Cougars persevere in tough road opener versus St. John Bosco with 63-28 loss
The season opened last night against a challenging opponent up in Cumming, Georgia, but the Cottage Cougars settled in after a difficult start to show some genuine promise for the 2023-24 season. The St. John Bosco Prep Greywolves had outstanding size, depth and played aggressive, physical defense. Having yet to play a road game this season and competing against a strong, gigantic team from a higher division, the Cougars looked significantly overmatched early on. But, as the game went on, the Cougars began to get their feet under them and made strong plays on offense and defense. The game finished in a 63-28 defeat, but there were many hopeful signs given by this young group that bode well for the upcoming season.
Scoring was led by star senior Alyssa Briggs, who was able to score 19 points against several extremely quick, powerful defenders. The Greywolves threw nearly everything they had at Alyssa, but she fought through it to create some highlight film worthy moments. She also grabbed 6 rebounds amongst a forest of extremely tall rebounders. Finley Love put in a stellar effort, racing down the court on each play, and regularly battling for defensive position and maintaining her poise throughout difficult stretches. Her performance prompted one of the officials to comment after the game “That player Finley…number 10…she truly was the hardest worker I’ve seen in a while. She never gives up!” Finley seemed to emphasize this point late in the game scoring two baskets on outstanding hustle plays and disrupting the flow of the Greywolf offense.
Malia Richards also gave a solid performance, nailing a gorgeous 17-foot jump shot, improving significantly on defense and getting in position for rebounds as the game went on. Kendall Betzer and Gabby Pressnall both played with heart and focus in their first games with the Cougar Varsity squad. Pressnall even saw some time at the point, which was truly impressive against the swarming, older opposition. Kendall and Malia’s grasp of the new defense along with the work of their teammates helped the Cougars to force the Greywolves into relying mostly on perimeter jump shots throughout the game. Had the Cougars been able to hold the opponents off the glass and limited them to one shot per possession, the outcome might well have been very different. A major highlight of the night came when following two consecutive solid defensive stands, Eleanor Gaffneystone knocked down a picture-perfect jumper in the second quarter which seemed like it might turn the tide. However, the depth and strength of St. John Bosco allowed them to regroup and reassert control of the game.
All-in-all it was a tough night but watching the resilience of this mostly young Cougar squad seemed to be a harbinger of great things. The girls hit the hardwood again on Thursday in a road scrimmage against Covenant Christian Academy at 4 pm. Then, they have their home opener against Fulton Science Academy on Friday at 4:30 pm at the Cougar Center.
Friday is our annual Pink Out Game and is a way of showing solidarity and raising awareness and resources for those fighting against breast cancer. If you could make a point to wear anything pink to the game, we would truly appreciate it. There will be pink merchandise available to purchase and wear as well at the game.