Burnett, Gutsch lead Cougars in second league win
By ROWENA PLETT
Staff writer
It took a while, but the Centre Cougars were able to pull down another league win Jan. 10 by defeating Wakefield, 60-53, in an exciting game at home.
Both teams started out cold, and Centre was down 0-4 before Alfonse Klenda made a basket and Bryant Gutsch followed with two consecutive threes to give the Cougars an 8-6 lead.
They kept the lead until the last minute of the second quarter, when Wakefield went ahead, 25-23. Brent Potocnik tied the game with a field goal, but Wakefield made a last-second three-point shot to lead at halftime, 28-25.
After scoring just five points in the first half, Dustin Burnett came into the second half red-hot. He made five field goals in the third quarter. The last one came on a last-second runback to put the Cougars ahead, 43-42.
Wakefield opened the fourth quarter with a three to take the lead, 45-43. The Cougars edged ahead but dropped behind by one with about a minute to play.
Burnett aced the game for Centre by shooting a three-pointer, making three free-throws, and laying the ball in on a steal by Seth Jirak in the final seconds to give the Cougars a thrilling seven-point win.
Both teams were almost identical from the field. The difference in the game came at the free-throw line, where Centre made 14-of-26 compared to 9-of-17 by Wakefield.
Burnett scored a whopping 27 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Gutsch added 16 points and provided three assists. Jirak also had three assists.
The junior varsity lost to Wakefield, 34-72. They were outscored 17-12, 18-5, 18-8, and 19-9 in four quarters. The only player in double digits was James Weber with 10.
