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Sports

Graves, Owls keep Lady Lions in basement

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Kamdyn Graves, a 6’1 junior center, scored 24 and wiped the boards clear of rebounds as Joshua rolled to a 41-25 win at Ennis on Tuesday.

Graves powered in six offensive putbacks as the Lady Lions had no answer to counter the interior domination by Graves. She had 14 early points, boosting the Owls to a 27-4 lead. They improved their overall record to 9-11 and their District 14-5A ledger to 5-4.

Lady Lions hibernate in setback

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Ennis hung with Midlothian until the second quarter when the Panthers hung a 24-9 scoring spree on the Lady Lions enroute to a runaway, 74-22 final. It was the ninth loss in a row for Team Maroon, now 4-16.

HC David Kilpatrick and Lady Lioness have two games this week, Tuesday at No. 4 ranked Red Oak, 18-4, and the season finale, Feb. 5, at home versus Corsicana. Seniors will be honored prior to the opening tip-off at 6:10 p.m. Ashanti Grimes and Quianna Robinson are seniors.

Corsicana won the first meeting, 65-55. Ennis led early, 17-6, but trailed at the half, 27-26.

Eustace holds off Palmer, 49-37

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A frigid start was enough to do in a Palmer unit whose turnovers, most of them hurried, errant passes, allowed visiting Eustace to post a 49- 37 win on Monday.

The Lady Bulldogs, who started the season with seven straight wins, have struggled offensively and have dropped to 9-9. They fell behind 14-4 before lone senior Rylie Bonds sank two free throws, a jumper from the left wing and a pair of FT’s by Chloe Cisneros cut their deficit to 22-16 at the half. The would get no closer as 21 points from senior Rubi Bailey fueled Eustace to a 37-22 lead.

Ennis FB new sked approaches

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A conscientious effort to provide area football news of interest continues throughout the off-season.  Wednesday, Feb. 3, was National Signing Day, primarily regarded for football athletes signing their National Letter of Intent for the school of their choice. It also serves other sports commitments, though football draws the lion share of attention.

Ennis held a ceremony on campus at 4 p.m. at the Ensign Commons.

There are at least three tennis players who will publicly declare their college destination at 6 p.m. at the Ennis Tennis Center on W. Ennis Ave.

Spicy Italy too hot to handle

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Second year HC Desmond Guy and his Italy boys basketball team is still serving it up hot. Tuesday night they walloped Rio Vista, 70-52, the Gladiators’ closest game in weeks. The Olde Gold improved to 13-3 and 7-0 in District 12-2A.

An offense that shares the ball by feeding the hot hand has scored 85.2 ppg over the past five games. Guy’s squad controls the boards and it fuels a running game that is tough to contain.

Lions crush Cleburne, set sights on stretch run

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Recoiling after a hard home loss to Waco University, Ennis made quick work of winless Cleburne, 76- 36, on the road Tuesday at the Jeff Cody Gym.

The Lions, 5-6 overall and 4-2 in District 14-5A, are in third place at the midway point in the 12-game league season. They were away on Friday, Jan. 22, at Midlothian (14-5 / 5-1), whom the Lions defeated last month. The Panthers have won five in a row since that one-point setback.

Lions lose shot at first, 46-42

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Missed opportunities at the charity stripe prevented winning a close game as well as a chance to move into first place in a 46-42 Ennis setback to University High School on Jan. 15.

In fact, the glaring 13-of-31 effort in free throws loomed larger and larger even when, with the outcome on the line in the fourth quarter the normally reliable shooters who swished 26-of-39 the week before in a win over Red Oak, misfired on 7-of-12 in the clutch.

Lady Lions come up short to Waco, 55-43

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Building a nucleus for the future, the Ennis girls basketball team had plenty of desire and fight on display in a 55-43 home loss to Waco’s University High School on Friday.

Lions tennis opens spring season

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Head Coach Keith Howard has released the schedule for spring tennis and once again his Ennis team is favored to win the district and advance into the state playoffs. Along with assistants Wyatt Johnson and Heather Doslich, they coach and develop player from the junior high ranks through varsity.

Fans are welcome to attend home matches at the high school outdoor courts (2301 Ensign Rd) as well as at the Lions Tennis Center (2104 W. Ennis Ave.). There are nine courts, four of them indoors, bleachers, a pro shop and snack bar. Admission is free at both locations.

Gladiators, 9-2, ascend the Class 2A hill

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Progress continues upward at Italy under HC Craig Horn, with this year’s edition winning the District 8-2A championship at 5-0. The Gladiators have qualified for the playoffs in each of his three seasons, going 4-7, 8-4 and 9-2. Post-season success has been limited to one win in both 2019 and 2020, though the 2020 team was expected to last longer. The good news is the team has a solid core returning in the fall.