Roanoke…You knew it was going to be a tough night at Patrick Henry when you try to get into the school but all the doors are locked and the ticket lady had to buzz you into the hallway leading to the Patriot gym. Later it was overheard that there had been a fight at the pep rally earlier in the day resulting in all the security!

The Cougars led most of the game playing perhaps their best defensive game, but during the last two (2) minutes things went against them as they lost to Patrick Henry 48-44. Down 42-39 and with the ball the Cougars got called for an offensive foul, giving the Patriots the ball with 1:35 to go. They were then called for a foul on defense, and the next thing you know, the Cougars bench was called for a technical and three points later the game was basically over with just under a minute to go.

The technical was very questionable at best. All the coaches were in the coach’s box, no foul language was used but the Cougar bench was still called for a technical.

The Cougars led after the first quarter, at halftime and also going into the fourth quarter. They shot just eight (8) foul shots as the homesteading Patriots shot 21. The Cougars were called for 17 fouls to the Patriots 10.

Patrick Henry (9-7, 6-2) got 15 points and 13 rebounds from forward Tee Bryan. Noah Woody bulled his way for 13 points and John Stockstill finished with 10 and of those coming in the last 4:30 of the game, half of the points coming from the charity stripe. The Patriots shot 14 free throws in the last three and half minutes of the closely contested game.

Senior forward Braeden Blevins led Pulaski Co. as he scored 13 points and grabbed eight rebounds. CC Grubb and Logan Robertson both knocked in 11 points apiece. “We played well enough to win the game defensively,” said a very disappointed Cougar head coach Andrew Hart. “Patrick Henry got some plays down the stretch and we didn’t. We needed to rebound better against them and we didn’t make enough shots late. I’m proud of how we battled tonight.”

The Cougars lead 11-7 after opening quarter as Logan Robertson had five of those points. They would take a 22-17 advantage into intermission as Robertson had eight points at halftime.

The third quarter shows the Patriots take a 26-24 lead but the Cougars battled back on a couple shot-in-shots from Blevins to help the Cougars to a 30-27 lead.

Up 34-32 at the 5:15 mark of the fourth quarter, the Cougars committed a couple turnovers by the press that was being applied by the Patriots. Stockstill would hit a jumper and a couple free throws to put them into the lead.

The Cougars were without a couple of their players due to injury and sickness.

The Cougar junior varsity lost their third consecutive game to the Patriots 58-36. The junior team was missing three players due to illness as well and never was in the game. The Patriots got 13 points from Capone Otey and Alex Faulkner. Dillon Porter led the Cougars and Hayden Gray with nine points apiece. Luke Russell scored six. The interesting thing about the Patrick Henry junior varsity squad as they had five or six different players on their roster than the first time the two teams met, back just three weeks ago at Pulaski Co.

 

Patrick Henry (48) – Bryan 15, Stockstill 10, Woody 13, Hamlet 4, Hicks 4, Caldwell 2

 

Pulaski Co. (44) – Grubb 11, Blevins 13, Robertson 11, Akers 7, Jackson 2

 

PH – 9 8 10 21 – 48

PC – 11 11 8 14 – 44

 

 

3 PT. Goals – PH – 4- (Stockstill, Hicks, Bryan, Woody) , PC – 4 – Robertson 2, Grubb, Akers)

 

Total FGs – PH – 15, PC – 17

 

FTs – PH – 14 of 21, PC – 6 of 8

 

Total Fouls – PH – 10, PC – 17

 

Fouled Out-None

 

Technicals – Cougar Bench