Cougars beat Hawks in battle of Strathmore

By Brady Grove, Times Reporter

The Crowther Memorial Junior High School (CMJHS) Cougars bested crosstown rival Holy Cross Collegiate (HCC) Hawks to capture the bronze medal at the HCC junior A boys basketball tournament Jan. 11-12.
With a final score of 45-24, the Cougars took the lead quickly and never let go with a combination of efficient offense and a smothering defense.
“Offensively we did a whole lot better job of seeing guys that were open and moving the ball around the floor,” said Cougars head coach Cory Nelson. “We were really good at stopping them from making points so it all just seemed to work out OK for us tonight.”
The Cougars used their transitions very effectively in the first quarter and it got them a 11-3 lead. The Hawks had the ball a lot but struggled to make baskets, while the Cougars made their mid- to long-range shots.
The Cougars defense was very strong and kept the Hawks to the outside. The Hawks tried to break into the key but were often double-teamed before they had a chance to shoot. The Hawks had no answer for the Cougars precision passing and looked at a huge 26-7 deficit after the second quarter.
In the second half, the Hawks started to make some shots but the play was still dictated by the Cougars. The Hawks finally showed some life in the fourth quarter and scored eight points in the opening 1:30. Despite the score, hope began to creep back into the Hawks game but the Cougars used their defense to slow the play down and grind their way to victory.
“We were mentally asleep for a lot of the game,” said Hawks head coach Ben Chin. “We got out-worked at certain periods of time.”
Chin saw lots of positives in his team throughout the tournament and was pleased his squad made it to the bronze medal game in their home tournament.
This was the first matchup between the two Strathmore squads but many of the players know each other and play other sports together. Nelson and Chin acknowledged there was extra incentive to compete amongst the players to win this game.
“It was pretty good, we are close to the HCC guys,” said Cougars point guard Owen Boyd. “It was pretty competitive but we had to show them that we were the top dogs.”
“They were a really good team,” said Hawks forward Isaac Galanos. “They were playing smart and we weren’t focused at all.”
According to Nelson, the Cougars are going to be focusing on building up the players’ basketball IQ along with their skills. The Cougars are hosting their home tournament starting Friday, Jan. 18 and will feature teams they have played before as well as some new faces.
According to Chin, the Hawks are a new team with no returning players this year. He is looking to build up the team’s foundational skills and implement a system they can rely on. The Hawks are headed to play in Drumheller in the next couple of weekends and are hoping to play some exhibition games in the meantime.