By By Chandler Myers
The Cougars of Canoe picked up another victory on Tuesday night with a 58-54 win over the Patrician Saints in Canoe.
The Cougars picked up the win in what turned out to be a back-and-forth battle between to the two AISA schools.
In the first quarter, the Cougars jumped out to a huge 23-7 lead thanks to the defense causing several Patrician turnovers.
The second quarter was completely opposite of the first with the Saints draining shots and outscored the Cougars 19-7 to cut the EA lead to four at halftime.
Cougars head coach Kevin Woods said the first half was just a tough battle between two eager teams.
After halftime, the Cougars lead grew by a slim margin as they chipped in 11 points, while only allowing the Saints to add nine.
Coming into the fourth quarter, both teams were looking for heroics so that one could come out a clear victor.
In the final period, the Saints fought back and clawed to within four points as they outscored the Cougars 19-17, but when the final buzzer sounded EA claimed a four-point area win.
Woods said winning an area game like this shows how strong the Cougars are getting.
Cougars senior guard Michael Hippa paced the Cougars with 24 points, while shooting 10-of-12 free throws in the win. Hippa also recorded five steals, four rebounds and three assists.
Woods said Hippa has stepped up in the last few games.
Senior Jeff Price and sophomore Keaton Maher controlled the boards and both pulled down 13 rebounds apiece. Price scored 21 points and had a steal, and he shot 9-of-15 at the charity stripe. Maher scored six points and posted one block and one steal.
Woods said the performances were Price and Maher’s best of the season.
Cougars forward Jake Wasdin scored three points, while pulling down one rebound and recording one steal and a blocked shot.
Senior Blake Kirk and sophomore Nate Smith each chipped in two points. Kirk also posted three rebounds, three assists and two steals. Smith recorded five rebounds, two steals and two blocked shots.
The Cougars next game is Tuesday against Marengo Academy in Canoe. Tip off is at 7:30 p.m.