LCM wins big, BC girls ‘team’ up

When it comes to rising to the top in spring sports, Little Cypress-Mauriceville has had a big last few days.

Tuesday, the Bear boys and girls swept the District 22-4A golf tournament at Orange’s Sunset Grove Country Club. Last Thursday, the Bears boys track team won the district team title at Silsbee. The next day, LCM’s girls advanced to the finals of the Region III soccer tournament – one win away from the state tourney – by beating Bay City 3-2.

Kourtney Baldwin scored the winning goal with 2:51 remaining in the second half. It was her second goal of the match.

Saturday, Baldwin scored the only LC-M goal (on an assist by Kayla Nichols) as the Lady Bears fell to Jasper 2-1 to end the most successful season in program history with a 19-4-2 record.

Jasper had beaten LCM 7-0 in their earlier 2017 meeting.

At the district track meet, LCM distance runner Eli Peveto and hurdler Gage Spence were double winners as the Bears outpointed runnerup West Orange-Stark 168-127 for the boys championship. Silsbee, Orangefield and Bridge City finished third through fifth.

Coach Jamie DeShazo’s Bridge City Lady Cardinals won the 22-4A girls team title, 162-160 over runnerup Hamshire-Fannett.

And they did it without winning a single first place.

“From the beginning of the year, we talked about trying to get at least three people to point in each event,” DeShazo said.

“That’s how you win a team championship. And we almost did that.”

The Cardinals scored in all 17 events contested at Silsbee High School.

“That’s pretty cool,” DeShazo said. “It really was a team championship. Everybody had to come together.”

A total of 23 Bridge City girls entered the meet and 21 scored points, led by jumper Peyton Trapp, sprinter Rylee Ocegura and jumpers Reyna Owens and Alyssa Fukuda.

Trapp scored 19 points with a second in the long jump, a third in the triple jump and a tie for third in the high jump. Ocegura scored 18 points with four third places (100 meters, 4x100, 4x200 and shot put), while Owens and Fukuda scored 16 points each.

The Cardinals had five second-place finishes, Trapp in the long jump, Fukuda in the triple and high jumps, Mackenzie Murdock in the 400 meters and the 4x400 relay team of Murdock, Mackenzie Martin, Carissa Slaughter and Alyssa Reza.

Others who scored for BC were Malia Jones, Brittany Fonville, Kennedy Rasco, Carlee Dearing, Kirstee Ellerbee, Sasha Milstead, Macie Murty, Brooklin Sheffield, Halle Huckabee, Valerie Vargas, Jillian Wilson, Kimberly Ceja and Emily Rannols.

Sixteen of them – those who finished in the top four in their event – will advance to the area meet April 19 at West Orange-Stark.

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County Commissioner John Gothia, who’s been a part of every big fishing event held in Orange in recent years, said about 3,500 people attended last weekend’s high school fishing tournament at the Orange Boat Ramp.

LCM’s team of Kameryn Henderson and Tyler Shearin were the top-finishing Orange County team, second only to a Hamshire-Fannett duo.

While LCM had five of the top 50 highest-finishing teams, Orangefield had two of the top 10 and three of the top 50 and Bridge City five of the top 50.

“We were extremely happy with the more than 300 teams registering and 276 that checked back in, which meant they had fish,” Gothia said.

“We’re always happy for the ability to showcase our river system.”

The host with the most, LCM coach Bart Williams, saw both his school’s boys and girls golf team win 22-4A team titles at Orange’s Sunset Grove Country Club Tuesday.

A heavy downpour after lunch caused play to be halted after nine holes on the final day.

LCM’s Evan Toohey and Jack Tindell tied for the lowest 27-hole score of 120, while LCM teammate Trey Love was third, at 124.

Blaze Montgomery of Bridge City finished fourth at 127.

LCM, Orangefield and Hamshire-Fannett finished 1-2-3 among boys teams.

LCM’s girls defeated runnerup Orangefield and third-place Bridge City.

Silsbee’s Mackenzie Sears won the girls individual title at 151, with LCM’s Theresa Beckett next at 160, followed by Hamshire-Fannett’s Caroline Ogden at 161, Bridge City’s Eliska Suchardova at 163 and LCM’s Jessica McLain at 167.

The top two teams and top two individuals advance to the Region III tournament April 24-25 at Raven’s Nest in Huntsville.