By Stephen Henderson
The Patrick County High School Cougar basketball team lost to Hidden Valley last Monday night but defeated Abingdon last Wednesday night to ensure the Cougars a home game for the opening round of the Region 3A West Basketball Tournament.
The Cougars faced the Abingdon Falcons again this past Monday in the opening round of the tournament.
The Cougars have never hosted a conference game in the first round. “We have never hosted a conference game—this will go a long way for us,” Coach Andrew Terry said.
According to Terry, facing the Falcons again after defeating them last Wednesday will be beneficial to the Cougars since they have already “been there” and beaten the team. The Cougars will know what to expect, and the coaching staff can go over plans to improve the offense and defense that was used on the Falcons last week.
Last Monday night the Cougars fell to the Hidden Valley Titans 71-41.
The Titans pulled to a big first-half lead of 42-22. Their defense faltered in the third quarter, allowing the Cougars to score 12 points to the Titans’ six points.
However, Hidden Valley returned with a vengeance in the final quarter, outscoring the Cougars 23-7.
Seth Scott led Cougar scorers with 13 points, including three three-pointers. RJ Hagwood added 11, and Hunter Lawless scored eight, including two three-pointers.
Wednesday’s Cougar win over Abingdon ended a seven-game losing streak.
The Cougars moved ahead 11-8 after the first quarter and posted a 24-20 lead at the half. Patrick County continued its presence in the second half, edging ahead 27-23 to take the win 51-43.
DeAndre Reynolds led PC scorers with 12 points. RJ Hagwood added 11, and Frankie LaComa scored 10, including two three-pointers.
The regular season record for the Cougars is 9-12 going into regional play.