By Ike House
The Cougars did not have much luck in their first look at defending district champs on Monday. Both the girls and boys teams fell short in a game where Holly Springs dominated.
In the first game with the Lady Cougars they were defeated by a final score of 50-39. The Cougars did not have much success in the game only scoring 11 points in the first half. They had a lot of missed lay ups and countless turnovers that the Lady Hawks capitalized on. The Lady Cougars trailed 29-14 at the half and chances were slim for a comeback.
In the second half the Cougars came forth to make a comeback but the deficit was too much to overcome as the Lady Hawks steadily pulled away. The Lady Cougars scored 23 second half points but could not finish the job. They fell behind 40-24 going in the fourth quarter.
The Lady Cougars drained six three pointers in the half while draining eight overall. The Lady Cougars fell short of a win 50-39. Leading the way for the Lady Cougars was Kenya Edwards with 16 points. Other scorers were Jasmine Mays with 10 points, ShaQuanta Pettis with five points, QuiTonya Webster with four points and KiTyra Webb with one point.
For the Cougars they suffered the same fate. Free throw woes hurt the Cougars as they went 5-for-10 from the line. The Cougars could only score four points in the first quarter which was not enough for the scorers of Holly Springs. They fell behind 13-4 going into the second quarter.
The Hawks began to build their lead going into halftime as they shot three after three. The game was a showcase as the Hawks had flashy dunks and alley-oops. At the half the Cougars trailed 25-14.
In the third, the Cougars, shooting woes continued but the reason behind the faulty shooting came to light. Halfway through the third, the referees figured out that the boys had been playing with a girl ball which is lighter than the boys ball.
After switching balls the Cougars sparked and gained new life. The Cougars scored 29 second half points but it still was not enough as they cooled down in the final stretch to lose 57-43.
Leading the Cougars was Demetrick Porter with 14 points, two steals, a rebound and an assist. Other contributors were Vennis Mills with nine points, two steals and two rebounds. Mario Fenner Jr. had eight points, eight rebounds, two assists and a steal. Jordan Dandridge had six points, a block and a rebound. Darrell Young had four points, three rebounds and two steals. Ankeyvias Harris had two points and two rebounds.