On Monday evening, the North 7th grade boys wrapped up the first half of their season with games against crosstown rivals- the Wranglers of CMS West. The gym was alive with excitement as these two teams took the floor and the action didn't disappoint!

In the C game, both teams took a bit feeling out their opponent. In a back and forth affair, buckets were tough to come by and it was a low scoring first half. The Cougars were able to keep the lead, but the Wranglers never let them get too far ahead. In the end, North was able to stretch the lead though behind a team-leading 10 points from Lenox Gillam along with Miguel Lopez Dos Santos collecting 7 rebounds and 4 steals to seal the 29-18 win.

When the B team got rolling, North jumped out quickly and didn't look back. Applying pressure up and down the court, the Cougars found a lot of transition opportunities to build their lead. Brayden Vaughn led the team with 18 points along with 10 from Bennett Head and 8 from Mateo De La Hoya. Both Ridham Babel and Isaac VanKirk also contributed with 7 and 6 rebounds respectively. At the final buzzer, the Cougars had doubled up the Wranglers by a score of 52-26.

And for the nightcap, both A teams ramped up the intensity to new heights! This was truly a game of momentum swings, and the Wranglers came out hot to take a commanding lead through the first quarter. But before halftime, the Cougars had managed to claw back and closed the gap to just two points, down 23-21. As the third quarter rolled along, West once again put on a shooting display hitting several three point shots and raced out once again to a double digit lead. But North was not ready to quit and kept scrapping their way back into the game. The Cougars night belonged to Jacob Anene who almost singlehandedly carried his team; ending with 43 points on the night. And even though North had not led during the entire game, a layup by Anene at the buzzer tied it all up and forced overtime. With a new opportunity to win, North stayed alive as Anene continued to carry the Cougars by scoring all 12 points in overtime and pacing North to a 57-49 WIN in an absolute thriller! In the end, this contest will certainly be remembered for years to come with an amazing effort from both the Wranglers and Cougars... adding to what these crosstown rivalries are all about.

And as the dust settled, and everyone's blood pressure started to return to normal, the Cougars once again broke out the brooms to sweep up the floor and revel in a fifth sweep and a 15-0 record for the first half of the season. Let's hope they can keep the momentum rolling when they return to action in 2023!

UP NEXT: At Argyle MS on Monday, 1/9/2023
#GoCougars

Overall
A: 5-0
B: 5-0
C: 5-0