Sports

Junior guard Jalyn Wallace answered the bell when No. 16 Italy needed him most, scoring 12 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter to send the Gladiators past Albany, 64-60, and a date with No. 1 Lipan in the Regional Semifinals.

Retiring HC David Kilpatrick announced that five players from the 2021-22 Ennis girls varsity basketball team were named coaches to the All-District team.

Successfully defending their Sooner Athletic Conference tournament championship from 2021, Southwestern Assemblies of God University (SAGU), has qualified to host an NAIA quad-set of games next weekend in Waxahachie. It is part of the national, 64-team, annual tournament.

Right-hander Aubree Lalani threw a complete game of seven innings, allowed nine hits (seven of them singles), five runs, three of them earned, walked seven and struck out nine in a 5-4 home to No. 5 ranked Italy (10-1-1) on Tuesday, Feb. 22.

Two Ellis County girls softball teams with plenty of mutual respect, met in Ennis (1-2-1) on a cold Tuesday with Italy (10-1-1) escaping with a 5-4 victory over the Lady Lions.

Appropriately named after the Leon River, the DeLeon boys basketball team has an offense as slow as river eroding rock. Despite efforts to impede the speed of No. 16 ranked Italy, DeLeon was rolled on the river to the tune of 78-39 on Tuesday at Cleburne.

After dropping their final three regular season games, all by single-digits, Avalon turned to clutch shooting to force overtime, then finished strong to clip Aquilla, 40-37, in the first round of the playoffs.

Fueled by Deivion Thomas, Daunte Williams and Deshon Shorter combining for 36 points, Wilmer-Hutchins (20-11) used their athleticism and superior bench to whip Ferris, 72-61, on Tuesday at Ferris.

Clifton (24-8) broke away from a two-point lead at intermission to hand Palmer (22-10) a season-ending, 56-44, Bi-District loss at Corsicana. It was the best season by the Bulldogs in over a decade, which was the last time they reached twenty wins.