LOCAL SPORTS IN BRIEF
BY SPORTS EDITOR MITCH LUCAS
SOCCER

KHS teams beat Eustace

Both Kilgore High School varsity soccer programs got road wins last night at Eustace, although the night didn't finish up until after 10 p.m.

Kilgore's varsity girls team went to a shootout with Eustace after playing to a 1-all tie in regulation. Eustace scored first, then Kilgore's Cassie Rogers tied the game with a goal off an assist by Carmen Rios.

Into the extra sessions they went, with KHS getting two more goals. Sara Stewart scored the first goal in the shootout for KHS, and Suzie Espinoza scored, as well. Goalkeeper Hali Harris had four saves in the shootout. Starting goalie Kandace Shackelford was injured, coach Amanda Walzel said. The KHS girls junior varsity team wasn't scheduled to play Tuesday.

The Lady Bulldogs are now 3-3 in District 17-4A, and visit Chapel Hill on Friday, beginning at 5:30 p.m. with JV.

Both of the KHS boys teams beat Eustace. Coach Joey Pippen's JV team shut out Eustace, 8-0, and are 5-1 overall, 4-1 in district play.

Coach Kris Duplissey's varsity boys got a much-needed win, as well, 8-1. Fidel Cedillo, who would get three goals in the contest, set the pace early with a goal just 28 seconds into the game off an assist by Oscar Davilla. Eustace tied the game with 29:21 left in the half, but that would be the only score of the night for EHS.

Cedillo scored again at the 28:38 mark courtesy of another assist by Davilla. He scored his third goal with 22:03 left in the half, this time unassisted.

Kilgore wasn't through. Davilla scored less than a minute later, putting KHS up 4-1. Daniel Ramos piled it on once more, just more than a minute afterward, for a 5-1 Kilgore advantage. The Bulldogs got one more goal before halftime, a score by Ryan Huckabee with 40 seconds left until the break.

The Bulldogs would score twice more. Ryan Bustin scored unassisted with 22:55 left, and the final goal of the game was scored by Ramos with 16:51 remaining.

The Bulldogs needed the win badly; it was their first since beating Whitehouse on Jan. 18, although they took Pine Tree to overtime last weekend.

The boys host Chapel Hill here at R.E. St. John Memorial Stadium on Friday night. The JV plays at 5:30, the varsity to follow.

BASKETBALL

Sabine girls beat White Oak; boys lose

Coach Paul Bell's Sabine High School Lady Cardinals finished the regular season with a 48-35 victory at White Oak on Tuesday, their ninth win in District 15-3A.

The Lady Cardinals and Spring Hill finished tied in the district standings, each with a 9-1 record. They will share the district championship, but, much like the Kilgore High School girls team, they'll face Spring Hill for a third time this season in a playoff seeding game. Sabine and Spring Hill meet again Friday at 5 p.m. in Gladewater, whose Lady Bears are the third playoff team in the district.

For Sabine Tuesday at White Oak, Samantha Jackson finished with 13 points, and Katy Strange had 11.

Rachel Carson led White Oak with 11 points.

Coach Tim Davis' Sabine boys lost to White Oak, 48-41, their second loss to White Oak this season. The Cardinals are 25-6 overall, but 5-3 in district play.

Jacob Kenna led the Cards with 11 points.

White Oak, whose Roughnecks are 7-1 in 15-3A, was led by Perry Conner, who had 13 points.

Sabine returns home Friday night, hosting Gilmer in a game that may determine the second place team in the district.

In Tuesday's JV game, Sabine beat White Oak, 56-53, in overtime.

BASEBALL

Alumni game Feb. 9

Kilgore High School's baseball program will play an alumni game, open to fans, on Saturday, Feb. 9 at Driller Park. Any Kilgore High baseball alumni are welcome to play, and should be there to sign up shortly before the game starts.

KHS plays a second scrimmage Tuesday here against Gilmer, and then another on Feb. 15 against Carthage. The season will open Monday, Feb. 18 at Wills Point.

Kilgore, coached by Jeff Blackstone and Ronnie Lee Garvin, will play in the Rose City Classic (Feb. 21-23) and host the Oil Belt Classic Tournament (Feb. 28-March 1). The OBC will be played at Driller Park in its entirety this year, rather than played at various sites.

KBBA registration begins Feb. 16

Sign up for the 2008 season of the Kilgore Boys Baseball Association (KBBA) will begin Saturday Feb. 16 from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. at the KBBA fields on Harris Street.

Registration is $75 per player. Children must be five years old before April 30, and should bring birth certificates to registration. Ages range from five through 14.

It will be on Feb. 22 from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m., on the 23rd from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m., and tryouts will be there on March 1, the time to be announced.

For more information on KBBA, call the KBBA office at (903) 984-4170, or e-mail Stephanie Osteen at kilgorebaseball@yahoo.com.

FOOTBALL

Banquet is Monday night

The annual Kilgore High School football banquet will be Monday at the Devall Student Center on the Kilgore College campus. The banquet, organized and prepared by the school's football booster club, will begin at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 each, and are on sale at the KHS athletic department offices.