Sports

The Lady Cards had a strong opening to their week of competition last week. They came out on fire with an onslaught of goals in a win to begin the week. However, their fortunes changed in their second game of the week when they played a tight game at home over the weekend and eventually finished regulation with a tie on the scoreboard. After a tight penalty shootout, the Lady Cards suffered the defeat as they could not slot home the shot to keep the shootout going.

The Rice Raiders’ basketball team gave themselves opportunities to win in each of their games last week against district opponents. The Raiders were able to keep up with the scoring efforts of each team as they lost both games by less than six points. However, their defense halted any chance they had of climbing over the hump to secure victory in either game.

The Rice Lady Raiders’ varsity basketball team has been searching for ways to improve all season. While their improvements have not been consistent enough to translate into wins recently, they do show glimpses of effective play through stretches. Last week, they showed some of their inconsistency as they were undermined by a defense that allowed at least 59 points in both games. They also struggled offensively with just one double-digit scoring quarter in the week as they took back-to-back district defeats.

On Monday, Jan. 30, the soccer teams for Columbus and Rice competed on Rice’s home field for a district matchup between the rival schools. Conditions were difficult as the cold and misty winds made sub-40 degree weather feel even colder. However, it was Columbus that claimed the advantage as both the girls and the boys claimed 3-0 victories over their county counterparts.

The Weimar boys’ hoops team has had some struggles on the defensive end in their most recent games. Last week, their opponents scored a combined 138 points in two games as Weimar failed to slow down those respective offenses. Weimar had difficulties with their own offensive attack as well, and they struggled through a pair of blowout losses against district opponents.

The most recent edition of this year’s Rice-hosted Swamp Strength series featured appearances by every school in the district. Each school had some solid performances as well as Columbus, Rice and Weimar all had lifters finish in the top three of their respective weight classes.

The Weimar Ladycats’ basketball team continued their up-anddown season with another split of two games last week against district opponents. They scored the same number of points in each game but had varying levels of success in preventing their opponents from scoring as they started their week with a loss against Flatonia and followed with a Friday win against Schulenburg. There was some extra history made on Friday night as well as this season’s leading scorer, Paige Pavlu, scored her 1000th career point as a member of the Weimar Ladycats.

The final meeting of Columbus vs. Rice this basketball season came with some high-intensity action as well as some overtime drama.

The Columbus Lady Cards’ soccer team found a number of opportunities in front of goal as they played against their district opponents from Yoakum. However, both teams had some difficulties converting on their chances as the team’s played each other to a low scoring affair. At the end, neither team could take a definitive advantage as they finished with a 1-1 tie.

The Columbus varsity boys’ soccer team constantly created opportunities for themselves during Tuesday night’s Jan. 17 game against Smithville. By putting pressure on the box offensively, Columbus weakened the defense and even earned a penalty kick chance from their efforts. The Cards were able to convert on many of their opportunities as they had a huge-scoring game, taking a big 4-2 victory over the Tigers.

The Columbus Lady Cards have been having a strong year at this point of the season’s latter stages. At 21-4, Columbus is sitting comfortably at the top of the district standings and are hoping to potentially win out to complete the season. During Friday night’s trip to Rice Consolidated, the Lady Cards visited a team with much different expectations. The Lady Raiders have been focused on improving their fundamentals and skills, but their efforts have not translated to wins this season. They are 2-20 overall on the season and have yet to pick up their first district win. The matchup between the Lady Cards and the Lady Raiders was reflective of the position both teams find themselves in at this point as district-leading Columbus claimed a 66-24 victory over the last place Lady Raiders.

The Raiders had a difficult game against one of the top teams in the district when they traveled to face the Yoakum Bulldogs on Tuesday, Jan. 17. While the offense was able to have some impact, their defense left much to be desired as they allowed Yoakum to score more than 70 points in Rice’s 54-72 defeat.

The Lady Raiders are still looking to get their first district win of the season. While they have had nights of offensive effectiveness, Tuesday night’s game against Yoakum was not an example of such a night. Their offensive struggles fed into their defensive struggles as they fell to a big 62-42 defeat.

The Lady Cards varsity basketball team hosted Edna for a district game on Tuesday, Jan. 17. Columbus had a well-rounded scoring effort from several different players as they rolled to a double-digit, 57-45 victory over the Cowgirls.

RICE BOYS FALL 0-2 TO HEMPSTEAD

The Cards’ varsity basketball team had a big game on Jan. 17 against the Edna Cowboys, the second-place team in the district. The winner of the matchup would claim an advantage in the chase for the district title. The game came down to the wire, but Cristian Reyna ensured the Cards remained in first place with two big shots in a row punctuated by a fast break floater with seconds left in the 58-56 win.

LADY RAIDERS DEFEATED AFTER THREE FIRST HALF GOALS

The Weimar Wildcats’ varsity hoops team got off to a strong start to their week after a complete performance against the Bloomington Bobcats on Tuesday, Jan. 17. Their offense and defense came together well as they outplayed their opponents from the opening tip off. However, on the following Friday, Shiner came into town to stifle the Wildcats offensive attack on the way to a blowout victory in Shiner’s favor.

Weimar’s varsity lady hoops team has had some varying performances in recent weeks as they attempt to stay near the top three of the district standings. The Ladycats got one step closer to their goal of becoming district champs with a big win against Bloomington early in the week. However, they suffered another setback over the weekend as they took a defeat from Shiner.

WILDCAT SIGNS WITH DODGE CITY

RAIDERS OF THE WEEK