Sulphur’s ninth grade boy’s basketball team, above, captured runner-up honors and had a good showing in the Pauls Valley ninth grade tournament held on Dec. 5-7. The local boys beat Purcell in the opening game, then got by Pauls Valley for a berth in the championship game where they finally lost. In the tournament opener, the tam beat Pauls Valley 29-13 followed by a semifinal win over Pauls Valley 27-25. In the finals, the Dogs lost to a good Lindsay team and settled for runner-up honors. Sulphur head coach Grant Bates said Lindsay was the better team that day and were deserving of the championship title. “Our boys played hard and I was proud of them, especially after losing our point guard, but they were able to persevere and give themselves a chance to play in the championship game,” Bates said. “We have improved a lot over the past season and it’s a testament to how hard the guys have worked over the past year.”