Cougars outlast Rebels in homecoming win

Friday night's homecoming game was a memorable one for the Cougars and their fans. With the game on the line and time quickly winding down, senior Blake McCarroll, who had been crowned basketball king earlier in the evening, had possession of the ball following a Rector timeout with 10.8 seconds left to play. The Cougars and their opponents, the Riverside Rebels, were tied at 48-48. McCarroll drove from the right wing, finding a lane to the high post. McCarroll turned his body to protect the basketball from the Riverside defender rushing to meet him, leaving the floor with his back to the basket, turning in midair and releasing a one-handed jumpshot. The shot rang true, swishing the bottom of the net with just over six seconds left before the final buzzer.

Riverside met stiff resistance from the Cougar defense, resulting in a five-second inbound call that returned possession to the home team.

Justin Duke was immediately fouled by Riverside, resulting in a missed one-and-one opportunity with four seconds to play.

The Rebels secured the rebound and fired a long three-point attempt which failed to connect, giving Rector a thrilling 50-48 victory.

"Blake McCarroll made a heck of a play there at the end," Cougar head coach Mark Manchester said. "He wasn't going to be denied. None of our guys were. I thought they all went out there tonight and played their hearts out."

Rector went into the fourth frame with a 38-36 lead. The Cougars led by as many as six in the quarter, but Riverside battled back under fiery coach Buster Campbell. Blake Hogan sank a pair of free throws for the Rebels with 1:23 remaining, bringing about the 48-48 tie.

The Cougars played stall ball over the final minute, knowing that just one shot could easily make the difference in the game's outcome.

"This is a big win for this team," Manchester said. "When you play Riverside, you know you're in for a fight. I'm proud of the way we played tonight."

The game began close and remained that way throughout. Rector held a 12-11 advantage after the first quarter, but the teams were tied at 23-23 going into the second half.

"That's the kind of game basketball fans like to see," Manchester said. "Our fans know what it means to play a team like Riverside. We really appreciate our fans and the support they give this program. We're happy we could give them a game like that."

Three Cougars scored in double figures on the night. Duke led the way with a game-high 17 points. McCarroll and Coty Banning finished with 13 each. Tyler Kirklin rounded out Rector's scoring, putting seven points in the win.

Hogan led Riverside with 12 points.

Junior Boys

A strong third quarter brought the Junior Cougars roaring back into their game with Riverside, but a fourth quarter explosion by the guests saw Rector fall 44-30.

The Junior Cougars began the second half trailing 23-12, but were able to limit Riverside to just three points in the period. Freshmen Ben Petty and Brandon Stevens worked hard in the low post during the third, starting the run with a basket each. Dillon Shelton added a jumper to keep the run going. The remainder of the team's points in the frame came from the free throw line with Stevens connecting on three of four opportunities and Petty and Mitchell Weber canning one of two each from the stripe.

However, the momentum would not sustain through the final quarter. Riverside would go on to outpace the Junior Cougars 18-7 in the final frame to signal the defeat.

Rector trailed 9-8 after the first quarter.

Stevens finished with nine points to lead the Junior Cougars. Also scoring for Rector were Petty 7, Weber 6, Shelton 6 and Dustin Sparks 2.

The seventh grade team came away with a 40-21 win over Riverside. Full statistics for the game were unavailable.

Marmaduke victory

The Cougars came away with a 73-57 win over rival Marmaduke in Rector on Tuesday.

Rector led throughout: 17-9; 34-26 and 49-43.

The Cougars benefited from strong performances from Duke and Banning. Duke, a former Greyhound, torched his old team for a game-high 23. Banning put up 22 points and snared 14 rebounds. McCarroll and Kirklin added 13 and 12, respectively. Kirk Horton notched two points, while Zach Trayler, another former Marmaduke player, scored a point.

Jacob Mason led Marmaduke with 17 points. Dexter Jordan also reached double figures for the 'Hounds, scoring 14. Other Marmaduke scorers were Colton Hale 9, Tyler Nailing 8, Jacob Nolen 5 and Ray Taylor 4.

Junior boys downed

The Junior Cougars fell to Marmaduke, 42-29.

Rector jumped out to a 10-0 lead after the first period, but fell behind 17-16 at the half. Marmaduke led 26-18 going into the fourth.

Weber led Rector with 9 points. Also scoring were Stevens 7, Petty 4, A.J. Hager 3, Daniel White 3, Cody Trayler 2 and Sparks 1.

Morgan finished with 13 to lead Marmaduke. Also scoring for the 'Hounds were Denver Knight 9, Dylan Vangilder 6, Zach McDowell 5, Cody Taylor 5 and Jeremy Clark 4.

The Cougars were slated to host Buffalo Island Central Tuesday before visiting Cross County Friday. Rector will host Marked Tree next Tuesday.