Denton Record Chronicle | News for Denton County, Texas

03/02/2010

DRC/David Minton

North Texas had four players named to the All-Sun Belt Conference team on Tuesday, marking just the third time in the history of the league four players from one team have made the all-conference team.

North Texas didn’t finish the regular season with one of the top seven scorers in the Sun Belt Conference. To UNT head coach Johnny Jones that might have been the biggest testament of the Mean Green’s strength as a team. Josh White, Tristan Thompson, George Odufuwa and Eric Tramiel all had the talent to rank up there among the top five scorers in the league. They finished just a touch below that level because UNT depended on the hot player each and every night. By the end of the season that led to a balanced attack that allowed all four to perform at a level that resulted in their selection to the All-Sun Belt team.

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03/03/2010

Softball: TWU sweeps home doubleheader
The Texas Woman’s softball team swept a doubleheader against Missouri Southern by scores of 9-3 and 6-2 at Pioneer Field on Tuesday. Freshman Lizzy Kelly led the team with five RBIs in two games.

03/02/2010

Boys basketball: Eagles landed

DRC/Al Key

Argyle’s Connor York, bottom, pursues a loose ball with Carrollton Ranchview’s Jordan Washington during a Class 3A Region II quarterfinal on Monday in Flower Mound.

FLOWER MOUND -- The coaches in Monday’s Class 3A Region II quarterfinal might have had opposing views of what happened, but an uncharacteristically poor shooting performance from Argyle resulted in the Eagles being sent home from the playoffs after a 51-45 loss to Carrollton Ranchview. The Eagles shot just 5-of-23 from beyond the arc and did not have a single player reach double figures, while Ranchview head coach Dee Boyd used his limited scoring resources to move on to the regional tournament.

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Boys basketball: Early surge lifts Lions in victory
ALEDO -- The combination of Ponder basketball and the month of March has been a winning one during the Lions’ last two state championship runs. March 2010 started with much of the same as Ponder held off Peaster 56-39 on Monday night in the Class 2A Region II quarterfinals.

Football: UNT hires Peterson as receivers coach
Todd Dodge almost didn’t need to bother with a formal interview with Greg Peterson when he began looking for a new wide receivers coach. Peterson had recruited the Dallas area for years while coaching at Colorado State, Kansas State and Washington State and always stopped by to scout Dodge’s players during his rise through the high school coaching ranks. Dodge suspected that Peterson would be a perfect fit as a wide receivers coach at UNT, and was convinced of it after taking with legendary KSU head coach Bill Snyder.

03/01/2010

Men's basketball: UNT will play Sunday night in Sun Belt tourney
The North Texas men’s basketball team will face the winner of a game between Louisiana-Lafayette and Louisiana-Monroe in the quarterfinals of the Sun Belt Conference tournament at 8:45 p.m. on Sunday at Summit Arena in Hot Springs, Ark.

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Women's basketball: Pioneers rolling as tourney approaches
The Texas Woman’s University basketball team will have its highest seed in history when it opens the Lone Star Conference tournament on Thursday in Bartlesville, Okla.

02/27/2010

Basketball: UNT men wins Sun Belt West title
MONROE, La. – Josh White emerged from the North Texas locker room with a towel in his hand, trying to wipe away the sweat following another hard-fought win, a smile spread across his face. The shouting going inside echoed in the hall a few feet away, where White and head coach Johnny Jones locked in a tight embrace. It was celebration time for the Mean Green following a 74-71 win over Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday at Fant-Ewing Coliseum.

Olympics: Malone still celebrating
VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Jordan Malone and his teammates on the United States short track speed skating team were primed for a celebration. They capped their Olympics with a bronze medal in the men’s 5,000-meter relay on Friday night at Pacific Coliseum, polishing off the best Olympic performance ever by an American short track team with six medals, including four on the men’s side.

Basketball: Lady Warriors fall in TAPPS title game
MANSFIELD –Liberty Christian mounted a furious fourth-quarter rally, only to see its hopes of a TAPPS 4A girls basketball state championship dashed when Houston Westbury Christian hit two of its 11 three-pointers for the game in overtime and held on for a 73-68 win. “Its pick your poison with them,” Liberty Christian coach Ken Burroughs said. “They have a point guard who scored 36 [Friday] night and a strong inside player. Stop them inside and they hurt you outside. They stepped up and made big shots.”

02/26/2010

Olympics: Malone, U.S. relay team win Bronze
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — For one shining moment, the past was forgotten for Jordan Malone. The Denton native, who just wanted one more chance to show his stuff in his Winter Olympic debut, took advantage of the opportunity on Friday night when he helped the United States win a bronze medal in the men’s 5,000-meter relay at Pacific Coliseum.

Basketball: Falling flat
TROPHY CLUB — This time, Ryan's slow start was too much to overcome. Despite an admirable defensive effort in a low-scoring contest, the Raiders watched their season come to a close Friday with a 38-35 loss to Mansfield Legacy in the second round of the Class 4A playoffs at Byron Nelson High School. The season-ending loss snapped an 11-game winning streak for Ryan (23-13), which came into the game fresh off of a 55-44 first-round win over Fort Worth Brewer in which it overcame a sluggish first half.

Basketball: Argyle holds off Crandall
DALLAS – A foul-heavy first half and spotty shooting made the Class boys 3A area playoff game between Argyle and Crandall a low-scoring affair. But Argyle was able to come out on top with a 38-33 win. With the win, Argyle advances to the Regional quarterfinals on Monday against either Paris or Ranchview. When Argyle and Crandall faced off before, Crandall won 50-43 in overtime.

Basketball: Lady Warriors reach TAPPS championship
MANSFIELD – Sophomore forward Nicole Kornet scored the last eight points of the game and Liberty Christian held Tomball Concordia Lutheran scoreless for nearly the final five minutes on its way to a 53-50 come-from-behind win and a spot in the TAPPS 4A girls state championship basketball game. Liberty Christian (34-7) will face Houston Westbury Christian, a 65-53 winner over Fort Worth Christian, in Saturday’s 5 p.m. final at Mansfield Legacy High School.

Basketball: UNT looks to claim SBC title
There have been a few bumps along the way — not to mention some unexpected twists and turns — for North Texas. The bottom line is this, though: The Mean Green already has wrapped up at least a share of the Sun Belt Conference’s West Division title heading into today’s regular-season finale at Louisiana-Monroe. A win against the Warhawks would give the Mean Green the division championship outright.

Men's basketball: With authority

DRC/David Minton

University of North Texas’ George Odufuwa (4) slams down an offensive rebound as Eric Tramiel, right, and University of Louisiana-Lafayette’s Colby Batiste (0) look on Thursday at the Super Pit.

North Texas exited the Super Pit for the final time this season in style. Josh White and George Odufuwa made a series of big plays down the stretch, Tristan Thompson posted another big game and the Mean Green put together one of its best second-half performances of the season. It all added up to a 65-57 win over Louisiana-Lafayette for UNT, which has now won 20 games in four straight seasons for the first time in school history. The Mean Green will head into the final game of the regular season on Saturday at Louisiana-Monroe with a chance to wrap up the Sun Belt Conference West Division title with a win.

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Olympics: USA's Peterson takes silver medal
WEST VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- For Jeret “Speedy” Peterson, it all came down to the landing. In order to reach the podium for the first time in three Winter Olympic appearances, Peterson would have to land his signature move -- dubbed “The Hurricane” -- for the first time in competition in more than two years. It was the jump that cost him a spot on the medal podium at the 2006 Olympics in Turin, Italy, when Peterson botched the landing and fell from third to seventh place. But when he hit the ground on Thursday night at Cypress Mountain, skis straight and body upright, Peterson earned the night’s highest score, giving him a silver medal in men’s aerials.

Boys basketball: Ponder pulls away from Whitewright early in rout
McKINNEY -- The two Class 2A Region II finalists from a year ago had a few new faces in their lineups, and each team had a different head coach than it had in their 2009 meeting. One thing didn’t change, however: Ponder’s deadly accuracy from the floor. Shooting at a 60-percent clip while playing stifling defense, the No. 2-ranked Lions took a 19-point halftime lead and went on to eliminate Whitewright, 68-38, on Thursday night in an area-round game at McKinney North High School. “Ponder is a very good team; it’s in their blood,” said Whitewright first-year coach Shawn Dalbert. “We knew coming in they shoot the ball extremely well. They’re not the biggest, most athletic kids, but they executed well in their halfcourt sets. They will make you pay for the smallest things.”

Swimming and diving: Area kids off to UIL state meet
Four weeks ago, Denton area swimmers dominated the District 5-4A meet. Two weeks ago, the same group of human fish sped past their competition at the regional meet. Can the trend continue? Maybe, but it won’t be as easy when six swimmers and one diver with ties to Guyer, Ryan and Argyle compete in individual events at the Class 4A state swimming meet today and Saturday on the campus of the University of Texas in Austin.

Girls basketball: Liberty anxious to get back on top of TAPPS
Liberty Christian is no stranger to the big stage. For five straight seasons stretching back to 2006, the Lady Warriors have been regulars at the TAPPS state tournament. In 2007 and 2008 they were at the top of the heap, winning back-to-back state championships. Last season they looked primed to repeat, advancing all the way to the state finals before suffering their first postseason loss in nearly three years to Houston Westbury.

02/25/2010

Olympics: Speed bump

Associated press

Denton’s Jordan Malone crashes out during the third heat of the men’s 500-meter short track speed skating competition on Wednesday at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia. Malone was in second place at the time of the fall and in position to advance.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Jordan Malone is running out of chances to earn a medal in his Olympic debut. Fortunately for him, his last chance could be his best. The Denton native missed an opportunity to qualify for the 500-meter quarterfinals on Wednesday when he fell on the final turn of his preliminary heat at Pacific Coliseum, ending his individual races for his Olympic debut in disappointing fashion. “I’ve got nowhere to go but up from here,” Malone said. “I think I’m one of the fastest skaters out there. I just haven’t gotten to race yet.”

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Soccer: Guyer boys have ideal district day
Everything is starting to fall into place for the Guyer boys soccer team. And just in time. Thanks to a clutch 2-1 victory over rival Ryan on Tuesday night coupled with Birdville’s 1-0 letdown against Lake Dallas, the Wildcats are in sole possession of first place with four games remaining. “Tuesday’s results put us in first place all by ourselves and that obviously is a good thing,” said Guyer coach Cody Schroeder. “But we still have some work left. The good thing is that we now control our own destiny.” The Wildcats are seeking their third consecutive District 11-4A title. But unlike the previous years, the 2010 crown has been a little more difficult to claim.

Men's basketball: UNT starting five now big-time unit
North Texas is on the verge of history heading into the final two games of the regular season, a stretch that will begin with a key home game against Louisiana-Lafayette tonight. A win today and Saturday at Louisiana-Monroe will give UNT its first outright Sun Belt Conference West Division title. Win either of those games and the Mean Green will win at least 20 games for a fourth straight season. There have been plenty of reasons for UNT’s success, from a host of bench players who have thrived when thrust into larger roles to the base provided by longtime head coach Johnny Jones.

Women's basketball: UNT women win on senior night
North Texas left home on a positive note and improved its postseason prospects in the process on Wednesday after knocking off Louisiana-Lafayette 90-67 at the Super Pit.

Women's basketball: TWU rallies to knock off Southeastern
The TWU basketball team rallied from a 19-point first-half deficit to defeat visiting Southeastern Oklahoma, 65-63, on senior day at Kitty Magee Arena.

02/24/2010

Boys basketball: A short stay

DRC/David Minton

Denton’s Rodney Brown, center, goes up over Birdville’s Zach Collings, left, on Tuesday at Timber Creek in Fort Worth. Denton fell 78-65 in its first playoff appearance since 2005.

FORT WORTH — Denton’s first playoff appearance since 2005 proved to be short-lived. Plagued by turnovers and a dominating performance by their opponents in the post, the Broncos dropped their bi-district game to Birdville 78-65 on Tuesday night at Keller Timber Creek.

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Olympics: Malone ready for second chance at Olympics
Jordan Malone is confident his second Olympic race will be better than his first.

Girls basketball: Ryan tops Dunbar to advance
Almost a year ago, Fort Worth Dunbar knocked Ryan out of the playoffs and ended the Lady Raiders’ season. Led by another dominating performance by De"Amber Wilhite, who scored 35 points, Ryan rolled past Dunbar 70-55 to advance to this weekend’s regional tournament in San Angelo.

Football: Guyer's Bean commits to Oklahoma State
The Guyer football program has given Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy his second Wildcat early commitment for the 2011 signing class.

Girls basketball: Krum falls to Peaster in playoffs
With the exception of the final two minutes of the first half, Peaster’s plan for Krum star Kirsti Degelia worked as planned.

Boys basketball: Argyle cruises to victory
FRISCO — Argyle head coach John King made it clear that a deep playoff run depends on the Eagles getting contributions from everyone.

Girls basketball: Aubrey struggles offensively in loss to Brock
FORT WORTH — Every basketball team is due for an occasional scoring drought from time to time. But what happened to Aubrey on Tuesday night in the Class 2A Region II quarterfinal was head coach Johnny Hodge’s worst nightmare.

Boys basketball: Pilot Point goes cold in loss
JUSTIN — After a game in which there seemed to be a lid on the basket, Pilot Point coach Danny Baggett struggled to explain why both teams floundered offensively in a 39-37 Boyd victory in a Class 2A bi-district playoff thriller at Northwest High School.

02/23/2010

Boys basketball: Finding their form

DRC/Al Key

Ryan’s Bud Sasser, right, shoots over Brewer’s Alex Washington, left, and Jake Glover during their playoff game at Keller Timber Creek High School on Monday night in Keller.

It took Ryan a little longer than it would have liked to get the playoff juices flowing on Monday night during its Class 4A Region I bi-district game against Fort Worth Brewer. But thanks to a quick start in the second half, the Raiders erased their first-half woes and knocked off the Bears 54-44 at Keller Timber Creek.

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Basketball: Guyer looking for two new basketball coaches
Next basketball season will see two new faces roaming the sideline at Guyer, as neither boys coach Nathan Moses nor girls coach Charla Valenzuela will return for the Wildcats.

Olympics: U.S. aims to improve in ski jumping
WHISTLER, British Columbia — Perhaps in no Winter Olympics sport had the United States fallen further off the radar than ski jumping.

02/22/2010

Baseball: Armed and dangerous

Denton Record-Chronicle file photos

Denton’s three city baseball teams will begin their seasons with several of their top players returning. From left, Hunter Dozier will be among the top players for Denton and Cole Fiola will help pace Guyer, while Adam Choplick will be among the top returning pitchers in the area. The Ryan standout will form a potent combination with Scotty Young, a Texas Tech football signee, who is expected to be one of the area’s top pitchers.

Bret Warnack knows he has possibly the best pitching staff in District 5-4A. But the Ryan coach isn’t about to make any predictions or guarantees. One thing is for sure — Ryan’s two starting pitchers, Adam Choplick and Scotty Young, are quality pitchers, who would start on any staff in the area.

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02/21/2010

Women's basketball: UNT women fall to UALR
If everything had gone according to plan, North Texas head coach Shanice Stephens would be talking about a series of key wins late in her second season with the Mean Green.

Olympics: Kohn returns for final run at Olympics
Forgive Mike Kohn if he doesn’t have the usual excitement of a first-time Olympic bobsled driver.

02/20/2010

Olympics: Ohno claims historic seventh medal
VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Apolo Anton Ohno said he felt like it was his day to win. And in a way, he did. Ohno became the most decorated American in Winter Olympics history on Saturday when he won a bronze medal in the 1,000 meters at Pacific Coliseum, his seventh short track medal in three Olympics dating to 2002. Ohno now has tied for the most medals by any male athlete in Winter Olympics history, excluding skiers, a mark he shares with Norwegian speed skater Ivar Ballangrud (1928-36) and Finnish speed skater Clas Thunberg (1924-28).

Basketball: Jones signs two-year extension
North Texas head coach Johnny Jones signed a two-year contract extension through the 2014-15 season Saturday. Jones’ base salary will jump from $170,000 to $200,000 a year on Sept. 1, 2010, when he will also make an additional $6,200 from increases in his car allowance and payments for a radio show. A $100,000 contact completion payment that was to be paid to Jones at the end of his old contract on May 31, 2012, has been restructured and distributed through the end of the term of his new deal. Jones will now receive a total of $150,000 in season completion payments ranging from $10,000 to $65,000 in five of the six seasons during the term of the new deal. The first of those payments will be a $10,000 bonus at the end of this season.

Soccer: Liberty girls capture state title
SAN ANTONIO — The Liberty Christian girls soccer team sure knows how to make an exit. The Lady Warriors played their final game at the TAPPS Division II level in dominating championship form Saturday, capturing their second straight state title with a 4-0 victory over Tomball Concordia Lutheran at South San Stadium. A championship Liberty (20-4-2) will have to relinquish next season as it takes a crack at winning a third consecutive crown, this time as a Division I program.

Basketball: UNT men top UALR
With the situation North Texas faced heading into its game against Arkansas-Little Rock on Saturday, it would have been easy for the Mean Green to get caught up in a game of “what-if.” The Mean Green was one of five teams tied atop the Sun Belt Conference standings at the beginning of the day, and all of them were set to play after UNT finished off its afternoon affair at the Super Pit.

Basketball: UNT women to face stiff challenge
North Texas head coach Shanice Stephens left no doubt. UNT is going to face one of its biggest challenges of the season today when it hosts Arkansas-Little Rock. The Trojans (21-5, 14-1) have already captured the Sun Belt Conference West Division title, feature one of the top players in the league in Chastity Reed and are receiving votes in the national Top 25 poll. “This is going to be a big challenge,” Stephens said. “They are leading our division and are really talented.”

Girls basketball: Close call
FORT WORTH -- Ryan head coach Monesha Allen was not afraid to admit she was a little nervous during the final minutes of the Lady Raiders’ Class 4A Region I area playoff game against Everman on Friday night. She had every reason to feel the nerves. Her team had just blown an eight-point lead, and with 1:25 left Ryan trailed the underdog Lady Bulldogs by one point. But then reality settled in for Allen and the Lady Raiders. “I was a little nervous, but then I got confident real quick,” Allen said, “because I knew in my mind we were supposed to beat this team.”

Olympics: Miller earns second medal of Vancouver Games
WHISTLER, British Columbia — The person is the same, but the circumstances are much different. That’s what Bode Miller believes is one of the reasons for his Olympic resurgence in 2010. Miller earned his second medal of the Vancouver Games and fourth overall on Friday when he finished second in the men’s Super-G at Whistler Creekside. In the process, he became the most decorated alpine skier in U.S. Olympic history. After earning two silver medals at Salt Lake City in 2002 and a World Cup overall title in 2005, Miller went into the 2006 Games in Turin, Italy, as a prohibitive favorite and with what he said is a misleading reputation as a rebel. His performance suffered, and he left Turin without a medal.

Girls Basketball: Argyle loses despite late rally
NORTH RICHLAND HILLS — Argyle shaved a 12-point fourth-quarter deficit to three with 1:36 left, but Kennedale hit five free throws down the stretch to hang on for a 60-54 win over the Lady Eagles in a Class 3A Region II area-round playoff game at Richland High School. Claire Pettibon’s 3-pointer, a pair of field goals by Brittany O’Brien and a free throw by Brooke O’Brien pulled Argyle to within 55-52. The Lady Eagles had a chance to cut it to one after forcing a Kennedale turnover, but they were unable to capitalize on three point-blank shots in the lane. “Both teams played hard,” said Argyle coach Steve Schmidt. “We just couldn’t manage to get our free throws and a few shots to fall at the end. It certainly wasn’t a lack of effort.”

Girls basketball: Sanger comes up short
COPPELL — For 27 minutes Friday night, the Sanger Lady Indians went toe to toe with the No. 2 Crandall Lady Pirates and looked the part of a hungry team looking to score an upset. But there are five minutes that the Lady Indians and head coach Jack Armstrong wish they had back. The Lady Pirates (27-6) blew open a close game in the first five minutes of the third quarter, steamrolling to a 56-46 Class 3A Region II area championship victory over the Lady Indians (23-11). “Those five minutes were a killer,” Armstrong said. “That was the difference.”

Girls basketball: Degelia's 29 points lead Lady Cats
McKINNEY — Kirsti Degelia's four 3-pointers and 29 points helped lead Krum past Honey Grove, 69-55, in the area round of the Class 2A playoffs. The win improved Krum's record to 34-1 and puts it in position to play Peaster in the regional quarterfinals next week. Krum, which has not lost since Dec. 1, came into the game fresh after earning a first-round bye by clinching the District 10-2A championship, while Honey Grove (28-3) was coming into McKinney Boyd's gym fresh off a 58-37 bi-district win over Pattonville Prairiland.

02/19/2010

Olympics: Four-time Olympian relishing Games

Associated Press

U.S. speedskater Jennifer Rodriguez takes part in a practice session ahead of the start of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics at the Richmond Olympic Oval on Feb. 9, in Vancouver, British Columbia.

RICHMOND, British Columbia — Jennifer Rodriguez promised herself she would just relax and enjoy this Olympic experience. She has been out walking in the city since she arrived in Vancouver. She marched in the opening ceremony. And she’s spending time with family and friends, even inviting them to tour the athletes’ quarters in the Olympic Village.

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Local Event Schedule| Olympic Gold

Softball: UNT set to host tourney
If everything had gone according to plan, North Texas head coach T.J. Hubbard would already know a whole lot about his team heading into the Sleep Inn Classic this weekend. UNT was scheduled to open the season at Mississippi Valley State and then play in a tournament at Mississippi State. Rain caused the cancellation of the Mean Green’s first four games of the season, leaving UNT a whole lot of questions to answer heading into its annual home tournament. UNT will face Drake and Arkansas at 12:30 p.m. and 3 p.m., respectively, today to begin the three-day event. Colorado State, Missouri State, Buffalo and Sam Houston State comprise the rest of the tournament field.

Swimming: Pope sets SBC record as Mean Green expands lead
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — North Texas Swimming & Diving retained its lead after Day 2 of the Sun Belt Swimming & Diving Championships at the Centennial SportsPlex on Thursday night.

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