BEARCATS WIN ANOTHER ROAD GAME

A 3 point basket gave Cossatot River the lead for the first time with 2:33 left in the third quarter but Colter Fisher hit a 3 20 seconds later for the Bearcats and the Bearcats never trailed again in a 57-47 win over the Eagles Thursday night in Cove.

Fisher scored 10 of his game high 17 points in the second half as the Bearcats won a road game for the second straight night in what is scheduled to be the first of two meetings with Cossatot River over eight days.

The Bearcats (12-6, 7-3 Conference 3A-4) also took over third place in conference play, dropping the Eagles to fourth. The difference in the Bearcats and second place Hackett is the Hornets have played, and won, one more game than the Bearcats.

After Cossatot went up 39-38 Fisher drained a 3 on an assist from Noah Harrel to make it 41-39. The same pairing worked for another basket just 21 seconds before the third quarter ended to make it 45-41.

Harrel finished the night with 15 points of his own to go with three steals and three assists.

The lead grew to six on a pair of Nate Smith free throws 35 seconds into the final quarter and to seven at 50-43 when Dax Goff hit a 3 with 6:32 remaining.

Goff scored seven points in the game and had his third straight double digit rebounding night with 11.

Fisher pushed the lead to nine with 5:27 left and Goff wrestled a rebound away underneath and fed Harrel for a basket for an 11-point advantage with 2:22 to play.

Cossatot got it to 54-47 with 1:37 to go but could not get another shot to fall and free throws by Harrel and Fisher pushed it to the final margin.

The teams trade punches throughout the early going with the game tied five times by the 6:55 mark of the second quarter.

Aiden Carter’s basket with 6:42 left in the half broke the fifth tie and a Harrel 3 just 24 seconds later had the Bearcats up 23-18.

It stayed that way until a Harrel free throw made it 24-18 with 3:49 to go in the half and three more times – twice on baskets by Smith and a buzzer beater by Fisher – pushed the lead back to six, the final time at 32-26.

It was six again after a Dakota Mattson basket made it 38-32 with 4:04 to go in the third quarter but Cossatot scored the next seven points to take its only lead.

Girls

League leading Cossatot River led by 11 at the half – the Lady Bearcats had scored just 9 points – but a third quarter outburst saw the Lady Bearcats erase the deficit and lead 28-27 going to the final quarter.

Cossatot would eventually hang on for a 41-38 win.

Lexi Franklin started the comeback with a basket and Baylee Parnell surprised the Lady Eagles with a 3 to make it a two possession game just 1:18 into the half.

A conventional three point play by Franklin made it a two point game at 26-24 with 1:48 to go in the third quarter and gave her nine since the extended halftime break. Franklin finished with 18.

A Tempi Terry free throw cut it to one and a Linley Garrett 3 gave the lady Bearcats the lead at 28-26.

Cossatot got one back on a free throw with half of a second left in the quarter and but Franklin hit a couple more free throws for a 30-27 lead with 7:21 to play.

Cossatot tied it with a 3 and went back in front with another to start a 13-0 run that made it 40-30 with 2:30 left.

Parnell’s second 3 ended a six plus minute scoring drought but only 1:13 remained. Parnell finished with eight points.

After Cossatot got a single free throw for a 41-33 lead and Terry scored to make 41-35 with six seconds left. When the Lady Eagles missed two free throws Franklin threw in a 3 from beyond the top of the key at the buzzer to make it 41-38.

The Lady Bearcats and Bearcats are both in action for the third straight night tonight facing Two Rivers on homecoming night. The boys game will be played first with a 6 p.m. tip.