By Hannah Helbert
The Patrick County High School Lady Cougars added two more wins to their basketball record and a Piedmont District Tournament Champs title to their growing list of accomplishments this season.
The Lady Cougars are the regular season and tournament champions with a season record of 21-3 and a 17-0 record in the Piedmont District. Their first tournament win came against Franklin County last Monday against the Franklin County Eagles. In the fight against the Eagles, the Cougars had two post players receive injuries and had two starters with a stomach bug. Coach Donnie Rakes said, “Gusty win, our kids. We really had to overcome a lot of adversity tonight.”
The Cougars were tied with the Eagles 16-16 at half time. Sierra Hubbard was out for the remainder of the game due to a hip injury in the first quarter. The third quarter showed no mercy as the Cougars lost post player Abby Dillon to an ankle injury.
Even without their two post players and two starters ill, the Cougars pushed through to win 41-37 over the Eagles. Rakes said of the win, “We could have given up, we didn’t. Just a great gusty effort.”
Hannah Roberson led the Cougars with 11 points. Autumn Hubbard followed with 10 points and 19 rebounds. Alexus Cain added 8 points and 7 rebounds.The win advanced the Cougars to the finals of the Piedmont District Tournament against the Magna Vista Warriors. The Warriors came prepared to battle. The first quarter ended 11-10 with the Cougars trailing.
The Cougar Den was packed. The student section and surrounding support from the community added an extra noise level that increased the excitement of the game.
Coach Rakes said, “It has been a long time in our county that our gym has been that packed and that loud for so many games in a row.” Standout freshman Sierra Hubbard sat out the game due to an injury in the Franklin County game. Even with the leading scorer and rebounder on the sideline, the Cougars played together and pushed through for another victory by a score 64-59.
The Cougars had five players in double digits, including Autumn Hubbard, who had a double-double with 10 points and 15 rebounds. Hannah Roberson scored 15 points, Alexus Cain had 14 points, Lindsey Marshall had 11 points, and Abby Dillon had 10 points. Coach Rakes was very proud of his team’s effort to come together. “I have never been prouder of a team in my entire career…they believe in each other and just play incredibly hard.”
The Cougars will now advance to the Region 3D Tournament. Their next game was against Hidden Valley last night (Tuesday, February 19 at Patrick County High School. Scores were not available at press time.
