds with 12 and had 4 deflections, an assist and a block. Whitehead had 7 rebounds and 2 deflections. Johnston had 6 rebounds and 10 assists. Reid had 4 rebounds and 4 assists. Driskell had 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and 3 deflections. Almeida had 2 rebounds, 4 assists and 7 steals.

The Flyers will be participating in the Tyler Officials Chapter Showcase at Whitehouse on Saturday, Nov. 27, times to be announced. Then on Tuesday, Nov. 30, they will host Woden at the Nichols-Corley Gymnasium with junior varsity action starting at 5 p.m.

Score by Quarters:

Athens          23     18    12    26 — 79

LaPoynor     26     20    25    15 — 86

Nov. 19-20, 2021

Lady Flyers win Wells Tournament

championship over Woden  Nov. 20

The LaPoynor Lady Flyers captured the championship of the Wells Tournament Saturday, Nov. 20 with a 50-33 victory over Woden, according to a report from Lady Flyers Coach Jammie Maze.

The Lady Flyers had reached the finals by defeating Groveton in the first round 57-26 on Thursday, Nov. 18. They won the second round by defeating state 6th ranked Chireno 39-27 on Friday morning, Nov. 19 and then winning over Central that afternoon 46-36.

LaPoynor led in every quarter except the first and were ahead 27-23 at half. They put the game away in the second half, holding Woden to single digits with a 23-10 advantage.

In the Chireno game, the Lady Flyers were behind 16-15 at the half but went ahead 24-20 in the third quarter and outscored the Chireno team 15-7 in the final period to gain the victory.

Against Central, the two teams were knotted at 10 each in the first quarter but by halftime the Lady Flyers had gone ahead 26-17 thanks to a 16-7 win in the second period. Central took the third quarter 11-9 but the Lady Flyers secured the win with a 11-8 performance in the final quarter.

The Groveton contest was covered in a previous story HERE .

The shooting of Markayla Hurd gave her the lead with 22 points against Woden. Kitty Eldridge had 12, Payton Maze 7, Natalie Tobin 4, Bree Howard 3 and Tmia Mitchell 2.

Eldridge and Tobin led in rebounds with 5 each. Hurd and Mitchell had 4 apiece. Eldridge and Hurd had 5 assists each. Hurd had 8 steals.

In the Chireno game, Eldridge led scorers with 15 and Hurd had 11. Maze had 6, Tobin 5 and Mitchell 2.

Maze had 10 rebounds and 4 steals. Tobin had 7 rebounds and 2 blocks. Mitchell had 4 rebounds and 6 assists and Eldridge 3 rebounds. Hurd had 3 steals.

In the Central contest, Hurd led with 15 points and Eldridge scored 12. Maze and Mitchell each had 6. Howard had 3 and Adriana Estrada and Tobin each scored 2.

Maze had 8 rebounds and Eldridge 7 and 3 assists and 2 steals, Hurd and Mitchell had 5 rebounds each and Howard and Tobin 4. Tobin led with 5 assists and Hurd had 3.

The Lady Flyers and Flyers are scheduled to host Athens with junior varsity action to start at 8 a.m., a schedule change.

Scores by Quarters:

Woden          12    11      9      1 — 33

Lady Flyers   9    18    11    12 — 50

Chireno          7      9      4      7 — 27

Lady Flyers   7      8      9    15 — 39

Central               0      7    11      8 — 36

Lady Flyers     10    16      9    11 — 46

Nov. 19-20, 2021

Flyers take runner-up tourney

spot Nov. 20, fall to No. 2 Lipan

The LaPoynor Flyers were faced with an overnight turnaround with two of the top state-ranked 2A teams, Port Aransas and Lipan, and ended as runnerup in the Marlin Classic at Port Aransas held Sept. 18-20, according to LHS Coach Jim Reid.

Cooper Gracey and Kase Johnston were both named to the all-tournament team.

After defeating No. 3 Port Aransas 80-38 on Friday night, Nov. 19, they faced No. 2 Lipan in the championship game and fell 69-41 on Saturday morning, Nov. 20.

“The boys (Flyers) did a really good job,” Coach Reid said. “It was a tough, quick turnaround. We played Port Aransas at 8 last night (Nov. 19) and Lipan at 10:30 this morning (Nov. 20).”

The Flyers got into the championship game after winning in the first round over Rockport-Fulton 75-66 and the second round over Poolville 84-54. (See separate stories below ).

After the Poolville win earlier in the day on Friday Nov. 19, the Flyers faced Port Aransas in the evening and came away with a big victory.

Against Port Aransas, the Flyers scored 30 points in the first quarter while holding their opponent to only 7. Then in the second quarter they had a 19-9 advantage. It was 49-16 at halftime. The LHS team was not finished, however. They went on to outscore Port Aransas in the second half 31-22 to secure the convincing tournament semi-final win.

Cooper Gracey led Flyer scorers with 25 points, followed by 20 by Evan Almeida. Kase Johnston added 17 to round out double-figure scoring. Dijuan Whitehead got 8 and Matt Driskell 5 while Jackson Young scored 3 and Cort Reid 2. Almeida had four 3-pointers and Johnston and Gracey 3.

After scoring 80 points the night before, the Flyers got only 41 against Lipan.

Lipan outscored the Flyers 19-6 in the first quarter and led 36-23 at halftime. Lipan shooters were hot in the second half, outscoring the Flyers 33-18 to secure the championship trophy.

Whitehead led Flyers scorers with 14 and Johnston had 10. Reid scored 7, Gracey 6, Driskell 3 and Young 1. Johnson and Gracey had two 3-pointers each and Driskell, Reid and Whitehead one each.

The Flyers and Lady Flyers are scheduled to play Athens at Nichols-Corley Gymnasium on Monday, Nov. 22 with junior varsity action starting at 8 a.m., a schedule change.

Scores by Quarters:

LaPoynor   6     17     11       7 — 41

Lipan       19     17     18     15 — 69

Port Aransas   7       9     11     11 — 38

LaPoynor      30     19     13     18 — 80

Nov. 19, 2021

Flyers take early lead, hold it

for 84-54 win over Poolville

The LaPoynor Flyers took an early lead against Poolville on Friday morning, Nov. 19 and went on to take an 84-54 victory in the second round of the Port Aransas Marlin Classic, according to a report by LHS Coach Jim Reid.

The Flyers led the Poolville team 31-21 after a quarter and padded their lead to 52-32 by halftime. LaPoynor won the third quarter 19-8 to lead 71-40 going into the final quarter and sealed their win with a 13-12 performance in the final period.

Cooper Gracey led scorers with 28 points, including 4 three-pointers. Evan Almeida had 19 with 3 three-pointers, Cort Reid 13, with three 3’s and Dijuan Whitehead scored 10. Matt Driskell and Jackson Young added 6 each and Kase Johnston had 2.

The Flyers  played Portt Aransas at 7:30 p.m. Friday night, Nov. 19 and came away with a 80-38 victory. They were scheduled to play Lipan Saturday morning in the next round of the Classic. Game stories to follow.

• • • •

Flyers defeat Rockport Fulton

75-66 in Marlin Classic opener

The LaPoynor Flyers opened their appearance at the Port Aransas Marlin Classic with a win over competitive Rockport Fulton 75-66 on Thursday, Nov. 18 and advanced into the second round against Poolville on Friday, Nov. 19, according to a report from LHS Coach Jim Reid.

The win gave the Flyers a 3-0 record against non-district opponents so far this season.

The Flyers outscored Rockport 22-14 in the first quarter but Rockport came back to outscore LaPoynor 25-9 in the second period and take a 39-31 lead into the dressing room at halftime.

In the third quarter, the Flyers staged their own comeback, outscoring Rockport 26-8, led by the shooting of Kase Johnston, Evan Almeida and Dijuan Whitehead, and taking a 57-47 lead into the final quarter.

Rockport was able to outscore the Flyers 19-18 in that final stanza, but that was not enough to overcome the 10-point Flyer lead going in.

Johnston led Flyer scorers with 27-point performance. Whitehead had 13, Almeida 12, Matt Driskell 10, Cooper Gracey 8 and Cort Reid 5.

Nov. 18, 2021

Lady Flyers first round winner

Nov. 18 in Wells Tournament

The LaPoynor Lady Flyers won over Groveton 57-26 in the first round of the Wells Tournament Thursday, Nov. 18, according to a report from LHS Coach Jammie Maze.

The Lady Flyers jumped out to a 22-5 first quarter lead and led 32-7 at halftime. They outscored Groveton 25-19 in the second half.

Natalie Tobin led LaPoynor scorers with 15 points. Markayla Hurd had 14 and Kitty Eldridge scored 10. Payton Maze had 6, Bree Howard 5, Tmia Mitchell 4 and KayleighLogan 3.

Maze pulled down 15 rebounds and had 2 steals, had 5 assists and 2 steals. Eldridge had 10 c and Hurd had 6 steals. Mitchell had 3 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks. Howard and Tobin each had 2 steals.

The Lady Flyers were to play the other first round winner on Friday, Nov. 19.

Score by Quarters:

Groveton         5       2       9      10 — 26

LaPoynor     22     10      10      15 — 57

Nov. 16, 2021

Lady Flyers dominate Grapeland

75-24 in non-district test Nov. 16

The LaPoynor Lady Flyers defeated Grapeland 75-24 Tuesday, Nov. 16 on the road in a non-district basketball game, according to a report by LHS Coach Jammie Maze.

The Lady Flyers dominated the Grapeland girls in every quarter, holding them to single digits.

Markayla Hurd led LaPoynor scorers with 22 points followed by Payton Maze with 15 and Kitty Eldridge and Natalie Tobin with 14 each. Tmia Mitchell and Riley Thaw with 4 each. The team shot 53 percent from the field and was 72 percent at the free throw line.

Maze had 10 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals. Hurd had 5 assists and 4 steals. Eldridge had 5 rebounds,  8 assists and 5 steals. Mitchell had 6 assists and 3 steals. Tobin had 6 rebounds and 2 assists.

On Thursday thru Saturday, Nov. 18-20, the Lady Flyers were participating in the Wells Tournament.

Score by Quarters:

LaPoynor.     21     22     11     21 — 75

Grapeland      7       5       8       4 — 24

Nov. 15, 2021

Flyers surge in fourth quarter

for 68-66 win over Huntington

The LaPoynor Flyers surged back in the fourth quarter to take a 68-66 victory over Huntington Monday, Nov. 15 and boost their non-district record to 2-0, according to a report from Flyers Coach Jim Reid.

The Flyers were outscored 20-12 in the first period and trailed 41-22 at halftime, but they held the Huntington team to a 15-15 draw in the third quarter and then surged to a 31-10 fourth quarter performance to take the win.

That all happened even though the Flyers shot only 37 per cent from the field while Huntington put the ball through the net 55 percent from the field. The Red Devils had the advantage in three-pointers, hitting 41 per cent to only 13 percent for the Flyers. The Flyers put up more shots inside the paint, hitting 19 out of 34 while Huntington hit 16 of 23. The two teams were close at the charity stripe as LaPoynor sank 13 of 23 and the Red Devils 9 of 18.

The big advantage for the Flyers was their rebounding. They got 43 total to only 22 for the Red Devils. Also they had 19 assists and 18 steals while blocking 4 shots. In addition, the Flyers forced 19 turnovers and had 22 deflections.

Dijuan Whitehead led Flyers scorers with 16 points, hitting six of 10 shots inside the paint. Kase Johnston got 15 points, including 10 inside the paint, and went 5 of 9 at the free throw line. Evan Almeida and Cooper Gracey each had 11 points, each with a three pointer and key free throws. Cort Reid had 9 points, thanks to a couple of two-pointers, a three pointer and a 2 for 3 performance at the free throw line. Matt Driskell’s three two-pointers in the paint gave him 6 points.

Johnston and Gracey led in rebounds with 10 each. Reid had 7 rebounds and Whitehead had 6 while Almeida and Driskell each got 5. Johnston had 7 assists and 5 steals while Reid had 4 assists and 5 steals. Gracey blocked 2 shots.

The Flyers were scheduled to participate in the Port Aransas Marlin Classic beginning Thursday, Nov. 18 through Saturday, Nov. 20. On Thursday they defeated Rockport Fulton 75-66 in the first round and defeated Poolville 84-54 Friday morning, Nov. 19 in the second round. They are scheduled to play Port Aransas at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 19 in the next round. Game stories to follow.

Score by Quarters:

Lady Flyers       12    10    15    31 — 68

Huntington       20    21    15    10 —  66

Nov. 12, 2021

Flyers down Tyler Heat 79-39

in Nov. 12 non-district action

The LaPoynor Flyers outscored Tyler Heat in every quarter Friday, Nov. 12 to take a 79-39 non-district victory before a home crowd at the Nichols-Corley Gymnasium, according to a report by Flyers Coach Jim Reid.

The Flyers have 1-0 season record so far.o

After leading by only a single point, 17-16 in the first quarter, the Flyers picked up the pace to score 21 points in the second period to only 5 for the Heat. Leading 38-21 at halftime, the Flyers outscored the Heat 41-18 in the second half to win by 40 points.

Leading scorer for the Flyers was Cooper Gracey with 22. DiJuan Whitehead followed with 16 and Evan Almeida with 15. Cort Reid had 9, Matt Driskell 8, Kase Johnston 7 and Jackson Young 2.

Gracey had 13 rebounds. Whitehead and Johnston 5 each, Reid and Almeida 4 each and Driskell 3. Johnston made 7 assists and had 5 steals. Gracey had 4, and Whitehead, Almeida and Driskell 3 steals each. Johnston and Gracey each had one block.

The Flyers go to Huntington on Monday, Nov. 15 with junior varsity action starting at 5 p.m. followed by the varsity game.

Nov. 12, 2021

Lady Flyers defeat Waco Connally

52-38 in Nov. 12 basketball action

The LaPoynor Lady Flyers won over Class 4A Waco Connally 52-38 in non-district basketball action on Friday, Nov. 12 in Waco, according to a report by LHS Coach Jammie Maze.

The Lady Flyers took a 14-10 first quarter lead and they held that four-point advantage until halftime when the were ahead 30-26. In the third quarter, the Lady Flyers increased their lead to 42-33 and then outscored their opponents 10-5 in the final period to win by 14 points.

Payton Maze led LHS scorers with 16 points, followed by Kitty Eldridge with 11. Markayla Hurd had 9 points and Tmia Mitchell 8.

Maze had 10 rebounds, Eldridge and Mitchell 8 each and Hurd had 4 steals.

The Lady Flyers are scheduled to go to Grapeland on Tuesday, Nov. 16 for another non-district game. Junior varsity action starts at 5 p.m., followed by the varsity contest.

Score by Quarters:

Lady Flyers   14    16    12    10 — 52

Connally        10    16      7      5 — 38

Aug. 10,  2021

Veteran coach, educator Jim Reid to be

new LaPoynor Boys’ Basketball Coach

The LaPoynor Flyers boys’ basketball team will have a new coach when the season starts later this year.

He is Jim Reid, who wears two hats. He also will be elementary school principal.

The new coach says he will be starting his 28th year in education. Last year he did not coach but was the secondary assistant principal at LaPoynor.

Coaching, however, is nothing new to Reid.  When basketball season begins at LaPoynor, he says he will be starting his 27th year as a basketball coach, his 26th year as a varsity boys’ basketball coach.

Prior to coming to LaPoynor, Reid said he had been head coach at Brazos High School for a year, Zavala High School for two years, Port Aransas for five years, Pflugerville Hendrickson for 12 years and Quitman High School for five years.

Coach Reid said that during his career he has had 400 plus wins, 15 playoff appearances, 10 district championships, five regional tournaments and one state tournament (2003 at Port Aransas) and has been on the Texas Assn. of Basketball Coaches Board of Directors 2015-2018.

The new head boys’ basketball coach’s wife of 22 years, Brooke, is a teacher and assistant track coach at LaPoynor. His 19-year-old son is a sophomore at Oklahoma Wesleyan where he plays basketball. Other children are Sydney, a senior, and Cort, a freshman, at LaPoynor High School.

Coach Reid will be taking the basketball coaching job after veteran Coach Dean Nuckolls accepted the head boys basketball coach job at Bullard High School.

May 5,  2021

LHS Coach Nuckolls to go to Bullard

to head Boys Basketball team in fall

The Head Boys Basketball Coach of the LaPoynor Flyers for the past 15 years, Dean Nuckolls, will become the head boys basketball coach for the Bullard Panthers in the fall, according to an announcement in early May.

Coach Nuckolls resigned from LaPoynor on May 5, but the veteran Flyers coach was to finish out the school year at the school which was his first head coaching job.

“I am very grateful for my time here at LaPoynor,” Nuckolls said. “I have been the head coach here for 15 years. I have very good memories of each one of those 15 years.  

“At this time I just feel it is time for a change. My family supports me in my decision and I am looking forward to the new changes and challenges that await.  

“I will still be rooting for these kiddos at LaPoynor next year and years to come, just from down the road,” the coach said.

During his time at LaPoynor, he won 383 games and advanced to the playoffs every year, according to published records.

He will be moving to a 4A school from the 2A LaPoynor School but looks forward to the challenge.

Coach Nuckolls and his wife, Jenifer, have a son, Garrett, who will be a junior next year, and a son, Gage, who will be in the eighth grade. Garrett was selected as Offensive MVP in District 19-AA on a Flyers team which advanced to the Regional Finals, falling to eventual state runner-up, Grapeland.