— The second-ranked Cayuga boys basketball team opened up its much-anticipated 2012-2013 season with a thrilling, 72-66 loss on the road to Class 1A, Division II No. 2 Douglass Tuesday.

The game was called with 18 seconds remaining after a hard foul led to an altercation on the court.

Cayuga cut what was a nine-point Douglass lead at the half to only two points heading into the fourth quarter, but could never make up that deficit.

University of Hartford-commit Preston Anderson had a strong opening game, scoring 29 points and hitting four three-pointers. Deon Shofner added 16 points and Hunter Jenkins had 14, including four threes of his own.

But, the Wildcats couldn’t stop Douglass’ Reed Westbrook, who scored a game-high 36, including 17 in the fourth quarter alone.

Cayuga (0-1) opens play in the Fairfield tournament at 6 p.m. today against Melissa.



WESTWOOD 54, OAKWOOD 40

The Westwood boys’ basketball team spoiled the season opener for Oakwood Tuesday, leading from nearly tip-off to the final buzzer in a 54-40 victory Tuesday in Oakwood.

Westwood led by four after the first quarter and six at the half, and continued to pull away in the second half.

J.J. Turner led Westwood with 13 points, while Jacobee Newton added 11 and L.J. Hutchison had nine.

Both Chris Thompson and Sam Carlisle both had six.

Jacquez Anderson led Oakwood — which played without star junior Damiyne Durham — with 19 points and 14 rebounds. Bryson Randle had eight points and four assists, while David Allen had five points.

Westwood (5-3) opens up the Centerville tournament against Buffalo today, while Oakwood (0-1) takes on Rusk at 6 p.m. to open Frankston’s Azalea Orthopedic Invitational.



ELKHART 77, Lovelady 71

Jacob Cheatham scored 29 points and pulled down nine rebounds, as the Elkhart boys’ basketball team topped visiting Lovelady, 77-71, Tuesday in Elkhart.

Cheatham hit a team-high six three-pointers in the win, which moved Elkhart to 3-4 on the season.

Cole Bridges added 16 points in the victory, while Colby McAdams had 13 points and 10 rebounds. Brian Johnson scored 9 points.

Elkhart hosts Class 1A, Division II’s sixth-ranked Laneville Saturday, with games beginning at 6 p.m.



NECHES 33, Elysian Fields 26

In a game that’s final score looked more like a football score than a basketball score, the Neches boys’ basketball team got back to .500 with a 33-26 win over Elysian Fields.

For the second-straight game, Neches’ Devin Kanetzky flirted with a triple-double, scoring 14 points, pulling down 15 rebounds and tallying eight steals.

Serge Kanetzky added 10 points in the victory, while Jake Sparkman had four points and seven rebounds for Neches (4-4).

The Tigers open up play in the Miller Grove tournament at 2:15 today against Trenton.



H.S. GIRLS’ BASKETBALL

SLOCUM 49, FRANKSTON 45

The third-ranked Slocum girls’ basketball team kept on winning Tuesday, edging past Frankston on the road, 49-45.

The Lady Mustangs jumped out to a 21-15 lead after the first quarter and held on from there, outscoring Frankston 12-11 in the fourth quarter to put the game away.

Landry Lane led the Lady Mustangs with 18 points, all of them coming via the three-point shot.

Valerie Larkin had 16 points including four three-pointers, while Brice Sizemore had seven in the victory.

Slocum (10-0) opens Zavalla’s Jingle Bell Jubilee at noon today against Class 1A, DII No. 8 Kennard.



WESTWOOD 47, NECHES 41

The Westwood girls’ basketball team outscored visiting Neches 16-7 in the first quarter and then held on Tuesday, earning a 47-41 win over the three-time Class 1A, Division II state champions.

A trio of Lady Panthers scored in double-figures for Westwood, led by Marialle Boles 15 points. Boles also had a team-high nine rebounds in the win.

Mi’Kayla Benson had 13 points and eight rebounds in the victory, while Natali Muniz had 12 points and six assists. Emily Vinson added five points for Westwood (7-5).

Both Neches and Westwood open up play today at Brownsboro’s Great East Texas Shootout. The Lady Tigers take on Bullard at 8 a.m. at Brownsboro Elementary, while the Lady Panthers play Athens at 9:15 a.m. at Brownsboro Junior High.



CAYUGA 64, Buffalo 57.

The Cayuga girls’ basketball team got a huge night from Madison Spears, and outscored Buffalo 19-12 in the third quarter to earn a 64-57 road win Tuesday.

Spears finished with 29 points to lead the Cayuga offense in the victory, the Ladycats second-straight after its only loss of the year in the semifinals of the Frankston tournament.

Shawnta Knox had nine points, 11 rebounds and seven steals in the victory, while Madyson Gunnels added 10 points and six assists. Kylee Cross had eight points in the win for the Ladycats (5-1).

Cayuga hosts Troup Friday in varsity-only action beginning at 6 p.m.

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Coaches or team representatives are encouraged to call in scores and stats to 903-729-0281 ext. 242 by 9:30 p.m. after games, or to email sports@palestineherald.com