On Monday evening, the North 7th grade boys once again hit the road to take on their district rivals from Grapevine Middle School. Could the Cougars come out on top? Or would the Ponies ride off into the sunset? Everyone attending was excited to find out!

In the first game, both A team squads stepped onto the court tied for second place in the district standings. And both teams came out strong; feeling each other out and trying to effectively run their game plans to find success. The Cougars were once again led by Brooks Floren with a strong game all around as he collected 14 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 assists. Also joining in the fun were Carter Smith and Ryan Snelling with 10 and 7 boards respectively and Shrihan Vankamanidi added 5 steals on the night. But the North efforts were stifled by persistent penetration by the Ponies who continued to find their way to the hoop for easy baskets, and Grapevine slowly pulled away to secure a 59-41 victory over the Cougars to leap ahead in the standings.

In the middle game of the night, North's B team looked to avenge the A team loss. But once again, the Ponies had their eyes on the prize too. Both teams were evenly matched, and the score reflected this balance throughout the contest. North was led in scoring by Ryan Montgomery with 9 points while Johnathan Anderson added 7 rebounds and Grant Hubble pilfered 6 steals. Headed into the final minutes, the game continued to bounce back and forth. But the Ponies were able to take the lead late and North failed to get off a shot at the buzzer; falling to Grapevine by a score of 28-26.

And to finish off the night, the North C team came out on fire to take command from the start... scoring the first 17 points of the game behind a smothering press defense. Riding this momentum, the Cougars were led by Siddhant Rawat's double-double (18 points/18 rebounds- along with 4 steals as a bonus) and strong play from Joseph Castaneda (8 points/ 13 boards) and Owen Cole (9 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, and 3 assists). The Ponies tried to climb back into the game in the second half, but North was able to stay in control throughout and bring home the WIN in the end with a 44-21 final.

While it's hard to believe, the season will wrap up next week. All 3 teams will look to finish on a high note and hope to put forth their best effort on the court. Come on out and cheer them on to victory!

Up Next: At Home vs. Colleyville Middle School on Monday, 2/5... A team starts at 5:00

Overall
Total: 9-9
A: 3-5
B: 2-3
C: 4-1
#GoCougars