Cougars win one of three at pre-season tournament
By ROWENA PLETT
Staff writer
After losing by two points in the opening game of the season Dec. 2 against 3A Southeast of Saline, the 1A Centre Cougars squeaked by 2A Herington Dec. 6 to win by two points, 62-60.
The pre-season thriller kept everyone on the edge of their seats. Although the Cougars maintained a slight lead throughout most of the game, the outcome was far from certain.
Alfonse Klenda scored the first four points of the game. Bryant Gutsch scored on two steals. Kevin Mueller took a charge near the end of the first quarter, and Centre led, 17-14.
The game was tied five times in the second quarter. Seth Jirak hit a three-pointer halfway through the period to give Centre a four-point lead. But Herington continued to score and led 36-34 at halftime.
Dustin Burnett opened the second half with a basket to tie the game once again. The two teams traded baskets, and by the end of the third quarter, Herington led by one point, 51-50.
The fourth quarter was a carbon copy of the others, with the lead going back and forth.
The game was tied at 60-all with 45 seconds remaining when Mueller took another charge to give the Cougars another chance.
They stalled. With 14 seconds remaining, Gutsch made a run for the basket, then passed the ball to an open Burnett, who made a jump shot for the exciting two-point win.
Leading scorers were Burnett, 15, Gutsch, 14, and Jirak, 12. Gutsch provided four assists.
Mueller had 11 rebounds including five on the offensive end.
Centre vs. Hope
The Cougars had their hands full playing the Hope Lions. They got off to an eight-point deficit in the first quarter and weren't able to catch up.
Scoring was almost even in the second quarter, but Centre trailed, 18-27, at halftime.
Things continued to go downhill for the Cougars in the second half as their scoring remained cold.
The score stood at 49-35 in the fourth quarter when Hope's Zach Elliott hit three consecutive three-point goals to put the game away for good.
The final score was 62-41 in Hope's favor.
Burnett was Centre's high-point man with 16 points. He also led in assists and rebounds. Mueller took two charges and had one blocked ball.
Centre vs. Northern Heights
In Saturday's game against 2A Northern Heights, the Cougars were defeated, 68-58.
The first half of the game was tight as Centre nipped at the heels of the Wildcats and tied the game several times. Centre led, 18-13, at the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter was a different story. Northern Heights outscored Centre 22-10 including a last-second shot from beyond the half-court line. The Cougars were down by four points, 28-35.
Centre continued to lose momentum in the third quarter and were outscored 20-13. Despite a 17-13 scoring advantage in the final quarter, the Cougars suffered a 10-point loss.
Burnett led scoring with 18 points, followed by Jirak with 17. Burnett also had 13 rebounds.
Centre's record stands at 1-3 overall.
