The 1985-86 team at the HOF Induction

The 1985-86 Hillsboro Eagles were optimistic about their season. They were returning 4 starters from the previous year. 1st year coach Dobie Smith was excited about the season. After starting the season 12-4, the Eagles faced a tough district schedule.

The Eagles started out the District 15-3A schedule with victories over Cedar Hill and Red Oak. Hillsboro continued its winning streak with a 71-60 victory over Midlothian. Darren Johnson led in scoring with 22 points, followed by Oscar McGill with 18, and Billy Lucas with 10. Andrew Fowler scored eight; Darren Hayes had six; Jason Halbert added four; and Joe Johnson scored three. The Eagles then rolled over Aledo 71-49. Billy Lucas led the Eagles with 16. Oscar McGill added 15 and Daren Johnson 10. Rounding out the scoring were Fowler with 9, Halbert 7, Hayes and Johnson 6 each, and Kevin Anderson tossed in 2. This brought Hillsboro’s record of 16-4 (4-0).

The #1 Ferris Yellowjackets hosted the Eagles in game five of the young district season. Hillsboro survived with a 63-59 victory over Ferris. Darren Hayes scored 23 points, had one rebound, and 4 assists. Billy Lucas added 15 points of his own, combined with 12 rebounds, and 2 assists. Daren Johnson threw in 10 points, 5 rebounds, and had 3 assists. Jason Halbert had 8 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists. Oscar McGill got in on the action with 6 points, 8 rebounds, and 1 assist. Rounding out the scoring was Andrew Fowler with 2 points and 11 rebounds and Jason Thornell with 1 point, 3 rebounds, and 2 blocked shots. This victory moved Hillsboro to the top of the district standings at 17-4 (5-0).

The Eagles then faced the Indians from Alvarado. Daren Johnson had 15 points to lead all Hillsboro scorers. Billy Lucas scored 14 and Andrew Fowler added 13. Others scoring: Hayes with 9, McGill had 8, Halbert had 5, and Thornell with 2 points. The victory propelled the Eagles into the #10 ranking in the state poll, and an 18-4 record. The Eagles then took on the Bullfrogs of Lake Worth. The Eagle dominated the Frogs in a 81-38 beatdown. Joe Johnson led all scorers with 22 points. Billy Lucas and Andrew Fowler added 13 and 10 respectively. Darren Johnson tossed in 8, Hayes 7, Halbert 6, Dan Williams 5, McGill and Anderson both had 4, and Thornell scored 2.

With a target on their chest, the Eagles faced rival Cedar Hill. In a hard fought game, the Eagles outlasted the Longhorns to win 73-68. Darren Hayes led the Eagles in scoring with 19 points. Billy Lucas had 17 while Daren Johnson has 11 of his own. Fowler scored 9, McGill 5, Halbert and Joe Johnson had 4 each, and Thornell and Erwin both had 2. This victory propelled the Eagles into the #8 spot in the rankings.

The Eagles then took on a scrappy Red Oak team. The Eagles somehow managed to edge the Hawks 69-66. Darren Hayes led the Eagles with 19. Billy Lucas threw in 16 and Andrew Fowler added 10. Oscar McGill scored 8, Daren Johnson 6, and Jason Halbert 2. A strong Hillsboro team fell to Midlothian 80-64, giving the Eagles the first district loss. In the loss, Billy Lucas had 22 points. Other double digit scoring for the Eagle came from Hayes with 12, Fowler with 11, and Halbert had 10. Thornell added 4, D. Johnson and McGill both had 2, and Erwin had 1 point. This dropped the Eagles to 21-5 (9-1).

The Eagles rebounded with a 49-40 win over the Aledo Bearcats. In the victory, Darren Hayes had 15. Both Billy Lucas and Daren Johnson had 8, Andrew Fowler had 6, and McGill, Halbert, and Thornell all had 4 points each. McGill and Lucas had 9 rebounds apiece. With a 71-68 overtime victory over Ferris, the Eagles clinched at least a share of the district title. Billy Lucas had 25 points and 15 rebounds leading the Eagles to the win. Andrew Fowler added 16 points and 9 rebounds and Oscar McGill had 12 points and 10 rebounds.

The Eagles clinched the district 15-3A championship with a 89-81 victory over Alvarado. Andrew Fowler led the way for the Eagles with 22 points. Lucas scored 18 while D. Johnson added 10. McGill had 9 while Hayes and Halbert each had 7.

The win lofted the Eagles to 24-5 (12-1) record. The final district game had the Eagles dismantling the Bullfrogs from Lake Worth 75-40. Jason Halbert led the Eagles with 15. Oscar McGill had 14 and Kevin Anderson and Billy Lucas had 10 point each.

The Hillsboro Eagles then played a warm-up game with the Itasca Wampus Cats. The Eagles held off the Cats 76-72. Darren Hayes led the team with 18, followed by Oscar McGill with 15, and Billy Lucas and Andrew Fowler with 10. Jason Thornell added 9, Darren Johnson 6, Jason Halbert 4, and Dan Williams and Joe Johnson with 2.

The playoffs began with a 57-48 victory over the Brownsboro Bears. The Eagles then defeated Connally 78-68. Daren Johnson and Oscar McGill led the team in scoring with 18 points each. Andrew Fowler had 16 as Jason Halbert contributed with 10 points. The win sent the Eagles to the Regional Tournament in Commerce.

A strong Hillsboro team rolled into Commerce to take on Wiley in the regional semi-final. The Eagles were led by Andrew Fowler with 20 points and defeated Wiley 63-54 to advance to the Region 2 final. Darren Hayes scored 15, Oscar McGill 10, Billy Lucas 8, and Jason Halbert and Kevin Anderson both added 2. The Hillsboro Eagles bringing their 29-5 record into the final against Hughes Springs, had high hopes of advancing to the state tournament in Austin. However, the Mustangs had other ideas. With the Eagles having difficulties in making some shots, Hughes Springs took advantage and defeated the Eagles 55-49, ending an extremely successful season. Leading the Eagles in scoring was Andrew Fowler with 14 points. Darren Hayes threw in 13. Oscar McGill added 9, Daren Johnson 8, and Billy Lucas 5 points. The Eagles finished their season at 29-6.

Congratulations on an exceptional year, and congratulations on your induction into the Hillsboro High School Athletic Hall of Fame!

Team Stats

5 starters averaged 10+ points per game:

Billy Lucas - 14.3

Andrew Fowler - 13.1

Oscar McGill - 12.6

Darren Hayes - 11.1

Daren Johnson - 10.7

2 starters averaged 11+ rebounds per game:

Billy Lucas - 12.3

Andrew Fowler - 11.5

Darren Hayes - 6.8 assists per game

71% Free Throws

Andrew Fowler & Darren Hayes

Team Awards

Billy Lucas -District M.V.P., All Area, Super Centex, and 3rd Team All-State

Darren Hayes - Super Centex Honorable Mention, 2nd Team All-District

Andrew Fowler - Super Centex Honorable Mention, 2nd Team All-District

Oscar McGill - Super Centex Honorable Mention, 2nd Team All-District

Daren Johnson - All-District Honorable Mention

Jason Halbert - All-District Honorable Mention

Dobie Smith - Coach of the Year for District 15-3A