The Fairfield Invitational Basketball tournament brought in some good teams and the games did not disappoint.

The girl’s division finals had Teague and Leon in the bronze final. Roblow scored 17 and Steen added 12 on four from long range and battled from behind for the tournament win. The Lady Lions outscored the Lady Cougars 25-8 in the final quarter to take the 58-46 win. Merry and Cravey scored 15 each for Leon.

Conally took on the Neches Tigers in the bronze tournament final. The Cadets hit seven three pointers against one of the top ten teams in Class A basketball. Black scored 20 points to lead all scorers in the 67-60 tournament final win.

In the silver tournament, Marlin would dominate the Concordia Lutheran in Houston. Harris and Maxwell each hit a pair of three pointers in the first quarter and built a 16-7 lead. The scoring decreased over the course of the game but Noble had a score and hit four free throws for the 42-24 win in the tournament final.

(Sports Photography by Melissa Lee)

The boys silver tournament final faced off against the Teague Lions and Argyle Eagles. Argyle dominated the game from the opening tip.

Valentino scored eight of his 11 points in the first half and the Eagles built and 32-13 lead. Argyle went on a 22-3 run over the course of the third quarter and lost the tournament final 66-26.

The boy’s gold final was the Rudder Rangers from Bryan against the Brock Eagles, the top ranked team in Class 3A. Cunningham scored eight of his game high 24 points in the second quarter. The game was close 31-29 at the half and 44-40 at the end of three. Rudder closed the game out at the free throw line. Nick Smith made all four of his free throw attempts and the Rangers claimed a 58-53 tournament final win.

Young boy holding a basketball

There’s a lot of reasons why people may become interested in basketball. Some may want to join a team, play with friends, or even join the pros. No matter what the objective is, all these people start out as beginners. Even the pros had to start somewhere! Starting as a beginner you get to learn all the ins and outs of basketball and improve more and more each day. With persistence and practice your game will improve. How do you get better? Practice practice practice! Without practicing, you won’t improve your skills or learn new ones. Here are some tips for beginners to begin playing and training in basketball.

Set Goals

Setting goals for yourself will give you something to work towards and will encourage you to work hard to get there. These goals can range from something small to bigger goals as you become a better player. Without goals, you won’t have an image of where you want your basketball training to take you. Once you have a set of clear goals, your training will accomplish working towards these goals.

Betting on Sports Games

Earning money is usually a fun activity; combine that with sports and you’ve got every man’s favorite pastime. depending on NRL games is sort of easy thanks to technological advances, and with a touch skill, everyone can bet some money by visiting BlueBet.

Recent technological changes have really improved depending on NRL games within the past few years. Odds for all rugby games are posted everywhere the web by dozens of bookies as how to usher in bets. Obviously the top goal of any sport fan is to earn money, so wagering on NRL games is simply differently to stay trying.

Betting isn’t all about luck, quite little bit of it’s supported skill and odds. There literally many strategies to use, and it looks like everyone thinks theirs is that the best. no matter personal opinion and belief earning money on sports just comes right down to the chances .

Handle the Ball Correctly

A basketball game involves a lot of ball passing and catching. Being able to catch and hold the ball correctly is vital. Once you have the ball in your hand, you want to direct that ball to your teammates or the basket.  You also need to keep the ball away from the opposing team. You will want to practice shooting, dribbling, passing, catching, and rebounding. These skills all involve excellent hand control over the ball. Practicing these skills will help you master holding the ball at all times during a game no matter the pressure. You’ll be able to shoot, hold the ball, and pass to your teammates when you’ve gained control over it. Of course practicing with the proper gear is a need if you want fastly improve your skills and make your invested time worth, Check Out In Ground Basketball hoop guide to learn what you need.

Learn Defense

Learning defense is easier than you may think! Once you’ve learned and practiced dribbling, you’ll see that the defense stance is very similar. With both stances, you need to position your body to move fast in any direction. By having good defense, you will be working with your team to prevent the other team from scoring, knowing defense is beneficial for everyone!

Train your Feet

Your feet play a bigger part in basketball than you might know! It’s not just your hands that control the ball. By training and strengthening your feet and ankles, you gain better control over your body movements. This in turn gives you better control over the ball. You will use your feet to pivot, jump, and run up and down the court. By training your feet to move how you want them, you’ll control the ball and your shots. Many times, to make a shot or pass the ball, you’ll need to pivot fast. In order to do this, you need to know how to pivot and be ready to do it fast. This skill will be helpful throughout the whole game.

Great Players are Great Athletes

While learning techniques and drills are excellent and will improve your game, without strength and being in good physical shape, you won’t reach your full potential as a basketball player. Becoming a great athlete will make you stronger and faster, in turn making you a better player. Combining conditioning with your drills and technique training will build you up as an athlete. Conditioning can include jogging, running, jumping jacks, pushups, sit ups, anything that will keep you in continuous motion.

These basketball tips will help beginners get started on their training and practices. By working hard and sticking to their training, you can improve each day and become a great basketball player. It takes time and work but in the end, it is a rewarding and exciting game that anyone can enjoy!