By By Matthew Nascone
It took overtime, but the Escambia Academy Lady Cougars won their fourth straight game over the Marengo Lady Longhorns, 60-46 Dec. 5. The game was a comeback effort for EA, as they fell down in the fourth quarter, but worked the game back to a tie for the end of regulation and grabbed the win in OT.
"These girls don't give up," EA head coach Andy Gorum said. "We had a bad fourth quarter, but they came back and outscored them 18-4 in the overtime. We made some key steals and were able to put the game away."
Gorum said the game was a great team effort and he was pleased with the win, the team's fifth.
Heather White led the scoring charge with 18 points and was six-for-six from the free-throw line. Jordan Jaye dropped in 16 points, Clare Jones added 11 points, Katie Smith contributed nine points, Morgan Dorriety added four points and Macey Singleton scored two points.
Cougars 63 – Marengo 48
The Escambia Academy Cougars crashed the boards hard and played stout defense in their 63-48 victory over the visiting Marengo Academy Longhorns Dec. 5.
"We played really good team defense," EA head coach Kevin Woods said. "And we hit the boards hard."
The Cougars (3-4) also did not turn the ball over as many times as they have in their previous games. Woods said the team had been averaging 21 turnovers per game coming into the contest and they turned it over less than 10 times against the Longhorns.
"We are taking better care of the ball," he said.
Andrew Lambeth and Cody Norton tied for the game high in scoring with 16 points each. Tyler Harrison scored 10 points, Joe Drew added eight points and Blake Kirk scored two points.
Wesley Channel also scored six points and had nine blocks in his final home game of the season. Channel's family will be moving away from Atmore soon.
"We will really miss Wesley on and off the basketball court," Woods said. "He was a fine young man and he was a great basketball player."
Cougars 52 – SMCA 34
The Cougars jumped on South Montgomery County Academy early and never got off Dec. 4, as they took them down, 52-34.
"Once again, our defense was good and our guys got into great positions all night long," Woods said. "They are disciplined of where to be and they are getting better on all the little things."
Andrew Lambeth dropped 18 points on SMCA. Cody Norton scored eight points, Wesley Channel added six points, Blake Kirk had five points, Joe Drew contributed seven points, James White added six points and Tyler Harrison added two points.
Crenshaw 56 – Cougars 54
Escambia Academy dropped a close contest Dec. 1 in Crenshaw, 56-54.
"It was a close one and the game was nip and tuck the whole way through," EA head coach Kevin Woods said. "We played a good game and it could have gone either way, but we turned the ball over in a couple crucial moments and that cost us."
Woods said the Cougars also had an off night shooting the ball.
Cody Norton led the scoring with 22 points. Andrew Lambeth added 15 points, Wesley Channel contributed 13 points and Blake Kirk and Tyler Harrison added two points each.
Cottage Hill 64 – Cougars 44
When the Cougars faced AISA Class 3A Cottage Hill Nov. 30, the result was a crushing 64-44 defeat. But EA head coach Kevin Woods said he was pleased with the team's play in the second half.
"I was encouraged with how they came out after halftime," he said. "We didn't have an answer for their big guy in the first half, but we outscored them 33-30 in the second half."
Andrew Lambeth again led the Cougars with 23 points. Cody Norton added eight points, Wesley Channel and James White contributed four points each, Blake Kirk scored three points and Tyler Harrison added two points.
Cougars 47 – Fort Dale 46
The Cougars hosted Fort Dale Academy Nov. 27, and they defended their home turf with a 47-46 nailbiting victory. A trio of bench players led the EA charge to victory.
"We were down by 12 halfway through the third quarter and I put in my subs," EA head coach Kevin Woods said. "And James White, Ethan Brooks and Tyler Harrison played excellent defense and brought us back into the game. We had many steals that set up the easy shots."
After charging back, the score flip flopped many times in the fourth quarter before the Cougars could come away with the one-point victory.
Andrew Lambeth led EA in scoring with 21 points. Cody Norton added 10 points, Joe Drew and Tyler Harrison contributed six points each and James White scored four points.
EA travels to Southern Academy tomorrow and tip off is at 4 p.m.