Looking back at the 2023 Bucks basketball season

Looking back at the 2023 Bucks basketball season News Staff Wed, 07/10/2024 - 9:36 am Buckaroos seniors Jackson Curtis (1), Karter Smalley (12), Camden Escalon (2) and Alexis Franco (5) led the Buckaroos into the 2023-2024 basketball season. Curtis, Smalley and Franco earned First-Team All-District honors. File photo By Mike Williams news@breckenridgeamerican.com Buckaroos basketball faced a difficult but successful 2023-2024 season. Although the team finished with a losing record at 16-19, the Bucks finished strong with a 9-5 district record and a playoff berth for the first time since 2020. Head coach Brent Lucas led a senior-heavy team that was poised to make noise last school year. Non-districtThe Bucks opened the season Nov. 17, 2023 with a 56-55 home win against Merkel. It was a physical game that saw a late-game altercation that led to two Buckaroos players receiving technical fouls and a one-half game suspension. The aggressiveness seen in the season-opener was what Lucas said he wanted out of his team, but added that his team needed to keep its composure. After a loss to Seymour, the Buckaroos participated in their home tournament Nov. 30 through Dec. 2, 2023. Breckenridge finished in second place in the Gold Bracket with a 3-2 record for the weekend. The Bucks earned wins over Tioga, Anson and Abilene Christian at the tournament. After falling Dec. 5, 2023 to Perrin-Whitt, the Bucks competed in Graham’s Red, White and Blue Tournament. Taking place Dec. 7-9, 2023, the Bucks finished the tournament with a 1-4 record. The lone win came with a 58-48 win over Graham. The Steers avenged that loss with a blowout victory over the Bucks, 72-41, to close out the tournament. The Buckaroos dealt with an injury to Karter Smalley in Graham and struggled to regain form the following week with losses to San Angelo Texas Leadership Charter Academy and Huckabay.The final non-district tournament of the season took place Dec. 28-30, 2023 after the official start to the district schedule. The Eula tournament was a difficult weekend for the Buckaroos, who finished the tournament with a 1-3 record. Their lone win in the tournament came in the final game, a 57-53 victory over New Deal. DistrictThe Buckaroos opened district play Dec. 19, 2023 at Comanche. The Bucks overcame a nine-point deficit in the first quarter to come away with the win. With a 14-0 run in the second half, the Bucks took the lead with 35.5 seconds in the game. Smalley converted on a pair of free throws with 7.8 seconds remaining to take the win. Following the Eula tournament, district play resumed with a last-second 48-46 loss to Eastland. The Buckaroos led for a majority of the contest, including inside the final minute. With the game tied in the closing seconds, the Mavericks’ Jay Oznick won the game with an inside basket from two feet away. The Bucks bounced back with a pair of wins over Dublin and Early before going through a rough patch where the team lost two of three games. In the three-game stretch, the Bucks lost to Peaster and Brock with a 56-51 win Tuesday, Jan. 16 over Millsap. The second half of the district schedule began Tuesday, Jan. 23 with the Bucks hosting Comanche. The Buckaroos defeated the Indians 59-56 to open a three-game winning streak which included wins over Eastland and Dublin. The Bucks closed district by splitting the final four games of the schedule. After the Bucks’ 77-37 win Tuesday, Jan. 30 over Dublin, the team earned wins over Peaster and Millsap while dropping games to Early and Brock. Although the district season was over, the Buckaroos played a playoff warm-up game against Hawley. The game proved to be Breckenridge’s final win of the season with a 73-67 victory Friday, Feb. 16. Bi-district playoffThe Bucks’ season came to an end with a 75-50 loss Tuesday, Feb. 20 in the bi-district playoff against City View. For the opening minute it briefly appeared the Buckaroos would be able to keep the game close. Senior Smalley scored the game’s first two baskets – first on an assist from Alexis Franco and the second on a steal. In the first 40 seconds the Bucks took a 4-0 lead. What happened over the next four minutes and 19 seconds set the pace for the remainder of the game. The Mustangs picked up the defensive pressure with a full-court press. They used their speed advantage to clog passing lanes to score nine points on turnovers during a 17-0 run. The Bucks never recovered and the Mustangs never looked back. All-District AwardsFirst-Team: Smalley, Jackson Curtis, FrancoSecond-Team: Camden EscalonHonorable Mention: Joseph Juneau, Douglas White, Jaime Cruz, Christian Flores Sports