LOCAL SPORTS IN BRIEF

BASKETBALL

Busy week for KHS

It's a hectic first week back from the holiday break for coach Jimmy Williams' Kilgore High School boys basketball program.

The Bulldogs were to play at Marshall on Saturday, following the deadline for this edition of the News Herald, and then conclude the nondistrict portion of their schedule with a pair of home games this week: a Monday night game against Spring Hill and a Friday night contest against Hallsville. Both of those series are to begin at 5 p.m. with the freshmen. Junior varsity and varsity will follow. The Bulldogs will open District 14-4A play at home against Lindale Jan. 13.

The KHS girls no longer have the luxury of playing non-district games. The Lady Bulldogs, coached by Davia Garrett, will begin the 14-4A schedule right here at home Tuesday night against Jacksonville. Kilgore then visits Nacogdoches on Friday. Both will begin at 5 p.m. with freshmen.

SOCCER

The '09 season is here

The 2009 high school soccer season hasn't yet officially gotten under way, even though the Kilgore High School teams were to play their annual alumni games on Saturday.

That will change this week, though, when both programs begin. The Kilgore Lady Bulldogs, coached by Amanda Farmer and Alice Crocker, open the season on Thursday in Mount Pleasant in a tournament, while the boys, coached by Michael Bradshaw and Joey Pippen, will open here at R.E. St. John Memorial Stadium in their own tournament (see the News Herald on Tuesday for opponents).