Vinton…Playing a team three times in a season can be difficult, especially when you have already beaten them twice. It’s when you beat them that counts though as the Pulaski Co. Cougars traveled to William Byrd and lost 53-44 in a Conference 24 semifinal game that would lead to a regional berth. A loss meant the end of the season.
Pulaski Co. played well enough on the defensive end, but the offensive struggled mightily. The only Cougar to hit double figures was CC Grubb with 18 points. That not only led the Cougars but was also a game high. It simply wasn’t enough as they went four minutes in the second quarter without a point and found themselves down 29-19 at intermission.
Down 40-33 going into the final period the Cougars fought back to within two, 42-40 with six minutes left in the game. They came down the court and missed two shots that could have tied the contest. They went five minutes without a score. By this time the Terriers (15-8) had built a 48-40 advantage with just 1:05 left in the game.
Devon Kasey and Jaylen Wheeler both led William Byrd with nine points. Terrell Smith came off the bench to toss in eight. Alex Fitch had seven.
After Grubb’s 18, the next Cougar was Bryan Roberson with nine points. Logan Robertson finished with six and Bryant Grubb had five.
“We didn’t play good enough offensive to win the game,” said a dejected Cougar head coach Andrew Hart. “The two wins we had against them we made plays and they didn’t; tonight they made plays and we didn’t. I thought we played well enough on defense but you can’t go on the couple of scoring droughts we had tonight and expect to win.” He then added, ”I don’t know if it was the excitement or moment of the game but we just didn’t put the ball in the basket. We definitely picked the wrong game not to play well enough on offense. We also didn’t play smart.”
The win sends William Byrd into the Conference 24 Championship and a regional berth. The Cougars season comes to a close as they finish with a 14-10 mark. Coach Hart did a magnificent job with a team that was very inconsistent most of the season and a team that had road woes. They finished 4-8 on the road and went 10-2 at home. They played four overtime games winning two and losing two. They lost some games that they probably should have won. They won some games they should have lost. It was an up and down ride but this team did compete and didn’t give up. They also lost four players fairly early in the season but the guys that remained didn’t quit.
PC 7 12 14 11-44
WB 12 17 11 13-53
PC- (14-10) – C Grubb 18, B. Grubb 5, Roberson 9, Robertson 6, Blankenship 2, Blevins 2, Reinhardt 2
WB- (15-8)- Kasey 9, Wheeler 9, Watson 6, Johnson 3, Fitch 7, Smith 8, Williams 6, Olsen 5
3-PT. Goals – PC- 6- (C Grubb 3, Robertson 2, Roberson), WB- 5-(Smith 2, Olsen, Fitch, Wheeler)
FT’s – PC – 4 of 8, WB – 8 of 12
Fouls – PC- 15, WB- 10
Fouled Out – PC- B. Grubb, WB- Olsen
Technicals- PC- B. Grubb