Cougars stage late come-back, win in OT
By Greg Hoffman Contributing sportswriter

The Cougars (5-7) found themselves in a pair of road barnburners over the weekend. They defeated Tri Central (0- 13) Friday night in a Hoosier Heartland Conference matchup, 52-49, and then lost to Pioneer (3-10) in overtime, 54-51, on Saturday.

In a game that was tight throughout with 8 ties and 10 lead changes, Carroll was able to lead at all stops - 16-10 after one, 25-24 at halftime, and 39- 37 at the end of three.

A Justin Brown basket gave the Cougars the early lead. After a tie, the Cougars pushed their lead out to six at 16-10. Adam Spesard's basket gave Carroll an 8-point advantage early in the second quarter, but Tri Central used a 14 to 5 run to take a 24-23 lead. A twopointer by Jacob Craig had the Cougars back on top, 25-24, at the half. Despite four ties in the third quarter, the Cougars managed a 39-37 lead at the end of three. Tri Central went on a 7 to 2 run to start the fourth quarter, but a free throw by Adam Tussinger and a fielder by Brad Benson tied the game at 44 all. After ties of 46 and 49, a lay-in by Brown gave Carroll the win.

Brown had a career high 13 points, 5 assists and 8 rebounds. Tussinger had 10 points and 6 rebounds, while Craig had 8 points and 7 boards. Kevin Ives had 8 points and Benson, 6 points and 6 boards.

The Cougars made this game a lot closer than it had to be as they committed 21 turnovers.

Vs. Pioneer

Against Pioneer Saturday, Carroll was as cold inside as it was outside. The Cougars shot only 2 of 10 from the field in the first quarter and were 6 of 21 in the first half, while Pioneer was 11 of 19. The Panthers held a 26-16 lead at half-time.

The Cougars could not get things going. Pioneer used a 12 to 6 burst to go up by 16 points at 38-22. The next four plus minutes saw Carroll have its biggest come-back in years. The Cougars out-shot their opponents 20-0 to take a fourpoint lead midway in the fourth quarter. Scoring in the run were Jason Hazel 8, Ives 6, Adam Spesard 5 and Benson 1. After gaining the lead, the Cougars could not hold on to it. The Panthers tied the game at 45 by the end of regulation play.

In overtime, Tussinger gave Carroll the early lead, 47-45, but from there, the Cougars were outscored 9 to 4 for the Pioneer win.

Hazel had his best game of the year. He equaled a career high 12 points, leading the Cougars in scoring. He also handed out four assists. Tussinger and A. Spesard had 9 points each. Tussinger also had 9 rebounds and Carson Spesard led the team with 10 boards.

Turnovers again cost the Cougars - 17. In their last ten games, the Cougars are averaging 19.1 turnovers a game.

The Cougars needed both weekend wins as their schedule gets tougher the rest of the season. Up next will be the undefeated and top-ranked Class 3A Northwestern Tigers at CHS Friday night. Jan. 29 they travel to Clinton Central for a conference match-up. Currently Rossville leads the HHC with a 4-0 record.

JV split games

Kyle Geheb's 3-pointers helped lift Carroll over Tri Central 48-45 on Friday, but Saturday, the Cougars had their worst outing of the season, losing to Pioneer 45-30. The Cougars are 9-3.

At Tri Central, the hosts jumped out to a 5-0 lead before Carroll stormed back with a 10 to 1 run to take a 10-6 lead at the end of the first quarter. Carroll pushed their lead out to 10 at 18-8 before Tri Central closed to within 4 at 21-17 at half-time. Geheb led Carroll in scoring with 5 treys for 15 points.

A basket by Drake Harper gave the Cougars a 7-point advantage at 31-24 with 1:52 left in the third. Tri Central tied the score at 31 all, but a trey and basket by Drew Yoder put Carroll back up for good at 36-31. Carroll led by as many as 9 points in the final quarter. Geheb hit 7 treys for the night and led all scorers with a game high 24 points. He pulled down 8 rebounds. Primmer Zook had 9 points and handed out 4 assists. Yoder had 5 points.

There was one tie and four lead changes at Pioneer in the first quarter before the hosts took the lead at 9-8. The teams played even in the second quarter and the half ended with Pioneer up 19-16.

A pair of free throws by Geheb pulled the Cougars to within one at 19-18, but a 14 go 5 run by the Panthers pushed their lead out to 10 at 33-23 early in the fourth quarter.

Carroll did not score in double figures in any quarter. Jordan Brumbaugh and Geheb led Carroll with 9 points each.