Cougars win over Wakefield
Final home game of the season brings out a crowd
Centre High School fans came out in force Thursday to spur the Cougars to a 65-58 win over Wakefield in a makeup game played at home.
The Cougars were behind, 5-10, in the first quarter when Todd Stahlecker nailed two treys followed with a trey by Travis Burns to give Centre a 14-11 lead.
Bryant Gutsch added a basket and Stahlecker two more before the quarter ended, giving the Cougars a five-point lead, 20-15.
Two more treys and a lay-up by Stahlecker plus a basket from Bryant Gutsch in the second quarter kept the Cougars in the game. They had a slim three-point lead, 32-29, at half-time.
Fans wondered whether or not the boys would be able to keep their lead in the second half. Just when it looked like the team would fall behind, Stahlecker nailed a three, and others added points. The Cougars' lead had grown to six points, 46-40, at the end of the quarter.
The Bombers stepped up their play in the final quarter and got within one point. With 50 seconds remaining, the Cougars led by two.
Stahlecker added three free-throws and Justin Garrard added one to give the Cougars a 65-58 victory.
Centre vs. White City
The Cougars were no match Friday for the White City Huskies as they were defeated, 73-51, in the final game of the season at White City.
After the Huskies jumped to a 5-0 lead, Bryant Gutsch and Travis Burns nailed two consecutive treys to give the Cougars a one-point lead.
As the game progressed however, the boys lost their momentum and fell behind. The well-coached, fast-paced Huskies left them in the dust, leading 19-10 at the end of the first quarter.
Heading into the locker room at half-time, the Cougars were down by 12 points, 38-26.
The gap widened to 60-33 at the end of the third quarter, leading to an embarrassing 22-point loss when the game ended.
They ended the regular season with seven wins and 12 losses.
Coach Hake said he was at a loss for words to explain the reason for a losing season.
"I felt toward the latter part of the season, we didn't play up to our potential, and I don't know why."
The Cougars' season ended Monday with a 73-49 loss to Blue Valley-Randolph at Randolph in the first round of the IA regional tournament.
