VS. WEST HANCOCK The Eagles hosted the then 14-1 Cowboys last Monday night. Though the Cowboys defeated the Eagles, the match saw a hard-fought fight from the Eagles.
Opening the game powerfully, the Cowboys scored 12 points over West Hancock. The scoreboard was dominated by the Cowboys throughout the entire first half, as the Eagles only scored two points in the first, and then eight in the second. The Cowboys drained another 12 points over the Eagles as they slammed through the first half of the match with a score of 24-10.
West Hancock scored another eight points as they delivered some pressure against the Cowboys, who galloped through the third quarter adding 10 points to the scoreboard, and increasing their lead to 34-18. With the way the game played out, it was fair to say the Cowboys were going to take home the win. Though they did, the fourth quarter saw an impressive performance from the Eagles as they scored 13 points over the Cowboys, making their score 31. Scoring four points less, the Cowboys added nine to their lead as they defeated the Eagles 43-31.
During Monday night’s matchup, SR Connor State celebrated his 1000th point scored in his high school career! Recognized for his phenomenal achievements, State was given the proper applause and celebration only when he returned back to his home…the CGD gymnasium. 1000 points didn’t last too long for State, however, as the Cowboys took on a difficult matchup versus Algona Bulldogs the next day, Tuesday, Feb. 1.
STATS vs West Hancock RBD AST STL BLK PTS Jaxon Carpenter 8 2 2 0 8 Coady Olson 1 0 1 0 6 Aidan Harrington 1 1 0 0 2 Cael Chase 2 0 1 0 0 Connor State 9 1 1 0 10 Tyson Berning 0 0 0 0 0 Nevan Foss 2 0 0 0 4 Zeke Rosales 1 0 0 1 0 Landon Olson 7 2 1 0 2 Preston Gardner 0 0 0 0 0 Jacob Moore 0 0 2 1 9 Nick Carpenter 0 0 0 0 2 Janosch Rösner 1 0 0 0 0 Carson Nesheim 2 0 0 0 0
VS. ALGONA 15-1 vs. 7-9, AKA Cowboys vs. Bulldogs. Connor State celebrates his 1000th point scored in front of his home crowd where it all began. It was a great night for some Cowboy clobbering, especially to a conference competitor. The score reads a 43-40 win for the Cowboys, but what a mission it was to finally achieve a lead.
The tip-off started with an early jump from State and the Bulldogs player, though State recovered the ball and won the possession. That one second act perfectly represented the first eight minutes of the game. Both Algona and CGD simply struggled scoring. Back-to-back, the Cowboys especially, just couldn’t make a layup. During this, the Bulldogs took advantage of the Cowboys’ mistakes and capitalized. With just a few minutes left in the first quarter, Coady Olson ended the drought of two points and scored. Nothing went the Cowboys’ way in the first quarter. From controversial calls from the refs, simply shots being missed, and clumsy mistakes, the Cowboys endured a struggling first quarter. It ended 12-4 with Algona on top. Coady Olson ignited the fire in the Cowboys right in the beginning of the second quarter, as he faked out an Algona player after a tremendous steal and made it 12-8 with Algona still on top. It was only a three point game, however. With comebacks from Jaxon Carpenter, tying the game at 12-12, the Bulldogs continued to hold their lead as they ran with momentum. The first half came to an end with the Cowboys down 20-13.
“Get up!” was definitely heard multiple times in the second half. Coach Berning shouted at his players, instructing them to press onto the Bulldogs, rather than allow them space on the court to pin them at their own side. By doing what Berning commanded, the Cowboys added more points onto the board. The struggle continued for the Cowboys, as they were down 10 points…but not for long. 18 seconds left, Jacob Moore did what Jacob Moore does…SWISH. Drills a three pointer to make the score 31-26, Algona still in the lead. After foul shots made by Aidan Harrington, the Cowboys were down just by only three points at 31-28 as they headed to the fourth quarter.
And here’s where the craziness stirred. An entire eight minutes of back-and-forth between the Cowboys. More foul shots for the Cowboys, then another classic Moore three pointer. Then the Bulldogs gained possession and stole the lead again, as they then gained a five point lead during the final minutes. It was an up-and-down fourth quarter for both sides. With just a minute left, the game was all tied up at 40-40. 14.7 seconds…Cowboys have the ball…Coady Olson with the ball. After what happened against the Cadets, the fans must’ve been waiting for another last second three pointer to seal the game. But it was a two pointer, and Olson missed. That was no problem for Harrington, however, as the senior rebounded the ball with 2.9 seconds left. Then the whistle blew, and the CGD fans roared. Victory was just a second way. Harrington made both foul shots. With just barely any time left, the Bulldogs needed to make rapid plays to tie the game. As the ball was passed back in-bounds, the 1000th point scorer–at that point he was at 1,010 points–blocked the pass, as the ball was then absorbed by Jacob Moore. Game over. The fans cheered, as the Cowboys claimed yet another close victory. How ironic it was that at the start of the fourth quarter the Cowboys were down by three, and by the end…they won by three. Next for the Cowboys was the team that ripped their undefeated record away from them, their conference rivals…Humboldt Wildcats. The Cowboys battled the Wildcats on Friday, Feb. 4, in a gallant effort for revenge.
STATS vs. Algona RBD AST STL BLK PTS Jaxon Carpenter 4 4 1 0 8 Coady Olson 5 1 1 0 8 Landon Olson 1 1 2 0 0 Cael Chase 2 1 0 0 0 Connor State 5 1 2 1 10 Tyson Berning 0 0 0 0 0 Nevan Foss 1 0 0 0 1 Aidan Harrington 7 1 0 0 11 Jacob Moore 1 1 3 0 5 Carson Nesheim 0 0 0 0 0
VS. HUMBOLDT Revenge was on their mind last Friday night as they took on the Humboldt Wildcats once again. And it wasn’t just a revenge game, but an important game determining who would claim first in the conference. Last time around the Cowboys fell short to the Wildcats as they experienced their first loss of the season. This time around, the Cowboys experienced their first home loss of the season as the Wildcats won 68-62. It didn’t take four quarters for the Wildcats to win, however.
The Wildcats held an 8-0 lead right from the first two minutes of the game, forcing Coach Berning to call a timeout. With about a minute left in the first quarter, the Cowboys came back from almost 10 points behind. Connor State scored two points right at the buzzer, helping the Cowboys as they were then down by four points with the score at 23-19. The second quarter saw the Cowboys comeback. State tied the game up with a minute into the second quarter. Then a minute later, Jacob Moore helped the Cowboys capture the lead as they were then up 26-23. Right at the final minutes of the second quarter, the Wildcats regained the lead as they were up 35-33 by half-time.
The third quarter repeated the excitement and exhilaration that the first half held. Right around the same time State tied the game in the second quarter, Jaxon Carpenter tied the game 35-35 in the first minute. Jaxon even stole the ball from the Wildcats twice, bumping up their score to 39-35 before a timeout was called by Humboldt with 5:42 left. The Cowboys were on a roll in the third quarter as they gained a 10 point lead at one point. The Cowboys knew it wouldn’t be easy, however, as the Wildcats came back. The Cowboys were up 45-43 as the third quarter came to a close. Then the fourth quarter came…and what an exciting eight minutes it was. With chances from Humboldt on reclaiming the lead, the Cowboys capitalized and continued to hold the lead. The Cowboys and Wildcats scored back-and-forth, both teams were hungry for victory. The fourth quarter wasn’t enough time to determine the winner, though. Tied at 55-55, the game went to overtime.
The four minutes of overtime continued to display the similarity between both teams, as the game was then tied at 62-62 with 53.5 seconds left. Only one team could go home with the win. With the clock ticking down, closer and closer to zero, the Wildcats stole the game again and took the win. Winning by six points, the Wildcats defeated the Cowboys in overtime 68-62. It was a tough loss for the Cowboys on Friday night, as they conceded their second loss this season–to the same team.
With hopes of winning the remainder of games this season, the Cowboys’ first target was Manson-NW Webster, as they hosted the Cougars on Feb. 7.
Game stats were not available by press time sports@wrightcountymonitor.com
