The Cougars broke open a tight game with a 21-point fourth quarter last Friday evening in the Cougar Den as they defeated the visiting Butler County Bears 56-41 in the second game of a boy/girl doubleheader.
The Bears opened the game by scoring the first four points, but the Cougars responded with seven straight to go up 7-4 at the 4:42 mark. They closed out the period with a 9-5 run to lead by seven points, 16-9 heading into the second quarter.
The Cougars still led by seven points, 20-13 following 1-of-2 at the line by Bailey Logsdon with 4:42 left in the first half, but Will Moore buried a pair of threes to go along with a Brennan Grubb free throw to tie things 20-20 with 3:37 left.
The score was tied once again at 22-22, but the Cougars held a three-point lead, 27-24 at the half. Grayson County led by as many as five points in the third quarter, but heading into the final period of play, they led by just three points, 35-32.
When the Cougars opened the fourth quarter with a 10-4 run, capped off by a Wyatt Schultz three, they had increased their lead to nine points, 45-36.
Grayson County still led by eight when the Bears ability to compete any further was impaired. With 2:27 left to play, Moore fouled Bailey Logsdon near midcourt. The foul was Moore’s fourth and when he said something the referee didn’t like, he was slapped with a technical foul and was disqualified with his fifth foul. Moore finished the night with 22 points for the Bears.
That caused the Butler County coach, who had been after the refs all night, to go a little ballistic. He too was hit with a technical foul. That meant the Cougars would shoot six foul shots, then get possession of the ball.
Logsdon went to the line in a 1-and-1 situation for the first foul and hit both shots to make it a 10-point game, 51-41. Caleb Ray then went to the line to shoot the technicals and he hit 3-of-4 to make it 54-41. Ray would later add two more free throws for the final 56-41 score.
Ray finished the night with 22 points for the Cougars, including three shots from behind the arc, and he added five rebounds. Logsdon joined Ray in double figures with 16 points and he led the Cougars with six rebounds.
Josh Embry scored six points, while Schultz and Logan Majors had five each. Nolan Shartzer closed out the Cougar scoring with two points.
By Don Brown, Local Sports
Reach Don at donbrown@k105.com
Wyatt Schultz drove to the hoop for two.
Josh Embry probed the lane against the Bears.
Nolan Shartzer soared in for two.
