Bearcats boast 2-1 record in Kangaroo Classic

With just three veteran players suiting up for Aledo this hoops season, head Bearcat JD Robinson has stressed the importance of his young team growing up in a hurry. As seniors Brandon Fields and Xavier Anderson suffered injuries that forced them to exit the Kangaroo Classic early, the untested members of Aledo’s varsity basketball squad survived their trial by fire, winning two-of-three in the tourney.

Wins over Springtown and Paradise propelled the Bearcats to 7-4 thus far into the 2022-23 campaign.

“We have to use preseason right now to get ready for district,” Robinson said following the loss to Crowley last Friday. “That’s our goal. Dec. 20 we want to be trending towards our best basketball.”

The Bearcats kicked off the Kangaroo Classic matching up with Springtown. Aledo jumped out to an early lead in the first quarter with their offense on fire. Led by Fields and fellow-senior guard Drew Clock, the Bearcats put up 25 points in the first quarter to take an eight-point lead early.

The second and third quarters quieted down at Aledo’s end of the floor as the Bearcats posted just 13 offensive points in 16 minutes of action. Springtown took advantage of the lack of offensive output to take the lead late in the third. As the fourth quarter started the Bearcats found themselves on the business end of a 42-38 tally.

Down four heading into the final stanza, Aledo became wildly aggressive in the lane as they sought to take advantage of higher percentage shots. The change in offensive philosophy yanked the momentum back to the Bearcats as they put up 20 fourth-quarter points while holding Springtown to just six in the final frame. Aledo departed the first round of action on the winning side of the bracket, 56-49.

When second-round action began on Friday the Bearcats squared off against a Crowley squad that was arguably the most athletic team Aledo has faced to this point in the season. The Eagles also featured some big bodies down in the paint, which forced the Bearcats to focus heavily on shooting around the perimeter.

With Fields unable to play and Anderson forced out of action with his injury early in the second quarter, Aledo’s young team struggled to match up with Crowley. Aledo went just 3-of-17 from three-point range while also struggling to overcome the size difference closer to the basket, shooting just 35% inside the paint. By the time the final whistle blew, the Eagles soared to a 53-42 win.

In the final game of the tournament, still down two veteran starters, the Bearcats stepped on the hardwood looking for some redemption. 

They found just what they were looking for.

The lone veteran starter Clock put up 23 points to lead Aledo over Paradise in a game that was rarely in doubt. Jack Sawyer and Jackson Todd added 14 and 12 points to the Bearcat tally, respectively, as Aledo ended the tournament on a high note with a 66-56 victory.

“We’ve got guys that can really shoot the ball,” Robinson said. “We go through some slumps here in the last couple games shooting the ball. But every possession we want to put our head down, get a paint touch, look for guys that are open, and create for each other. I think we’ve got a lot of unselfish guys.”

“We’re gonna get better,” he added. “This was good for us. We had to fight through a little adversity, so it was positive. It’s always good to win, but we just want to keep getting better every day.”

Kangaroo Classic at Weatherford

Aledo scoring: Drew Clock 15, Brandon Fields 13, Brant Tubbs 11, Jackson Todd 5, Xavier Anderson 4, Owen Peterson 2, Ulises Garcia 2, Jack Sawyer 2, Luke Slabbekoorn 2.

Aledo scoring: Clock 24, Sawyer 7, Todd 5, Peterson 3, Garcia 3.

Aledo scoring: Clock 23, Sawyer 14, Todd 12, Tubbs 6, Peterson 3, Slabbekoorn 3, Garcia 2, Zayden Parker 2