With the team's leading scorer, Kyle Skaggs, saddled with foul trouble, starting forward Josh Smith took over the offensive load for the Cougars. Hitting from beyond the arc as well as working down low, Smith put up a game high 28 points on the night.
Twenty of Smith's points came in the first half when the Cougars built what seemed to be an insurmountable lead. Twice in the second quarter, the Cougars led by 23 points, the last time coming at 36-13 with 54 seconds left in the half. The Stars scored the last basket of the half, then scored 13 straight opening the third quarter. The 15-0 run cut the Cougar lead to eight points with 51 seconds left in the third. Sean Embry made two baskets in the final minute to run the Cougar lead back to 10 points, 40-30 as the fourth quarter began.
The Stars managed to cut the lead to seven, 42-35 at the 4:08 mark after forward Jimmy Koper hit a layup and a free throw following a foul, but the Cougars immediately responded to end the Stars' threat. After going scoreless in the third quarter, Smith hit a three-pointer at the 3:59 mark to run it back to a 10-point Cougar lead.
North called a timeout at 3:56, then came out and promptly turned the ball over. Smith came down and drilled another three to make it 48-35 and the Cougars were back in command. The Stars never got closer than nine the rest of the way.
After a slow start, the Stars' big center, Tony Forsythe, wound up leading his team with 18 points. The slow-moving center grabbed a number of rebounds for put backs and he used his superior height to grab lob passes for easy buckets underneath.
Embry finished the night with eight points for the Cougars, while Travis Childers had six. Ryan Butler and Matt Embry had four each and Skaggs, Lance Boone and Grant Buckles had two points apiece.
The Cougars will travel back to Muhlenberg County on Monday to take on the Muhlenberg South Suns. Game time in Greenville is set for 5:30 p.m.
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