The Hidden Valley Titans came to the Cougar Den Tuesday hoping to earn a win. Instead, the found themselves in a battle that ended with a 70-64 Pulaski County victory.
With the win, the Cougars move to 2-8 on the season. Hidden Valley falls to 2-11 with the loss.
The two teams played tight throughout the contest, with the Cougars leading 19-13 after one quarter of play. The Titans fought back and outscored the Cougars 14-13 in the second quarter, bringing the halftime total to 32-27 in favor of the Cougars.
Things got even tighter in the third quarter, Hidden Valley took a one-point lead with just under a minute and a half remaining in the third, but the Cougars managed to battle back. The Titans outscored Pulaski County 25-21, bringing the score to 53-52 heading into the final period.
The two teams found themselves in a 61-61 tie with just over four minutes remaining in the game, and the Titans again took a small lead before the Cougars put the pressure on. Pulaski County finished the game by outscoring the Titans 17-12 in the fourth, preserving the 70-64 win.
Lane Nester led the Cougars with a team and game high 19 points. Kyle O’Neal added 18 points and Jele Green scored 15 to put three Cougars in double digits. Khalib Horton added nine points. Joel Burchett scored four. Tootie O’Dell and Marcus Reed added two points each. Chandler Hollins added one point.
The Cougars hit eight three-pointers on the night, with four from O’Neal, three from Nester, and one from Horton. The Cougars didn’t do as well from the free throw line, hitting just 18-of-26 attempts.
Gavin Lott led the Titans with 17 points. Tyus Johnson added 16 and Brady Bartlett scored nine. The Titans hit nine three-pointer and were 15-of-20 from the line.
In the JV contest, the younger Cougars saw their record improve to 8-2 on the season with a 55-46 win over the Titans. Will O’Neal scored 12 points, including two big three-pointers. Silas Sweet backed him up with 10 points, one from behind the three-point line. Sammy Carrasco and Johnny Anderson added six points each. Chase Lawrence was good for five points and Bryant Nottingham added four. Justus Hash hit a three-pointer. Wyatt Clark led the Titans with 10 points.
The Cougars will return to action Wednesday, January 4, when they host the Graham G-Men. JV action will begin at 5:30 p.m. followed by the varsity contest at 7.