Tough defense yields big win over Marked Tree and Cross Co.

Clinton Haley draws a crowd with a pull-up jumper in Friday night's game.

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The game opened with a sluggish pace offensively, as neither team was able to manufacture much in the way of points, resulting in a 6-4 Marked Tree lead after the first period.

Rector found their shooting spark in the second quarter. The Cougars closed out the final 5:30 of the first half by going on a 15-1 run that blew the game open and set the stage for the win. Tyler Kirklin, Clinton Haley and Zach Burleson came through for Rector during the crucial run. Haley buried a pull-up jumper to start the series, while Kirklin was able to work down low for a pair of buckets, and Burleson connected from deep and added a layup.

With their offense on track and a defense which remained stingy throughout, the Cougars led 27-15 at the half and 43-19 going into the fourth.

The Cougars forced Marked Tree into 27 turnovers, showing a tough-minded defensive approach.

"I thought we played the best defensively that we have all year," coach Matt Mills said of his Rector team. "We didn't start off well offensively, but I told the players after that first quarter that if we kept playing defense like we had been, then we'd be in pretty good shape. We found our rhythm on offense and were able to pull away. When you win by 25 or 30 points on a night you didn't shoot the ball well, you know you're working hard on defense."

Three Cougars scored in double figures on the night. Kirklin finished with a game-high 14 points. Haley and Brandon Stevens notched 12 and 10, respectively.

Also scoring for Rector were Burleson 7, Zach Gilbee 5, Dustin Smith 4, Kirk Horton 2 and Daniel Blackshare 2.

Jarvis Smith led Marked Tree with 10 points.

Junior Boys Fall

The Junior Cougars had a tough night in their meeting with Marked Tree, as they faced one of the top junior high teams in the area. Rector was downed 48-18 in the contest.

Mitchell Weber and Daniel White finished with six points each in the loss. Tyler Carter and Dillon Shelton notched four and two points, respectively.

Allen Buchanan led Marked Tree with 15 points.

Cross County Game

The Cougars used a strong defensive effort in the second half to outlast host Cross County Tuesday, 53-36.

Rector allowed just 11 points over the final two quarter, turning a five point lead at the half, 30-25, into a 17 point victory.

"I thought we came out in the second half and set the tone with our defense," Mills said. "I thought that basically the difference in the game."

The Cougars led 15-11 after the first quarter and 47-31 through three.

Kirklin led the way with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Burleson added 13 points in the win.

Also scoring for Rector were Horton 9, Stevens 7, Haley 4 and Blackshare 4.

Two of the top teams in 2A-3 will be in town for action this week. The Cougars were slated to host EPC Tuesday night. Turrell is scheduled to visit beginning at 5 p.m. Friday night, in an evening which will see junior and senior boys and girls take the court.

The senior boys will be in action against Riverside at the NEA Tournament at the ASU Convocation Center beginning at 4:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 21.