After managing only seven points in the third quarter and trailing 40-35 entering the final period, the Logan County Cougars piled up 25 points in the last stanza Friday to beat visiting Franklin-Simpson 60-56.
The Cougars got the lead early in the quarter, but kept having to hold off the Wildcats. Evan Figert’s goal cut the Cougars lead to one, but Ben Wright sank two straight goals to make it 56-51 with exactly a minute remaining. Then after he got a defensive rebound, sophomore point guard Garrison Rosser hit a free throw with 45 seconds left. That proved to be the winning point.
Wright’s two free throws gave the Cougars what seemed like a safe 8-point lead with 20 seconds. Still F-S kept making a game of it. Landon Stratton added another free throw with 14 seconds, and then no one scored until Figert hit a meaningless 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Wright, who played the final five minutes with four fouls, finished with 25 points and 10 rebounds. Stratton had 16 points while Taylor Blakemore piled up 10 points, 15 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and a blocked shot. J.R. Morrow had 5 assists and 2 steals. Tucker Baldwin added 4 assists.
Figert led the Cats with 19 points and 14 rebounds. Freshman Tavin Lovan totaled 14 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assists.
The Wildcats, who have won only two games all season, hit just 4 of 28 three-point shots with Ross Durham going 1 for 10 and Figert 1 of 5. Franklin was 12 of 18 at the line and made just 9 turnovers.
Logan shot the same three-point percentage as F-S at 14.3 percent, but only attempted seven from long range. They were 17 of 30 at the line and made 11 turnovers, but they had 15 assists.
The win was only the fourth of the season for Coach Lonnie Mason’s Cougars, but it was their third in five district starts. Logan has one more district game—at Russellville on the road Friday, Feb. 7. The goal, of course, is to get the top seed, but the district is more balanced that ever.
Logan is 1-0 against the Panthers and 1-1 against Todd Central and Franklin for that 3-2 mark. Coach Phil Todd’s Panthers are 2-1 in the district with wins over Todd and Franklin and a loss to LCHS. Coach Dee Spencer’s Wildcats are 1-2, having split with Logan and losing to RHS. Coach Calvin Head’s Rebels are 1-2 in games that count; they split with Logan and lost to RHS in their meeting that counts on the standings. Russellville has beaten the Rebels twice, but the one Thursday didn’t count toward seeding, since it was in the All A Tournament.
Score by quarters: 1) LCHS 15-12, 2) 28-26, 3) F-S 40-35, Final) Logan County 60, Franklin-Simpson 56
F-S (56) Evan Figert 19, Tavin Lovan 14, DeMaris Payne 12, Jordan Holt 5, Josiah Robey 3, Ross Durham 3, Olajuwon Flippin, Jackson Caudill, Colton Hurt, Daelon Payne, De’shon Martin
LCHS (60) Ben Wright 25, Landon Stratton 16, Taylor Blakemore 10, Clint Knight 4, Garrison Rosser 3, J.R. Morrow 2, Tucker Baldwin, Kaleb Coursey