The Runnin' Bucs played the Arp Tigers on Friday, February 29, 2008, at Tyler Junior College in a regional semi-final game. The Runnin' Bucs had beaten the Newton Eagles to advance to the regional tournament. Although East Chambers was up by as much as 11 points at one time and maintained a lead the majority of the game, the Eagles were not to be denied. Final score was 69-71. Arp went on to beat Jefferson in the final game and will meet up with Jim Ned in the first round of the state tournament. The Bucs end their tremendous season with an overall record of 25-11.

See the UIL Bracket for all matchups.

The Runnin’ Bucs finished off district play Friday, February 8, 2008, at home against the Warren Warriors with a 48-42 win. The first three quarters saw a determined Warrior team out hustling and out shooting EC leading 34-32 going into the 4th quarter. But the Bucs stepped up their defense and were able to come away with the win. The Bucs now boast a 21-9 record and finish district with a 10-2 record. The next game is tonight as the Runnin’ Bucs travel to Beaumont to take on Legacy Christian. Pending a Kountze victory tomorrow night, EC and Kountze will square of Friday night at 7 p.m. The game will be played at the Montagne Center, on the Lamar University campus, for the tie breaker to determine playoff seeding.

In the final JV game of the year, EC came out flat defensively and could not get a shot to go down in the first half, and found themselves down 29-17 going into the locker room at halftime. The second half was a different story. The Bucs turned up the intensity of their full-court press to stymie the Warriors. The Bucs would outscore Warren 42-12 in the second half enroute to a 59-41 victory. Leading the charge for the Bucs was Trey Lambert with 15 points, Seth Hunt with 14 points, and Josh Adamson with 12 points. Austen Gilfillian scored 6 points while Kevin Carr and Trey Simon each tossed in 4 points. Dallas Gibson and Kylor Weisse chipped in two a piece. Hank Jones, Titus King, and Joe Martinez all made significant contributions to the game through their defensive intensity and Jones running the offense. The JV finished the season with a 17-5 overall record and 11-1 district record making them district champions.

Last night, February 5, 2008, the Bucs traveled to Deweyville to take on the Pirates. After a sluggish start, EC would trail after one quarter 22-18. The Bucs turned it up a little in the second quarter to take a 39-36 lead in the locker room for halftime. In the second half some hot shooting and solid defense allowed the Runnin’ Bucs to pull away and finish with an 84-65 win. Tramain Thomas led the way with 28 points and Vance McDonald scored 24 points. The win moves the season record to 20-9 and the district record to 9-2. The Bucs will host the Warren Warriors Friday to close out District 24AA play.

In the JV game, EC would bounce back after suffering their first district loss of the year to Hardin and beat Deweyville 66-27. The Bucs jumped out to an early lead and never looked back. Josh Adamson scored 15 points to lead the Bucs. Dallas Gibson followed with 12 points, Kevin Carr tossed in 10 points, and Trey Simon finished with 9. The JV closes their season out Friday at home against Warren.

In a packed Buccaneer gym, the Runnin’ Bucs defeated the Kountze Lions Tuesday night, January 29, 2008, 70-51. Kountze jumped out to an early 18-15 lead after the first quarter, but EC took control of the game in the second quarter and lead 32-27 at the half. The second half was more of the same with EC controlling the tempo of the game and limiting Kountze to one shot. The Bucs stretched their lead to seven points leading 47-40 going into the last quarter. Kountze came out firing but EC stood their ground and held off the Lions with Jacoby Carrington finishing a monster alley hoop inbounds play to extinguish any fire Kountze had left in them. EC would then spread the floor and convert on their free throw attempts to seal the victory. Leading the way for EC was Vance McDonald with 20 points and 14 rebounds and Tramain Thomas with 20 points. Jacoby Carrington added 12 points. Donte Raymond scored 8 points and grabbed 10 rebounds and Carlos Trevino also scored 8 points and pulled down 12 rebounds. The win improves the Bucs’ season record to 18-9 and 7-2 in district. The Runnin’ Bucs travel to Hardin Friday to finish off a big week. A win against the Hornets could cause a possible three-way tie for first place in District 24AA.

In the JVI game EC jumped out to a 16-6 point lead at the end of the first quarter and lead 29-16 at halftime. Kountze made a couple of runs in the second half but the Bucs were able to hold them off and come away with a 48-40 win. Leading the balanced scoring attack was Austen Gilfillian with 10 points. Hank Jones added 8 points, with Josh Adamson and Kevin Carr both scoring 7 points. Trey Simon netted 6 points, Seth Hunt and Dallas Gibson 4 points, and Trey Lambert chipped in 2 points. The win brings the season record to 15-4 and 9-0 in district play. They will take on Hardin Friday night in Hardin.

 In JVII action EC would lead throughout. They lead 9-7 after the first quarter and 25-21 at halftime. EC built a 34-25 lead going into the final quarter but Kountze would fight back, but it wasn’t enough. EC held on for a 45-41 win. Pacing the Bucs was Joe Martinez and Eric Hart with 14 points apiece. Jesse Luckey scored 12, 9 of which came in the first quarter. Ricky Gonzales chipped in 3 points respectively for the Bucs.
Friday, January 25, 2008, the Runnin' Bucs traveled to Buna and beat the Cougars by the score of 63-25. EC led 22-4 after the first quarter and never looked back. Leading scorer for the Bucs was Tramain Thomas with 13. Carlos Trevino tossed in 10 points and Jacoby Carrington added 9. The win brings the season record to 17-9 and 6-2 in District 24AA play. Next up is a rematch with Kountze tomorrow night at home. Come out early to get a seat and support the Bucs against their district rival.

In the JV game EC would outlast Buna by the score of 49-34. Josh Adamson led the way with 16 points while Kevin Carr and Seth Hunt each scored 8. Austen Gilfillian added 6 points, Dallas Gibson 5, Trey Simon 4, and Trey Lambert 2 to help the JVI remain unbeaten (8-0) in district play and improve their season record to 14-4. The JVI will play Kountze tomorrow night at 5 p.m. in the junior high gym with the JVII boys following them at 6.

Tuesday night, January 22, 2008, Anahuac came to town as the Runnin’ Bucs began the second round of district. Anhauac jumped out to an early 16-15 lead after one quarter, but the Bucs would take control in the second leading 34-26 at the half. EC took the game over early in the half and would widen their lead to a 71-55 victory. The scoring was evenly distributed for the Bucs with Donte Raymond leading the charge pouring in 13 points and grabbing 13 rebounds. Adam Davis scored 12 points, Vance McDonald had 11 points. Tramain Thomas scored 10 points and had 10 rebounds. Carlos Trevino added 9 points. James Green added 4 points with Quentin Joseph and Scott Penny chipping in 2 points apiece. The win pushes the season record to 16-9 and 5-2 in district play. The Bucs travel to Buna Friday to take on the Cougars.

In the JVI game EC would struggle, but were able to come away with a 36-31 win to remain undefeated in district play. Austen Gilfillian paced the Bucs with 8 points. Josh Adamson and Hank Jones had 6 points each. Seth Hunt, Kevin Carr, and Kylor Weisse each had 4 while Trey Lambert and Titus King had 2 points respectively. The JVI now has a season record of 13-4 and 7-0 in district. Their next game will be Friday at 5 p.m. in Buna.

The EC JVI basketball team took first place in the annual East Chambers sub-varsity basketball tournament. EC had victories against Legacy Christian Academy and Warren II on Thursday to set up a meeting with Warren’s JV team in the championship on Saturday. In the championship game, the Bucs jumped out to a 10 to 1 lead after the first quarter and lead by ten at halftime. Warren would make a run in the second half closing the gap to 4 early in the 4th quarter, but EC would rally and close the game with a 41-33 win. Team members of JVI are Hank Jones, Austen Gilfillian, Adam Davis, Josh Adamson, Seth Hunt, Dallas Gibson, Titus King, Kevin Carr, Kylor Weisse, and Jesse Luckey.

Tuesday, January 15, 2008, the Runnin’ Bucs traveled to Warren to take on the Warriors. EC jumped out early playing tough defense and lead 16-8 after the first quarter. The second quarter was much of the same with the Bucs controlling the tempo of the game and widening their lead to 29-18 at halftime. The Bucs would struggle in the third quarter, failing to make a shot from the field, scoring only 7 points that quarter, but their stellar defense held Warren to only 8 points in the third. The Runnin’ Bucs lived up to their names in the 4th quarter when they were able to create some lay-up opportunities beating the Warriors' defense and scored 23 points in the final period to secure a 59-40 win. Tramain Thomas had 18 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Bucs with Donte Raymond scoring 10, Kendall Barrow 7, and Carlos Trevino and Jacoby Carrington 6 points respectively. The win brings the season record to 15-9 and 4-2 after completing the first round of district. The Bucs have a bye this Friday but will return to action next Tuesday, January 22 at home against Anahuac.

In JV action, the JVI team completed the first round of district undefeated beating the Warriors by the score of 42-29. The Bucs struggled early trailing 12-10 after one quarter and 20-17 at the half. But their trapping defense woke up in the third quarter holding the Warren Warriors to only 1 point and only 8 in the fourth quarter, and they were able to pull away for a 42-29 victory. Josh Adamson paced the Bucs with 11 points, Trey Lambert scored 10, and Kevin Carr chipped in with 7 points. The win brings their season record to 9-4 and a perfect 6-0 in district play. The JVI will also be in action next Tuesday against Anahuac.

In the JVII game, the Bucs would come up a little short in a defensive battle losing by the score of 27-16. Joe Martinez led the Bucs with 5 points with Eric Hart and Mason Laborde scoring 4 points each and Ricky Gonzales with 3.

JVI scores from the first round of district are: EC 40 Anahuac 38; EC 44 Buna 15; EC 53 Kountze 52; EC 59 Hardin 37; EC 58 Deweyville 22; EC 42 Warren 29.

JVII scores : EC 18 Anahuac 38; EC 25 Deweyville 14; EC 16 Warren 27. (They have not played every time; not all schools have three teams.)

1/4/2008
Kountze Lost 62-64
Tramain Thomas 28 points
Vance McDonald 11 points
Jacoby Carrington 10 points

1/8/2008
Hardin lost 45-54
Tramain Thomas 12 points
Jacoby Carrington 9 points
Vance McDonald 8 points

1/12/2008
Deweyville won 66-50
Vance McDonald 23 points, 13 rebs.
Tramain Thomas 22 points, 13 rebs.
Adam Davis 7 points

Holiday Classic

The Runnin’ Bucs participated in the first annual East Chambers Holiday Classic on December 27-29, 2007. The tournament consisted of twelve teams, eleven from all over Texas, and one from Wichita, Kansas.

EC opened up with Hamshire-Fannett coming away with a 62-27 win. Later that evening the Bucs took on Commerce, Texas, beating them by a score of 71-50 and earning a first-round bye during bracket play. On Friday, the Bucs would catch Hitchcock in the second round of bracket play defeating them 74-43. On the final day of the tournament, EC would rally past Hull-Daisetta in the semi-finals, 82-51.

This would set up a third meeting between the Bucs and state ranked 3A Hardin-Jefferson for the tournament championship.

Before a packed house Saturday evening, the Runnin’ Bucs were able to slow down the up tempo pace that HJ thrives on and control the ball taking advantage of a half-court style game. The first half was back and forth with the Bucs trailing by one at half-time after Tramain Thomas hit a half court shot as the buzzer sounded to end the half. The second half was much of the same with players from each team giving every thing they had to gain only a small advantage on the scoreboard. At one point late in the fourth quarter, the Hawks seemed to pull away taking a 6-point advantage, but the Bucs would not be denied.

Capitalizing on missed free throw opportunities by HJ, EC would convert theirs and come away with a 54-51 win for the tournament championship. The atmosphere was electric in Buccaneer Gymnasium, and the fans definitely got their money’s worth.

Earning all tournament honors for the Bucs were Carlos Trevino and Vance McDonald. Tramain Thomas was named tournament MVP averaging 22 points and 12 rebounds throughout the tournament.

The Runnin’ Bucs now boast a 13-7 overall record and are 2-0 in district play. East Chambers will travel to Kountze to take on the Lions this Friday night.

The Runnin’ Bucs participated in the Hardin-Jefferson “Last Man Standing” Basketball Marathon. They played six games over three days winning four and losing two and coming away with third place. Making the All-Tournament team, voted on by the coaches, was Tramain Thomas and Jacoby Carrington.

Last night the Bucs traveled to Hardin-Jefferson to take on the #1 ranked team in 3A in the state of Texas. It was a hard fought, intense game with EC coming up short losing by the score of 47-69. Leading the way for the Bucs was Tramain Thomas with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Vance McDonald made his season debut with 15 points and 12 rebounds including a monster dunk early in the first quarter. See video.

The loss brings the season record to 6-6. The Runnin’ Bucs begin district play Friday in Anahuac.

The Runnin Bucs opened their season last night, November 27, 2007, with a 55-50 win over the Huntington Red Devils. It was a sloppy first outing for the Bucs, but they overcame some early foul trouble and pulled out the win. Leading the way was Tramain Thomas with a game high 30 points. Quentin Joseph scored 8 and Jacoby Carrington added 7 points and pulled down 9 rebounds. The Runnin Bucs travel to Big Sandy this weekend for a tournament. They open up with Kennard tomorrow morning at 11:30.

The JV came away with a 38-36 come from behind victory last night. Josh Adamson had 15 points, while James Green and Seth Hunt had 8 points apiece to help the JV pick up the victory.

In the freshman game, the Bucs came up short losing by the score of 61-49. Adam Davis and Dallas Gibson both scored 13 points to pace the Bucs.