Cougars take victory over Bulldogs

Canadian boys basketball gutted out a win over Savanna Tuesday.

It was all Cougars in the first quarter as they held a 21-9 lead over the Bulldogs at the end of the stanza but it was not indicative of how the rest of the game would go.

The script flipped in the second period. Savanna outscored Canadian 18-8, shrinking the Cougar lead to just two points. Canadian led 29-27 at the halftime break.

Canadian coach Eddie Muse credited Savanna’s energy for the turnaround.

“For one, they rose their intensity, Savanna did,” Muse said. “But I think we spent a lot of energy and lost the momentum we had and we couldn’t get it back.”

It was another close quarter in the third with Canadian scoring 17 points to Savanna’s 14, which gave the Cougars a 46-41 lead going into the final period.

The game became sloppy in the fourth quarter with both teams entering the bonus because of fouls. Savanna went 3-for-6 from the free throw line; Canadian was just 1-for-6.

Despite troubles from the charity stripe, the Cougars outscored Savanna again 14-11 and Canadian took the 60-52 win.

“In a game like that, we learned lessons,” Muse said. “Learn when to foul and when not to foul, learn how to play under adversity with foul trouble. It just prepares you for the playoffs and trying to convince them this is better for them in the long run.”

Eli Jones led the way in scoring for Canadian. Jones scored 13 points and went 2-for-3 shooting at the free throw line.

Austin Henry hit two 3-pointers on his way to a 12 point game. AJ Tabb had the third most points for the Cougars with 10 tallies.

Muse already sees progress in his team.

He said last season his team would not have handled a game such as this as well as they did.

“I liked our resiliency over last year,” Muse said. “Last year we’d have folded and got beat. Overall, (I liked) their willingness to just continue to fight and not give in like last year.”

Canadian plays again at 8 p.m. Monday at home against Bokoshe.