TOURNEY|Cougars survive scare, go on to win third tournament

After persevering through their first test of the season, the Cougar eight-grade basketball team went on to notch its third straight tournament win, taking the championship of the 15th Annual Barren County Middle School Tip-Off Basketball Classic, in Glasgow.

The Cougars had to go to overtime in the opening game against a tough Drake’s Creek team before surviving with a 46-41 victory. They then polished off Allen County-Scottsville 59-35 to put them in the final against host Barren County.

In the championship game, the Cougars used a big third quarter to come back from a half-time deficit and win going away 61-48 and move to 13-0 for the season.

DRAKE’S CREEK

The Cougars were very lucky to get past this team from Bowling Green which was playing only its second game of the season. In the end, it came down to free throws, and the Cougars made their’s, while Drake’s Creek didn’t.

Grayson County broke open a 4-4 tie at the 3:53 mark of the first period with a 9-2 run to grab a 13-6 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Trey Tinsley’s three-pointer with 1:10 left in the second quarter gave the Cougars their largest lead of the game, 13 points at 24-11, but they led by just 11, 26-15 at the half.

But it was all Drake’s Creek in the third quarter as they outscored the Cougars 12-2. Lucas Easley beat the buzzer at the end of the period with a three-pointer that pulled his team to within a single point of the lead, 28-27.

Isaiah Thomas-Turner hit a 10-footer at the start of the fourth quarter that put his team in front for the first time since it was 1-0 at the start of the game. The lead changed hands five times before back-to-back threes by Travis Hardcastle and Easley gave Drake’s Creek their largest lead of the game, five points at 37-32 with 4:11 left to play.

Rance Whobrey then began taking over the game for the Cougars. He scored on a lay-up with 4:01 left to cut the deficit to three, then hit a pair of free-throws with 3:33 remaining to make it 37-36.

After Drake’s Creek’s Tanner Thompson hit a jumper to push the lead back to three, Whobrey scored on a put-back basket to cut it back to one, 39-38.

Thomas-Turner went to the line with 1:33 left but could hit just one of two to make it 40-38.

Neither team could score after that until Thomas-Turner went to the line in the bonus situation with 34 second remaining. When he missed the first shot, Whobrey rebounded the ball and went the length of the court and put up a shot. Though it was off the mark, Ethan Saltsman was able to grab the rebound and put it back in to tie things at 40-40 with 27 seconds left to play.

Still, Drake’s Creek had a couple of chances to win in regulation. Jacob Riley went to the line with 18 seconds left for a bonus attempt, but again missed the first shot. The Cougars fell asleep on the rebound and Riley was able to get his own missed shot.

Whobrey then came up with a steal and the clock wound down, sending it into the three-minute overtime period.

Drake’s Creek had early chances to take the lead after Whobrey fouled out at the start of the overtime. Easley went to the line in the double bonus at the 1:43 mark but hit just one-of-two. Thompson went to the line with 1:02 remaining but missed both shots.

That would be it for Drake’s Creek as Trey Tinsley went to the line with 32 seconds left to play and drained two free throws to put the Cougars back in front for good. Tinsley went back to the stripe in the bonus with 12 seconds left and hit two more to make it 44-41.

With Drake’s Creek scrambling to try for a three-pointer to tie, Ryne Tinsly came up with a steal and was fouled with two seconds left. He hit both shots to make the final margin five points.

Easley led Drake’s Creek with 16 points.

Trey Tinsley matched that figure for the Cougars, while Whobrey finished with eight points and four rebounds. Ryne Tinsley had seven points and led the team with four assists and four steals.

Saltsman also had four boards and finished with six points. Braxton Williams had four, Blake Decker and Nathan Clemons had two each, and Grant Akridge had one to complete the Cougar scoring.

ALLEN COUNTY-SCOTTSVILLE

This one was all Cougars from the start as they raced out to a 13-2 lead before increasing it to 19 points, 25-6 at the end of the first period. Allen County added to the Cougar cause by tossing two baskets into the Cougar goal, one in the first period and another in the fourth.

The game was pretty much over by half-time as Grayson County built a 42-15 lead. Though coach George Meredith emptied his bench in the second half, the Patriots were only able to outscore the Cougars by three.

Trey Tinsley led all scorers with 19 points, while brother Ryne had 11. Williams had nine points, Decker had six and Clemons added five. Whobrey finished with four points, while Bryce Basham and Ethan Hinson had two each. Akridge closed out the scoring with one point.

BARREN COUNTY

With Whobrey and Saltsman getting into early foul trouble and sitting for much of the first half, the Cougars got valuable minutes from Clemons and Akridge as they hung in with the Trojans.

Tyler Simmons hit one of two free throws with 58 seconds left in the first period to give the Trojans a seven-point, 17-10 lead, but Williams beat the buzzer with a lay-up that made it 17-12 heading into the second quarter.

The Cougars trailed again by seven two more times in the third quarter, but a late surge brought them to within three points, 31-28 at the half.

Grayson County came out on fire in the third quarter, scoring the first eight points of the period and forcing the Trojans to call a timeout trailing 36-31.

Back on the floor, Trey Tinsley hit two free throws to make it a 10-0 start to the period and 12 unanswered to take a seven-point lead. The Cougars increased their lead to 11 points, 45-34 with 1:54 remaining, but Simmons closed out the scoring with a three-pointer to make it 45-37 heading into the fourth quarter.

Clay Simmons then opened the final period with another three to cut the margin to five points.

The Cougars still led by five when Trey Tinsley buried his third three-pointer of the day with 3:36 left to make it 52-44. That was the start of an 8-0 Cougar run that increased the lead to 57-44 with 2:16 left and iced the game for the Cougars.

Trey Tinsley led all scorers in the game with 21 points. Whobrey joined him in double figures with 15 points and added eight rebounds, four assists and three steals. Ryne Tinsley had nine points and added four assists and three steals.

Williams had six points, Clemons and Saltsman finished with four each, and Akridge had two to round out the scoring.