The Varsity Cougars of Rosebud-Lott defeated the Crawford Pirates last Friday night in Travis 39-33.

The Cougars came to the game with a feeling of urgency, after losing by only a basket in three key district games. RL came out strong in the first period, with Haven Mortimer putting the Cougars on the board with a 3-point shot. Crawford was able to match offensively with everything the Cougars did, tying the game with 2:09 left of the first half. The Pirates came prepared to defensively shut down high scorer Brady Hering, having mostly two defenders on him at all times, sometimes three. Even though they tried, Hering still walked away with double digit numbers. The rest of the Cougars took up the slack, including freshman John Paul Reyna, who landed some well placed shots and free throws.  A 3-point shot by Nathan Truesdale allowed the Cougars to go to the locker room at half with positive momentum and the lead of the game.

RL started the second half strong with a score on a rebound by Ty Stock. Crawford was unable to capitalize on any missed opportunity by the Cougars and began to fall behind. RL went on a scoring run of over 10 unanswered points to end the third period and take a commanding lead. As the game neared the end of regulation time, play became more aggressive on the court. Fouls began to rack up for both sides. Good defensive efforts by the Cougars stifled any comeback that Crawford could muster and the Cougars were able to hold off the Pirates for the win, 39-33.

Leading scorers for the Cougars were Hering with 11 points and Reyna, Mortimer and Truesdale all with 6 points each.

The Cougar will travel to Valley Mills on Tuesday to face the Eagles and then home again on Friday against the Bruceville-Eddy Eagles.