On Monday evening, the North Cougars played host to the Ponies of Grapevine Middle School to get their middle school basketball season underway. With a full gym and excitement in the air, the Cougars were itching to tip off and play!

With the A teams taking to the court first, North didn't waste any time getting started. Racing out to a 22-7 lead through the first quarter, the North full-court press was working quite efficiently. The momentum didn't slow much through the second quarter as the Cougars boasted a 34-7 lead at the half. North featured balanced scoring across the board, including Crosby Grizzle with a team high 9 points, Benjamin Langston (8), Shane Tetteh (8), and Matthew Miller (you guessed it... 8 as well). Not to be forgotten, Ben Peiffer was doing all the dirty work, leading the team in steals with 6 along with 5 rebounds while Nathan Campbell added a team high 6 rebounds too. In the end, the Cougars were simply too much for the Ponies on this night and held on tight for a rousing 47-17 victory to start the season.

In the second game, with the B squads taking the floor, everyone was wondering if North could keep up the energy. And it didn't take long to find out the answer- YES! The Cougars held Grapevine scoreless through the first half; earning a 19-0 lead at the break. Using tough pressure defense, North was turning over the Ponies on almost every possession. North was led in scoring by BenCook with 11 points; followed by Kaden Rose with 8 and Jackson Greene with 7. And collectively the Cougars all contributed on the boards, with steals, and even tossed in a few assists to continue building upon their success. In the end, North once again prevailed with a 30 point win by a total of 38-8 to score consecutive victories on the night.

Lastly, could C team carry on the tradition and sweep the Ponies back to Grapevine? Using the same recipe, the Cougar C team was simply cooking. Steals, draining shots, and even dropping in a few free throws helped them get out to a 22-0 first half lead. Ashmit Adhikari led all Cougars in scoring on the night with 13 points, with Gage Lawrence adding 10, and Gage Burton scoring 7 more. Owen Cooper led the team with 7 rebounds and 3 assists to help spread the wealth... and all together, North ran the Ponies out of the gym with a resounding 41-0 victory to complete the sweep!

UP NEXT:
A Team- Tidwell MS Tournament on Friday/Saturday 12/12-13

Everyone- Away at Colleyville MS on Monday 12/15; A team starts at 5:00 PM

OVERALL
A: 1-0
B: 1-0
C: 1-0

#GoCougars!