By Scott Reece

Last Monday, the big rematch between the Lady Cougars and the Lady Warriors took place on a cold blustery night.

It was fitting, as the old proverb goes “revenge is a dish best served cold.”  Coming from a disappointing loss at Martinsville, the Lady Cougars rebounded with a tremendous victory over the previously unbeaten Warriors, 58-52, avenging their 66-53 loss at Magna Vista in December. The back-and-forth game between the two best teams in the Piedmont took place in front of a packed home crowd as the Cougars showed their poise and grit throughout the game.

The Lady Cougars jumped off to a quick 7-0 lead as the defense led to fast break points for Hannah Roberson and Lindsey Marshall. Magna Vista didn’t earn points until three minutes into the first quarter. Yet by the end of the quarter, the Warriors only trailed by two points—11 to 9. The Cougars started the second quarter with a 6-0 run as Sierra Hubbard, Roberson, and Marshall scored back-to-back-to-back layups. Izzy Beasley helped push the lead to 21-13 with a pair of jumpers midway through the quarter. The Cougars headed into halftime with a 23-17 lead.

Early in the third quarter, both teams began to trade baskets; however, Hubbard’s three-point play made the score 30-23. The Warriors went on a 9–2 run on their own and tied the game at the 4:05 mark in the second quarter. Following a timeout, the Cougars rebounded as Susanna Gonzalez scored on a layup to give the Cougars the lead back. Beasley scored on the next possession and the Cougars led 36-32.  Roberson hit a 3-pointer to make it 39-34. Late in the quarter, the Cougars out-hustled Magna Vista on the boards and on the third offensive rebound, Roberson scored to give the Cougars a 42-36 lead going into the final quarter.

Hubbard scored the Cougars’ next five points to extend the lead to 47-39. Hubbard’s hook shot off the inbound pass midway through the fourth quarter and had the Cougars up by 8 points—51 to 43. With 2:11 minutes left in the game and the Warriors with the ball and only down by 7 points, Marshall stole the ball and fed Beasley for a jumper that made the score 57-48. The Cougars held off a late last rally from the Warriors and won 58-52.

The Lady Cougars celebrated their big win jumping for joy with a standing ovation from the home crowd.

Marshall said that the victory “shows that we can beat anybody.” She also said the team “found their rhythm” after losing the lead, and it was “a great feeling” to finally beat the Warriors.

Head Coach Donny Rakes had nothing but praise for his team. He said, “my kids didn’t quit—they believe in each other and refused to lose.” Rakes also said the game was between two very good basketball teams and the victory was testament to the team’s “character and work ethic.” He also thanked the community for its support of the Lady Cougars.

Roberson finished with a team high 16 points and 6 rebounds. Hubbard had 15 points and a game high 15 rebounds. Marshall had 13 points to go along with her 4 steals. Beasley added 10 points. The victory makes the Cougars 16-2 for the year while dropping the Warriors to 12-1.