Texas Legends Baskeball: Legends Fall in Close Game to Westchester Knicks

The Texas Legends (6-7) missed a late opportunity to even the score, falling to the Westchester Knicks 112-116.

After 11 lead changes and 7 ties, the game came down to the final minutes. With just over two to play the Legends turned over the lead as Westchester knocked out nine unanswered points. Texas responded with a short run to pull within one with 38 seconds on the clock, but the home team grabbed five more points before Texas could answer.

Jameel Warney led both sides with highs in almost every category at 30 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 blocks. Justin Dentmon added 24 points, 6 assists, and 2 steals while Brandon Ashley finished with 19 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 steals.

Rio Grande Valley Vipers Basketball: Vipers Take 13th in a Row Against Windy City Bulls

The Windy City Bulls fell to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers 122-112 on Friday night at Sears Centre Arena, as the Vipers extended their winning streak to 13 games on the strength of Briante Weber’s triple-double.

Three Bulls players scored in double figures led by Antonio Blakeney who poured in a game-high 31 points, seven rebounds, and four assists. Kay Felder scored 26 points, Ryan Arcidiacono tallied 10 points, six rebounds and seven assists and Daniel Ochefu pitched in with eight points.

Windy City came out of the gates firing and led 13-0 in the opening four minutes to take what would be its largest lead of the night. Rio Grande Valley responded with a 14-6 run to trim the lead five, but the Bulls extended the lead back to double figures. Eight players scored in the quarter leading to a Windy City 35-25 lead at the end of the opening 12 minutes.

Austin Spurs Basketball: Spurs Fall in Close One to Santa Cruz Warriors

The Santa Cruz Warriors (10-5) defeated the Austin Spurs (8-7) 107-102 at the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park Thursday night.

Two-way contract player Darrun Hilliard led the way for the Spurs with 21 points (6-21 FG, 3-6 3FG, 6-6 FT), 4 rebounds and 4 assists. Julian Washburn contributed with a season-high 19 points (7-10 FG, 4-5 3FG), 2 rebounds and 3 steals. After a four-game absence with his minutes restricted, Matt Costello chipped in 11 points and grabbed 4 rebounds in 10 minutes.

The Warriors finished the first quarter ahead by 7 (35-28) shooting 70 percent from the field. Both teams scored 16 in the second quarter and the Spurs went into halftime down 51-44. In the second half, the Spurs kept the game close, cutting their deficit to 4 by scoring 10 points off the Warriors six turnovers in the third quarter. The Warriors then went on a 22-11 run and despite a late 10-0 run by the Spurs the Warriors came out on top.

For the Warriors, James Southerland led the team with 27 points and 8 rebounds in 28 minutes, while Alex Hamilton contributed with 16 points and 7 rebounds in 35 minutes.
The teams will meet again on Sunday at the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park at 2 p.m. (CST).

Concho Valley: Lake View High School Students Brighten Children’s Holiday Hospital Stays

The Lake View High School DECA chapter recently decorated the atrium of the Shannon Women’s and Children’s hospital for Christmas as part of a community service project.

The project was the brainchild of Lake View students Emily Hahn and Roselani Martinez who said that they wanted to do something special for children this year. With the thought of helping children in mind, the two girls came up with the idea to do something special at Shannon Medical Center. With the holiday season approaching, and knowing that children would have to spend Christmas in the hospital, they felt compelled to make their stay a little brighter.

The girls thought of several ideas, from decorating children’s rooms, to a toy drive, to delivering gifts on Christmas day. However, after talking to Tiffany Shaffer, the director of pediatrics at Shannon, the idea was born to decorate the outdoor atrium of the hospital so that everyone at the Women’s and Children’s center would be able to enjoy it during the holiday season.

Metroplex: FEMA Recognizes Arlington Christian Disaster Network’s Role Helping Community Recover

 

When disaster strikes, the City of Arlington’s first responders aren’t alone when it comes to meeting the most critical needs of the community.

The Arlington Christian Disaster Network, made up of 17 local faith-based organizations, is a critical partner to the Arlington Fire Department. Highly trained volunteers in the network are responsible for the management and implementation of the City’s Volunteer Reception Centers and mass care shelters that are set up in the aftermath of tornadoes, flooding, or other emergencies. ACDN volunteers also serve in other vital cleanup and recovery roles, from delivering meals to those without power to using chainsaws to clear fallen trees and limbs.

“The ACDN has been a valuable resource to us over the years,” said Irish Hancock, Arlington’s Emergency Management Administrator. “When you do have a major disaster, you have a lot of volunteers. People who want to give back and help their other fellow citizens. The Arlington Christian Disaster Network has been designated as our volunteer resource. They will register those who show up to help and coordinate their activities. That way we don’t have a whole bunch of volunteers going out in the community trying to help. They are targeted to the areas that we need the help most.”

Today’s Health: Ancient Enzyme Could Be Used for Liquid Biopsies, Cancer Profiles

Scientists are developing a set of medical tests called liquid biopsies that can rapidly detect the presence of cancers, infectious diseases and other conditions from only a small blood sample. Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin are developing a new tool for liquid biopsy that could soon provide doctors with a more complete picture of an individual’s disease, improving their chances of finding the best treatment, while also sparing patients the pain, inconvenience and long wait times associated with surgical biopsies.

Alan Lambowitz, a professor in the Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology and the Department of Molecular Biosciences, and his team are studying an ancient enzyme in bacteria that can be used to detect bits of genetic material shed by cancer or other diseased cells into a patient’s bloodstream.

Many current liquid biopsies can detect DNA in blood; others can detect RNA, although they tend to miss many key RNA biomarkers and misinterpret others. But this ancient enzyme, described in a paper published today in the journal Molecular Cell, detects the full range of RNAs with much higher accuracy, which is helpful for understanding both the general profile of a disease such as cancer and specific information about its activity in a particular patient. This improved method could provide a key tool for doctors pursuing the dream of precision medicine, or treatments tailored to individuals based on their genetics and life histories, as well as the unique aspects of their diseases.

Midland RockHounds Baseball: Hounds Get New Coaches for 2018 Season

When the four-time Texas League champion Midland RockHounds open defense of their title, there will be a new leader in the dugout.

The Oakland Athletics today announced that Scott Steinmann will be club’s field manager for the 2018 season. He will be joined by pitching coach Steve Connelly, hitting coach Tommy Everidge, athletic trainer Justin Whitehouse and strength & conditioning coach Omar Aguilar.

Steinmann takes over the RockHounds after one season with the Beloit Snappers, Oakland’s affiliate in the Class-A Midwest League. He joined the A’s organization after spending 17 seasons as a coach and manager on the Seattle Mariners’ farm. His tenure with Seattle included nine managerial seasons, from the Rookie level up to Double-A, where he led the West Tenn Diamond Jaxx (Jackson, Tennessee) to a first half division pennant in the Southern League in 2008.

Angelo State Sports: Rambelles Suffer First Conference Loss of Season to MSU

The Angelo State women’s basketball team dropped its first Lone Star Conference game of the season Thursday night, losing 73-64 to Midwestern State in the Stephens Arena at the Junell Center.

The Belles (4-2, 2-1 LSC) were led by sophomore De’Anira Moore who finished the game with a career-high 21 points and pulled down 12 rebounds as well for her fourth double-double of the season. She did almost half of her work from the free throw line, hitting 9 of 15 from the charity stripe.

“Midwestern scored the ball really well tonight with four different players in double figures, and we didn’t really play defense up to our standards,” Angelo State head women’s basketball coach Renae Shippy said. “There’s room to improve for sure, so we’ll keep working and get ready to face a good Cameron team on Saturday.”

Angelo State Sports: Rams Basketball Gets Win Against Midwestern State

The Angelo State basketball team stopped a two-game losing streak, beating Midwestern State 94-82 Thursday night in the Stephens Arena at the Junell Center.

The Rams (7-2, 1-1 LSC) had a great shooting night, hitting better than 57 percent from the field and 63 percent from behind the arc.

ASU was hot to start the game, getting early three-pointers from Will Adler and Antonio Singleton as well as a bucket from Brandon Williams to jump out to an early 10-2 lead. The early three-pointers set the tone for the night as the Rams hit a season high ___ shots from behind the arc.

Your Government: GOP Congressman Mike Conaway Applauds Passage of Tax Reform Package

On Thursday, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 1, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, by a vote of 227-205. Congressman Mike Conaway, R-Texas, released the following statement of support following passage:

“Today, the House of Representatives passed the most sweeping tax reform legislation this country has seen in over 30 years. With the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, Republicans are putting Americans in the driver’s seat. An average, middle-income American family of four earning $59,000 a year will pay $1,182 less in taxes each year than they do today. Small businesses will see the lowest tax rates since before World War II. Larger businesses have new incentives to bring jobs and investments back to America, to help our economy grow stronger.

“This legislation makes our tax code simpler and fairer for hardworking Americans who are being left behind by our current tax code. The first $24,000 a family makes will be entirely tax free under H.R. 1. The new Family Credit, an expansion of the Child Tax Credit, is increased to $1,600 to help offset the cost of raising a child or caring for a dependent grandparent. The Death Tax will be repealed, allowing family owned farms and businesses to carry on the family tradition without crippling double taxation.

“American families deserve the financial relief that will come with the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. I’m proud to support this legislation, and look forward to the Senate following suit quickly so that President Trump can sign these tax cuts into law.”