JV Basketball Falls to St. George Dragons

The Cottage School JV Cougars braved Atlanta rush hour traffic on Thursday on their way to Milner, GA to take on the Dragons of St. George Episcopal School. The Cougars put forth an admirable effort, especially considering the distance traveled, but they came up short against a well-coached Dragons team.

Stiff legs seemed to get the best of the Cougars in the opening minutes of the game as St. George got off to a fast start. The Cougars struggle to keep pace with the Dragons’ quick passing and cutting, and they gave up a few layups early on. Turnovers on the offensive end also led to easy baskets for the Dragons, and the first half ended 10-0.

Elijah Joiner kicked off the Cougars’ scoring in the second period, and his aggressive drives throughout the game were the source of most of the Cougars’ offense. The Cougars’ defence solidified in the second quarter. Matthew Placide, Alex Yager, Javier Cremer, and Hunter Cool played excellent help defense on the interior. Liam Walsh, Ben Gardner, Austin Schwartz, and Michael Coryer put pressure on the Dragon’s ball handlers. At halftime, the Dragons led 12-2.

The Cougars continued to work hard in the second half, but they ran out of gas down the stretch. Liam Walsh and Dustin Bartolome-Behrens got into the scorebook in the third quarter and Elijah added 4 more points in the 4th. Reese Silverman, Bryce Dickerson, and Andrew Marriott all provided excellent energy and hustle off the bench. The Dragons won by a final score of 36-10.

The Cougars now head into their Thanksgiving break still searching for their first win of the season. Injuries, illness, and bad luck have all played a role in the Cougars’ season so far, but they know that wins don’t come easily at the high school level. The players and coaches are looking forward to getting back in the gym in December and getting back to work!