The good news was the Cougars scrapped hard on defense, put 10 players into the scoring column, shot 79 percent from the free-throw line, won three of the four quarters played and came out on top in the unofficial scoring 63-52.
The bad news was that standout point guard Travis Johnston, ranked the fourth best player in the Third Region by the Courier-Journal, injured his left ankle and will be out at least a couple of weeks. He will likely miss the season opener November 27 at Whitesville, but head coach Todd Johnston is hoping to have him ready to go again by the following Friday when the Cougars travel to Owensboro to take on Daviess County.
Johnston was pleased with the overall effort of his team in their first action of the season.
“Our defensive intensity was good, especially in the early part of the game,” Johnston said. “I think we got a little tired in the third quarter and allowed them some open shots.”
The Cougars forced the Scotties into 12 turnovers in the first quarter, four of them steals as they outpointed the visitors 20-8. The Scotties turned the tables in the third quarter, winning their only quarter 20-8 after hitting four three-pointers. That was also the period in which Johnston was hurt.
The Scotties finished the night with eight shots from behind the arc, something that Johnston knows his team must improve upon. The Cougars hit six three-pointers on the night, with senior Jordan Mudd and sophomore Aaron Deviney hitting two each.
Johnston and junior Bennett Skaggs did most of the damage in the first period. Johnston scored six of nine points and Skaggs had seven of his game-high 14 points in the period as the Cougars never trailed.
Glasgow's Will McCoy's old-fashioned three-point play at the 3:11 mark pulled the Scotties to within four points at 9-5, but the Cougars outscored them 11-3 the rest of the period.
The second period was closer, with the lead changing hands three times. A Deviney three with 4:53 left put the Cougars in front for good at 9-7. They won the period 16-11.
In the third period, a Lance Buckler lay-up at the 4:22 mark put the Cougars in front 6-5, but the Scotties then went on a 13-0 run to put them up 18-3.
Johnston hit a pair of free throws at the 1:34 mark to halt the run, but he went down shortly thereafter and did not return.
Back-to-back threes by Mudd and junior Wes Smith gave the Cougars an 11-7 lead in the fourth quarter, but the Scotties' Dean Glass hit a three of his own to make it a one-point game with 4:41 left in the period.
Grayson County then scored six unanswered point to lead 17-10 with just over a minute left to play. They won the final period by a 19-13 score.
Craig Mosier led the Scotties in scoring with 10 points, including three three-pointers, and Andrew Wade added nine.
Mudd joined Skaggs in double figures with 10 points, six of which came on three-pointers in the fourth quarter. Deviney finished the night with eight points, while Tyler Saltsman had six and Smith had five.
Buckler finished his night with four points. Junior newcomer Seth Bratcher had three points, while sophomores Dustin Thomas and Bryant Clemons had two apiece to complete the Cougar scoring.
News-Gazette Sports Reporter
dbrown@gcnewsgazette.com
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