(Pulaski County fans were excited to see the effort from the Cougars Thursday)
Almost.
The Pulaski County Cougar basketball team took the floor Thursday in their final game of the regular season in a makeup game against the Radford Bobcats. It was a matchup between a team with an identity set in stone and a team still searching for who they are and what they could be.
Radford came into the game with a superb 16-3 record, their three losses coming against EC Glass, Floyd County, and Northside. They held wins over Christiansburg, East Wilkes, NC, Narrows, George Wythe, Alleghany, Lord Botetourt, Floyd County, James River, Glenvar, and Carroll County. Bobcat Head Coach Rick Cormany has led his team to another Three Rivers District title and this season has surpassed the 755-win mark in his coaching career.
The Cougars came into the game with a record of 6-14. Their wins were over Fort Chiswell, Hidden Valley twice, James River, Christiansburg, and Salem. The team has had a roller coaster season with a lot of low points, but the past few games have shown much improvement as they secured a spot in the River Ridge District tournament as the fourth seed.
The game started like most “experts” expected it would. Radford led 12-3 at the end of the first quarter and looked like a well-oiled machine. Then the Cougars started to put a few things together. Some good passing and a determination to get to the basket helped them score 19 points. Tough, gritty, and determined defense caused Radford some problems, and suddenly they were held to just eight points in the second quarter, leaving the score tied at 20-20 heading into halftime.
The Cougars continued to hang tough in the third, but Radford earned a two-point advantage, 15-13, to lead 35-33 heading into the final quarter.
The Cougars and Bobcats swapped the lead several times in the second half, with neither team moving ahead more than a few points before the other fought back. Late in the game, the Cougars found themselves trailing by three. Then they were trailing by five, only to bounce back and trail by just one point. Radford was able to move the ball and keep it away from the Cougars, who were forced to foul.
Trailing by three, Tootie O’Dell went for a steal. It appeared to be a great defensive play, but O’Dell was called for his fifth and final foul. Cougar Head Coach Tyler Cannoy discussed the call with the official and was hit with a technical foul. While the Bobcat shooting those shots only hit one-of-two for the technical, he also sank both of the free-throws for the foul to put the game out of reach with under 10 seconds remaining. The final score was Pulaski County 48, Radford 54.
Lane Nester led the Cougars with 17 points. Kyle O’Neal added 12 points. Tootie O’Dell scored seven and Khalib Horton added six points. Jeremiah Turner, Chandler Hollins, and Marcus Reed added two points each. The Cougars hit four three-pointers and connected on six-of-11 free throw attempts.
Radford was led by Elijah Kelly with 18 points, Gavin Cormany with 15, and Luke Woodard with 14. The Bobcats hit three three-pointers and connected on 15 of 31 free-throw attempts.
In the JV contest, the Cougars fell 48-51 in another solid effort. Trailing 28-41 heading into the fourth quarter, the Cougars outscored Radford 20-10 in the final period.
Justus Hash led all scorers with 24 points, including six three-pointers. Jalere Harlow added 13 points. Chase Lawrence was good for five points. Silas Sweet, Sammy Carrasco, and Johnny Anderson scored two points each. The loss ends the season for the JV Cougars with a record of 14-7.
The Cougars are scheduled to travel to Roanoke Friday for the first round of the River Ridge District tournament, facing off with Patrick Henry at 7 p.m.
