For a half, the Logan County Cougars played regional favorite Clinton County on even terms in the opening round of the Fourth Region Tournament Monday at Diddle Arena. Unfortunately for the Cougars, the second half was all Bulldogs.
The Cougars were either ahead or tied most of the first half. Coach Josh Frick’s team held seven leads and was involved in six ties. They were only behind by a point with a couple of seconds remaining in the half before Clinton’s senior center Cannon Young banked in a three-pointer from halfcourt to make the score 43-39 at the break.
Everything turned around in the second half with the 16th District champions leading 67-53 after three quarters and winning 87-64. The Bulldogs shot 62.3 percent from the field and scored the most points they have at region in 63 years.
The 64 points the Cougars scored, however, are 16 points higher than the 48 points Coach Nick Irwin’s Bulldogs have allowed on average in this remarkable season that has them taking a 29-2 record into next Monday’s semifinals against Barren County, which upset second-ranked Warren Central on the same night that the LCHS season ended.
The Cougars led 5-0 to start the game on a three-pointer by Nick Thomas and a goal by Davis Switzer on an assist by Samson Hightower, who had blocked a CCHS shot. The leads continued at 7-2 on a Nick Blann goal, 10-7 on a three-point play by Brady Hinton, and 15-9 on Thomas’ second goal from long range. A pair of Hightower free throws broke a 15-15 tie.
Clinton led 20-17 after a quarter, but Hinton tied the score on a three-pointer. After another tie, Hightower hit a trey on a Hinton assist. The Cougars’ last lead came at 27-25 when Damani Goodloe scored on another Hinton assist.
The Bulldogs went up 40-34 on a three-pointer by William Beaty, but Logan’s Tyler Johnson hit a three-pointer and Goodloe scored with five seconds remaining in the half to cut the lead to one. That’s when Young banked in that halfcourt bomb. Young told the press he practices halfcourt shots often, and that it built a lot of enthusiasm in the Bulldogs’ dressing room at the break.
A look at the statistics shows the Cougars took a lot of three-point shots, hit a dozen of them, but didn’t hit enough of them (12 of 29) to win, although 41.4 percent is considered well done. They also hit 75 percent of their free throws but only went to the line eight times. Goodloe hit all four of his two-point attempts. Thomas hit 5 of 11 on three-pointers and Hightower 4 of 7.
Nick Blann led the Cougars, who finished 19-12, in rebounding with six while Hightower had five.
It was the final Cougar basketball game for seven seniors—Blann, Kameron Burr, Hightower, Hinton, Johnson, Thomas, Jeramiah Washington and Olijah Woodard.
Score by Quarters: 1) CC 20-17, 2) 40-39, 3) 64-53, Final) Clinton County 87, Logan County 64
LCHS (64) Samson Hightower 16, Nicholas Thomas 15, Damani Goodloe 8, Davis Switzer 7, Brady Hinton 7, Nick Blann 4, Tyler Johnson 3, Jaxon Tichenor 2, Kameron Burr 2, Jonathan Baker, Maliq Ford, Christian Helle, Elijah Sells, Jeramiah Washington, Olijah Woodard
CCHS (87) Willam Beaty 21, Nick Poore 19, Cannon Young 18, Jaxson Mason 14, Drew Davis 7, Noah McCutchen 4, Cameron Irwin 2, Camden Mason 2.