St. Agnes began their junior high boy’s basketball season on Monday, venturing to Hyannis. Alliance dropped the decision to the Longhorns 32 to 24 to start the year at 0 and 1. The hosts scored the game’s final four points in outlasting the Academy. In the JV affair, it was the Crusaders getting the win. St. Agnes won the nightcap 14 to 9 in a three quarter battle. Leading the offense in the varsity match up was Chief Cody who scored 7 points while Mason Conyers added 5. Seventh grade Liam Pena was the Academy’s leader in the Junior Varsity game with 9 tallies. The Varsity ball game was tight throughout with the Horns ahead at half by 5. St. Agnes would score just 3 points in the fourth as their rally fell just short.
Alliance would get 4 players in the scoring column in the first. An early bucket by Tatum Devlin got the guests off to a strong start. After 2 Longhorn free throws and a three pointer, buckets by Crusaders Declan Kirchner and Ashton Weingart help SA go ahead by 1 at the midway point. Hyannis responded with a hoop but a Cody deuce gave the Academy a one point cushion. The period closed with a Hyannis score and the Crusaders down 9 to 8.
Quarter 2 started with a Longhorn basket as the hosts went ahead by 3. The squads then traded scores with SA getting tallies by Conyers and Tee Johnson. With under 4 minutes left in the half, 4 straight by the Horns helped Hyannis stay out in the lead. The second came to an end a free throw for Alliance by Weingart and the Longhorns leading 18 to 13.
A Conyers free throw opened the scoring in the third as the Academy pulled within 4. Hyannis came back with a three but a score by Cody helped the Academy stay in the hunt. The deficit then stay at 5 with Hyannis making a charity shot and Alliance getting one from Cody. Later in the period with SA down 7, the Crusaders got back to back hoops from Weingart and then Cody to get within 3. Period #3 finished with the hosts scoring 4 in a row as Hyannis led 28 to 21 heading to the fourth.
Points were hard to muster in the fourth with the Horns managing 4 and the Crusaders just getting 3. An early free throw by Alliance’s Emerson Trumble sliced the Hyannis margin to 6. It was followed by a score by Conyers that made it a 4 point ball game. Alliance would have several chances down the stretch to get closer but went cold from the field. Two late scores by the Longhorns would then put the game away. Final Hyannis 32 St. Agnes 24
SA 8 5 8 3 24
HY 9 9 10 4 32
scoring for the Academy Conyers 5 Devlin 2 Cody 7 Johnson 2 Trumble 1 Kirchner 2 Weingart 5
In the second game, Alliance broke open a close game with a strong second period. St. Agnes would score the only basket in the first on a deuce by Weingart. Quarter 2 had a score by the hosts that tied the game at 2. It was followed by a free throw by Crusader Max Bailey as the guests surged ahead by 1. Following a Horn 2, the guests took control. Alliance went on a big spurt thanks to points by Jaden Estevane-Acosta and Pena. A three by Pena made it 10 to 4. The quarter closed with another hoop by Pena and 2 baskets by Hyannis. Scoring was limited in the third when a running clock was used. After a free throw by Hyannis, another 2 by Pena ended the game with Alliance getting the W 14 to 9.
ALL 2 10 2 14
HY 0 8 1 9
Scoring for SA Pena 9 Estevane-Acosta 2 Weingart 2 Bailey 1
The Academy will host Morrill on Thursday and AMS on Saturday.