Staff writer
What looked like a sure victory Friday for the Cougars in the opening game of the preseason tournament at Herington turned into a disaster.
Playing Northern Heights, a 2A school, they led by 15 points at the end of the third quarter but finished on the losing end of a 58-53 final score.
The Cougars stayed abreast of the Wildcats in the first quarter, surging ahead with two consecutive steals and resulting buckets by Brian Burhoop near the end of the quarter. Centre led, 15-14.
The Cougars held onto the lead until the last 2 minutes and 30 seconds of the game. Good rebounding gave them a 32-21 halftime lead and a 44-29 third-quarter lead.
“For three quarters we played really well,” said coach Greg Wyatt. “We kept the tempo of the game in our favor. We worked the ball for good open shots and played good defense.”
That changed in the fourth quarter when, as Wyatt put it, the Wildcats started playing a “fast-pace reckless abandon game.”
An intense full-court press by Northern Heights resulted in numerous turnovers by Centre. At the same time, it seemed the Wildcats could not miss their shots, whether from the field or the free-throw line.
Northern Heights scored 29 points in the fourth quarter, as many as they had scored in the other three quarters combined. Centre scored 12 points.
“When they started cutting into the lead, we played not to lose rather than to win,” Wyatt said. “We have to play four solid quarters and finish teams off when we have them down.”
Two Centre players scored in double digits: Trevor Troutt with 18 and Brian Burhoop with 14. Tanner Brunner led at the boards, with 10 rebounds, followed by Burhoop and Troutt, with six each.
Centre was defeated by Herington Saturday in the second round of pool play, 71-41.
The Cougars trailed 18-11 at the end of the first quarter and fell farther behind as the game progressed.
“Herington was definitely the more aggressive team, and it showed,” Wyatt said. “We were passive on the offensive side of the ball. We didn’t look to create opportunities or take the ball to the basket for shots.”
The Cougars had 22 turnovers.
“We need to handle the ball better and react faster on the defensive side,” Wyatt said. “Guards need to play with confidence and posts need to work continuously for position, offensively and defensively.”
Tyler Klenda and Troutt each scored 10 points. Brunner again was leading rebounder with six, followed closely by Alex Hajek with five. Adam Matz provided three assists.
The final games of the tournament will be played Thursday. The Cougars will play Hope at 5:30 p.m. in the middle school gym for fifth place.