Centre boys lose to arch-rival Hope
It was a bad week for the Centre Cougars. They lost at home Feb. 5 to Solomon and on Friday at Hope.
Despite the 63-66 loss to arch-rival Hope, it was a good game, maybe one of Centre's best, as the boys came out fired up and ready to play.
Their enthusiasm led to a rash of Hope turnovers, and Centre led 8-2 after a little more than two minutes of play. Grant Garrard nailed a two-pointer and added a free-throw to give the Cougars their biggest lead of the night, 14-5, with one and one-half minutes to play in the first quarter.
Hope's Chad Reed, a 6'8" senior, made a basket, and another Hope player followed up with a shot at the buzzer to narrow the gap to 14-9 at the end of the quarter.
Although the Lions crept ever closer, the Cougars were able to maintain a lead in the second quarter. Hope came within one point, but a two-pointer by Garrard at the end of the half kept Centre ahead 27-24.
As the second half began, Cougar fans were waiting with baited breath to see if their team could continue its momentum.
With 4:30 on the clock, Hope went ahead for the first time, 37-36, but three-pointers by Todd Stahlecker and Justin Makovec quickly returned the lead to Centre.
During the last two minutes of the quarter, the lead see-sawed between the two teams, and the quarter ended in a tie, 62-62.
With less than a minute to go in the last quarter, Hope's Reed was called for a charge and Centre had the ball. Down by one, the boys weren't able to score and lost the ball to Hope. Reed scored at the other end, giving Hope a three-point lead with 11 seconds to go.
Despite a Centre turn-over and a turn at the free-throw line by Hope, Centre had another chance at the basket with five seconds remaining. A last shot by Curtis Gutsch failed to fall, leaving the score a disappointing 63-66.
Makovec led the team in scoring with 16 points including four three-pointers. Stahlecker had four three-pointers, scoring 14 points. Garrard also had 14 points. Hope's Reed had 20 points, followed by Matt Ryff with 19.
B-team
The junior varsity was defeated by Hope, 44-57.
The Cougars were outscored in every quarter except the fourth, when they scored 15 compared to 10 by Hope. Quarterly scores were 7-18, 18-30, 29-47, and 44-57.
Justin Garrard led scoring with 13 points. Other scorers were Eric Peterson, 9; Chris Peterson, 7; Andrew Hajek and Aaron Barney, 6 each; and Brent Carlson, 3.
Centre vs. Solomon
Due to a rash of turnovers, the boys fell behind early to Solomon, ending the first quarter down by 10 points, 13-23.
In the second quarter, four successful three-point shots by Solomon, compared to one for Centre, put Solomon ahead 41-26 at the half.
The Gorillas continued to play well in the third quarter, both from the outside and the inside, maintaining their 15-point lead.
Centre's game plan completely broke down in the fourth quarter, allowing Solomon 22 points compared to Centre's 7. The Cougars were defeated 49-79.
Grant Garrard managed 11 points, followed by Curtis Gutsch, 8, Kyle Luna, 7, and Travis Burns, 2. Kyle Brown of Solomon scored 26 points.
B-team
Centre's junior varsity fared better, defeating Solomon 73-63. With a 22-16 lead after the first quarter, they ended the half ahead by eight.
However, the Gorillas came charging back in the third quarter, scoring 19 points compared to 13 by Centre to come within two points at the end of the third quarter, 51-53.
Not to be outdone, the Cougars once again surged ahead in the fourth quarter and won by 10 points.
Aaron Barney led scoring with 25 points including five three-pointers, four two-pointers and two of two from the free-throw line. He was followed by Justin Garrard with 22 points and Chris Peterson with 10.
Other scorers were Derek Belton, 8; Eric Peterson, 5; Andrew Hajek, 2; and Trent Hajek, 1.
