Earlier in January, the Cougar basketball team traveled to Roanoke and dropped a 55-64 decision to the Hidden Valley Titans. Tuesday, the Cougars were able to avenge that loss and earn a come-from-behind 62-52 victory in the Cougar Den. The Cougar Pep Band added an extra degree of excitement to the game, performing before and during the contest.
Pulaski County came out strong and took an early lead on the Titans, but by the end of the first quarter, Hidden Valley had stormed back to led by three, 16-13. Each team scored 11 points in the second, moving the score to 27-24 for the Titans heading into the halftime break.
The Cougars struggled to find the basket in the third, only adding seven points to their total. The Titans added 16 to their tally, moving the score to 43-31 for Hidden Valley heading into the final quarter.
Trailing by 12 points, Pulaski County had to make a move. The answer was an offensive explosion by Lane Nester, who scored 12 of his 19 points in the final period. With time running down in the fourth quarter, the Cougars continued to press defensively while also scoring in transition. They eventually tied the game at 47 each with 3:25 remaining, then took the lead. The result was 31 Cougar points while defensively holding the Titans to just nine, securing the 62-52 victory.
Justus Hash led the Cougars with a game and team high 20 points that included four three-pointers. Nester finished with his 19 points. Jalere Harlow chipped in seven points. Chandler Hollins, Isaiah O’Dell, and Marcus Reed added five points each. Johnny Anderson scored one point in the win.
The Titans were led by Riley Phillips with 13 points.
The win moves Pulaski County to 5-11 overall. This was also the team’s first River Ridge District win of the season, putting them at 1-6 in district play.
The Cougar junior varsity squad turned in a more decisive performance, blasting the younger Titans 60-29. The Cougars led 24-12 at the end of the first quarter and never looked back. Despite only added six points to the total in the second quarter, Pulaski County outscored the Titans 16-5 in the third and 14-3 in the fourth to earn the win.
Boone Blevins led the way with 12 points. Braxton Merchant added seven points. Sammy Carrasco, Cade Souder, and Eli Lewis scored six points each. Savion Thompson scored five. Jaren Stump and Parker Price added four points each. D’Marea Bolden, Silas Sweet, Dillon Hay, Caleb Cregger, and Thomas Harris added two points each.
The win moves the JV Cougars to 10-5 overall this season.
In girls’ action, the Lady Cougars also had a good night with the JV and varsity teams earning wins. The varsity Lady Cougars won 51-36, moving them to 8-7 on the season. The JV Lady Cougars continued their winning ways with a 43-26 victory, moving them to 14-0 to this point.
The Cougar boys are scheduled to travel to Patrick Henry Friday. The Lady Cougars will host the Patriots. Monday, January 27, the Cougars will host Radford. JV games each night begin at 5:30 p.m., followed by the varsity contests at approximately 7 p.m.
