Cougars end season in semi-finals of regional
By ROWENA PLETT
Staff writer
After defeating Hamilton, 67-44, at home in round one of the Goessel 1A regional, Centre boys were defeated by Olpe, 44-31, in the semi-finals.
They ended the season with a record of 10-13.
In the game against Hamilton, the Cougars built an 11-point lead during the second quarter, then turned the ball over four times in the last two minutes, allowing Hamilton to score nine unanswered points and pull within two, 28-26.
The uncertain outlook changed when Dustin Burnett and Seth Jirak combined to score four three-pointers in the third quarter. The addition of field goals by Justin Garrard, Andrew Hajek, and Tad Remy gave the Cougars a 52-36 lead at the end of the quarter.
Centre outscored Hamilton 15-8 in the fourth quarter. A last-second three-pointer by Lance Diepenbrock resulted in the 23-point win.
Jirak and Garrard led scoring with 15 points, followed by Burnett with 14. Garrard had 10 rebounds including six at the offensive end. Burnett provided seven assists.
Olpe
Poor shooting led to the Cougars' demise in the semifinal game against Olpe. They got off to a slow start as Burnett and Garrard provided Centre's only points of the first quarter. They trailed, 4-10, at the end of the quarter.
They continued to struggle in the second quarter, scoring nine points compared to 12 by Olpe. They trailed, 13-22, at halftime.
The boys came out strong in the third quarter, narrowing the gap to two points, 25-27, with two minutes remaining in the quarter.
The Cougars had numerous opportunities to tie the game and go ahead but failed to capitalize on poor shooting and turnovers by Olpe.
Their shooting remained cold in the fourth quarter. They scored a total of six points, all coming from free throws. Olpe scored 17 points for the 13-point win.
The Cougars shot 20.8 percent from the field, including 11-of-53 from two-point range and 0-of-16 from three-point range. They were 9-of-12 from the free-throw line.
Burnett was the only Cougar in double digits with 12 points. Andrew Hajek provided seven rebounds and three blocks.
Seniors playing their final game for Centre High School were Garrard, A. Hajek, and Trent Hajek.
