The Abilene High School basketball teams returned home for the final time before the holiday break in a match-up with Augusta Friday night.  In the first game of the night, the Cowgirls bounced back from a disappointing loss Tuesday to Rock Creek with an impressive 43-32 win over the Lady Orioles. In the second game of the night, in a battle of ranked teams, #5 Augusta blew out #7 Abilene 64-40.

The Cowgirls outscored Augusta 17-4 in the first quarter and never looked back.  Abilene got a big first half from Sophomore Jenna Hayes and Senior Beth Holmes.  Hayes finished with 10 of her game high 16 points in the first two quarters.  She also tallied a career-high with her point total.  Holmes scored 9 of her 13 points in the first half.  The pair helped the Cowgirls build a 29-19 lead at halftime.

In the 3rd quarter Abilene shut down Augusta and held them to only two points.  The Cowgirls would lead by as many as 17 points in the quarter and go on to the 11 point win.  With the victory Abilene improved to 2-1 on the season, while the Lady Orioles fell to 1-1.

The boy’s game was never a game.  Augusta jumped out to a 25-7 lead at the end of the first quarter and opened the game up with a 19-0 run that bridged the first and second quarters.  The Orioles got a huge first half from All-State Guard Jaren Jackson, who scored all 23 of his points by halftime and helped the Orioles build a 40-18 lead.  They would lead 56-26 at the end of the 3rd quarter and there was a running clock in the fourth.

With the win Augusta improved to 2-0 on the season and now has defeated Abilene three times in the last two seasons.  They ended the Cowboy’s season last spring in the Abilene Sub-State final.  Abilene dropped to 1-2 with the loss and both the Cowgirls and Cowboys will travel to Concordia next Friday, in what will be the last game before Christmas break.