The Durant Cougars headed into Tuesday’s matchup against the Wharton Wildcats with a 14-3 record. The game started with the Wildcats stealing the ball from the Cougars and converting an “And-1.” Ajani Peavy found Wylde Correa for a wide-open baseline shot, scoring the Cougar’s first basket of the game. Durant then got called for a travel, negating a successful layup. The Cougars then turned the ball over on back-to-back possessions, which resulted in 5 points scored for the Wildcats in that span. The Wildcats called a timeout with 4:06 left in the first, leading 7-2. Fresh after the timeout, Wylde Correa uses his frame to get an open layup for the Cougars. The Wildcats responded with a contested 3 and Isaac Correa hit a nice spin move, getting open space in the paint for a layup for the Cougars. Then number 10 for the Wildcats cut to the rim for an easy score. Caden Bokor responded by drawing free throws for the Cougars, ultimately going 1-2 on his attempts. Our Athlete of the week, Austin White ended the first quarter by getting the steal and layup for the Cougars. At the end of the first quarter, the Cougars trailed 12-9.
Starting the second quarter was a great offensive possession when Wylde Correa set a screen for Austin White, then cut to perfection toward the basket and Austin threaded the pass to the big man for the open layup. Right after, the Wildcats turned it over, but the Cougars couldn’t get anything going on the fast break. The Wildcats got the ball back and extended their lead with a 3. Caden Bokor hit a tough layup for the Cougars on what looked like a foul by the Wildcats. The Wildcats then go on a 7-0 run, forcing the Cougars to call a timeout to regroup. The Wildcats go on another run, this time 5-0. The run ends as Wylde Correa attacks the paint and finishes strong at the rim. At halftime the score was 27-15 Wildcats. The Wildcats outscored the Cougars 15-6 in the second quarter.
The third quarter started off in the Cougar’s favor as the Wildcats turned the ball over and Isaac Correa drove to the paint and drew the foul. He went 1-2 at the line. Number 24 hit back-to-back 3-pointers for the Wildcats, a common theme for them in this game. Caden Bokor and the Cougars responded by finding Wylde Correa for the layup. The Wildcats responded with another 3, this time their Center scored from deep. Austin White drove baseline and hit a smooth floater for the Cougars. On the next possession, Isaac Correa hit a strong finish at the rim on what should have been another and one opportunity for the Cougars. A timeout was called with 3:25 left in the third, with the Cougars trailing 38-22. After the timeout, the Cougars hit a layup, but it was called back due to a travel. In the next offensive possession, Austin White used his speed to get to the basket for an easy underhand layup. The Wildcats stayed hot from deep, hitting back-to-back 3 pointers, forcing the Cougars to call another timeout. Wylde Correa got an offensive rebound and putback for the Cougars. The Wildcats hit a 3 as time expired in the third quarter with the score now 47-26 in favor of the Wildcats.
The final quarter of the game started nicely for the home squad, as Austin White drove for a tough layup. The Cougars struggled to get back on defense as the Wildcats scored in just seconds, outrunning the Cougars in transition. Caden Bokor got to the free throw line following a foul on the Wildcats and he made both free throws. Number 2 on the Wildcats caught fire for a second, hitting a stepback 3, then followed it up with a steal and a huge dunk to get the Wildcat fans cheering. Isaac Correa got to the free-throw line for the Cougars and hit one. Then, Ajani Peavy got the steal and layup for the Cougars on the fastbreak. This was the best run the Cougars had in this game as Austin White hit a step back 3, reducing the Wildcats lead. Some arguing with the ref resulted in a team technical foul and a coaching technical foul, sending Austin White to the free-throw line where he made two free throws. Wharton responded by getting to the free-throw line and hitting both. Wylde Correa grabbed another offensive rebound for the Cougars and laid it in at ease. Number 30 for the Wildcats would not be denied a win, hitting back-to-back 3s for his team. Austin White responded with a nice fadeaway from the Cougars. The final score stood at 62-42 Wharton.
The Cougars have 4 games remaining:
1/19 @ Plant
1/23 @ Strawberry Crest
1/24 Vs King
1/26 @ Robinson