Elizabethtown’s Panthers came into the Cougar Den on Tuesday and got scoring from 10 different players, four of whom scored in double figures, as they ran away and hid from the Cougars, 75-48.
Despite playing perhaps their best game of the season, the JV Cougars remained winless as the Panthers beat them 38-33.
VARSITY GAME
The Cougars dug themselves a huge hole from which to try and extricate themselves as they gave up the game’s first 18 points. Grayson County did not get on the board until Nolan Shartzer scored on a lay-up with 1:58 left in the first quarter. The Cougars committed eight turnovers during that first period and trailed 21-6 heading into the second quarter.
Grayson County was able to cut the lead to 13 points at the half, 38-25, and when they scored the first three points of the second half, the deficit was just 10 points, and the Cougars were within striking distance.
But that’s when the Panthers shut the door. From the 7:02 mark until the end of the period, the Panthers outscored the Cougars 22-4 and led by 28 points, 60-32, heading into the fourth quarter.
E’town’s Jaquais Franklin led all scorers with 16 points, while Khia Sherrard had 15, Myles Fields scored 12, and Camran McNeil added 10.
Q’Daryius McHenry led the Cougars with 13 points and also led the team on the boards with eight rebounds. Shartzer scored nine points, as did Jaxon Higdon. Josh Embry scored seven, Spencer Sharp had six and freshman Hunter Tomes had four to round out the scoring.
JV GAME
The young Cougars have had a rough way to go at the start of the season, but played well enough to win against the Panthers, but came up just short.
The difference in the JV’s play could have been attributed to freshman Hunter Tomes, who was a force on the boards all night. He finished with just four points, but pulled down 12 rebounds to help keep the Cougars close.
Jaxon Higdon hit three three-pointers in the first quarter for nine of his team-high 12 points and the Cougars led by four, 13-9 at the start of the second quarter. The Panthers then outscored the Cougars 10-6 in the second period to lead by one, 20-19 at the half.
Higdon’s fourth three-pointer with 2:38 left in the third period gave the Cougars their final lead of the night, 25-24, but they trailed by four, 30-26 heading into the fourth quarter.
Miles Hornbeck hit 1-of-2 at the line with 36 seconds left to pull his team to within two points of the lead, 35-33, but the Cougars would not score again. Brett Payton scored eight points and pulled down eight rebounds for the Cougars. Three players, Hornbeck, Tomes, and Hunter Saltsman all scored four points, while Chandler McCrady had one to complete the scoring.
By Don Brown, Local Sports
Reach Don at donbrown@K105.com
