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Purcell off to 2-0 start

CCS Tourney later this week

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Purcell basketball teams are off to a 2-0 start after both the boys and girls pinned losses on Pauls Valley last Friday night.

Coach Roger Raper’s Dragons eased by the Panthers, 47-40 while David Sikes’ club beat the Lady Panthers by a dozen, 50-38.

Jorge Munoz and Malachi Evans were both in double figures scoring with 13 and 10 respectively.

After falling behind in the opening period, Purcell scratched its way to a 17-14 advantage at halftime.

A 17 point fourth quarter helped put the Dragons over the top.

“That was another incredible crowd and student body at the game.,” Raper said. “The energy was needed.

“Pauls Valley played a very tough physical game and we were able to withstand it all in the end,” Raper continued.

“Having not played in almost two weeks showed on both ends of the court for us,” Raper admitted.

“We were really out of sync, especially on the offensive side.”

With senior Nate Willis grabbing 11 rebounds, Purcell was able to out-rebound the Panthers.

“The presence of Jorge Munoz on the offensive end with 13 points proved to be enough,” Raper said. “We know we have to be better and hope to make positive strides this week. We also had solid play by senior Adolfo Vasquez. I was very proud of his steady play and clutch free throws down the stretch,” the coach concluded.

Sikes’ girls came out on fire in the third period exploding for a 15-5 quarter and turning a relatively close game into a breather.

Lauren Holmes led all scorers with 14 points with  Kenna Esparza nipping at her heels with a baker’s dozen.

Sikes echoed Raper’s assessment of the assistance from the raucous Purcell crowd.

“The atmosphere was incredible,” Sikes said.

“Our girls started the game strong and played hard the entire game,” he said.

Sikes said the squad’s youth reared its head in the first half when they squandered a lead.

“But we came out hitting on all cylinders in the second half.”

That’s when the girls blew the game open.

“We turned them over 27 times,” he said praising his defenders.

“Our defense continues to be aggressive and our rotations are getting better,” Sikes said.

“I was proud we out-rebounded a good rebounding team. I love this team,” he said. “All 14 of these girls play a part in every game.”

The Dragons hosted Davis on Tuesday night and will play in the CCS Tournament starting today (Thursday) and running through Saturday.

Purcell is scheduled to play at Lindsay next Tuesday night to close out the pre-Christmas portion of their schedule.

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