With the regular season in the rearview mirror, the North 7th grade boys had their sights looking ahead to the district tournament hosted by Colleyville Middle School this weekend. They knew it would take a team effort to make a championship run and had plans to end the season on a high.

To begin, the Cougars were slated to face off once again with their CISD rivals from CMS West for the second time in 5 days. Coming off of the exciting, buzzer-beating victory from earlier in the week, North was ready to knock off West once again on Friday night. Applying pressure from the start, North was able to jump out ahead and control the flow of the game throughout. Despite the Wranglers not backing down, the Cougars held on to secure a 53-40 win and advanced to the semifinal round on Saturday.
Performances to note included:
Mason Hotle- 19 points, 8 rebounds, 5 steals, and 4 assists
Eli Smith- 12 points, 3 steals, and 2 assists
Damian Triggs- 9 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 assists
Liam Dow- 7 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 steals
Garrison Gamet- 6 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 steals

On Saturday morning, North found themselves another opportunity to take on their other CISD rival- the Broncos from CMS East. Having not played since the first game of the season, North also had a little payback on their mind as they took the court. The first half was a series of runs from both teams that ended with East holding a 12 point edge at the break. But the Cougars didn't fall flat and continued to scrap their way back into the game. A dominant fourth quarter effort ended up seeing the Cougars jump in front and hold on tight through the final couple of minutes; securing a 55-46 win and avenging their week 1 loss to the Broncos. Not only was the taste of victory sweet, but the outcome also sent the Cougars to the district championship game as well!
Performances to note included:
Mason Hotle- 19 points, 3 rebounds, and 6 assists
Eli Smith- 16 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists
Damian Triggs- 6 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 blocks

The path to the championship would not be easy, nor should it be. Standing in the way were the Wolves from Cross Timbers Middle School who were looking to finish off an undefeated season. Could the Cougars keep up? From the tip, both teams sought to find an advantage over the other... how could they get the upper hand? But the Wolves were able to force North into some tough shots and capitalized on the momentum to build a sizable lead. Despite being down 20 points at one point in the second half, the Cougars clawed their way back into the game. However, their effort came up a bit short as North fell in defeat by a score of 59-47; finishing the season as the district runner up.
Performances to note included:
Mason Hotle- 17 points, 3 rebounds, 4 steals, and 3 assists
Damian Triggs- 12 points, 8 rebounds, 4 steals, 2 assists, and 2 blocks
Liam Dow- 5 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 steals
Garrison Gamet- 9 rebounds and 5 steals

UP NEXT:
TRACK SEASON :)

Overall
A: 7-5
B: 2-4
C: 3-3