LOCAL SPORTS IN BRIEF
BY SPORTS EDITOR MITCH LUCAS
BASKETBALL KHS at Henderson tonight

EMMANUEL BIDAS A MOUTE

The Kilgore High School boys basketball programs will play their next-to-last games of the season tonight at Henderson - freshmen will start at 5 p.m.

KHS (6-18 overall, 2-10 in District 12-4A) isn't in playoff contention (the top three teams from each district go), and will wrap up the season at home on Tuesday night against Marshall. Angelina comes to KC Saturday

Both Kilgore College basketball programs will host Angelina College on Saturday afternoon. The women's game will tip off at 2 p.m., and the men will follow, likely to tip around 4.

Coach Scott Schumacher's Runnin' Rangers are 12-10 overall, 4-10 in conference play, and still have an outside shot at making the conference tournament. They're in ninth place, though, and the men's tournament only takes the top eight teams of the conference's 12. Both men's and women's tournaments will be played here at Masters Gymnasium the weekend of March 7-10. The Lady Rangers, coached by Roy Thomas, also have tournament hopes. They're 9-10 overall, and 3-8 in conference play. The women have just seven games left, while the men have eight. And only the top six teams make the women's tournament.

A website created for the conference tournaments is up - kilgore.edu/xivtournament.asp - and has times for the games, although the exact way the tournaments will be seeded won't be known until the regular season ends. 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 office.

SOCCER

Kilgore teams face Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill visits the Kilgore High School boys soccer programs tonight at R.E. St. John Memorial Stadium, a 5:30 p.m. junior varsity start, while the KHS girls visit Chapel Hill, also with JV starting at 5:30 p.m.

The JV girls, coached by Alice Crocker, didn't play Tuesday at Eustace, but the three other KHS soccer teams all won, and all three of those teams will be trying to pick up District 17-4A wins tonight. Kilgore's varsity girls, coached by Amanda Walzel, are 3-3 in 17-4A play. The varsity boys, coached by Kris Dupilssey, are 2-4. Coach Joey Pippen's boys JV team is 5-1 overall, 4-1 in district play.

BASEBALL

Dixie meeting in Longview Saturday

Dixie Youth Baseball will have a Texas state meeting in Longview on Saturday for all age groups including youth, boys, majors and softball.

The meeting will have Hayland Harley, Mount Pleasant's former baseball coach (now at Quitman), as its quest speaker. The high school coach holds the Dixie record for the most home runs during a World Series while playing for Nacogdoches.

There will be over a $1,000 worth of door prizes and a free lunch. The meeting will start at 9 a.m. Saturday morning at LeTourneau College. Bids will also be taken at the meeting for this year's state tournament sites.

Alumni game Saturday at Driller

Kilgore High School's baseball program will play an alumni game, open to fans, on Saturday 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.

The annual Oil Belt Classic tournament will be played here at Driller Park Feb. 28-March 1, and includes Bullard, Rockwall Heath, Lindale, Pine Tree, Liberty Eylau, Sulphur Springs and Longview.

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 get in touch by e-mailing Stephanie Osteen at kilgorebaseball@yahoo.com.