FREMONT CHRISTIAN 43, CCS 39

Even though we didn't get the win in our season finale, this game exemplified what I love about this team and the players that constitute in. Despite continually finding themselves in a hole, they rallied back time and time again before falling the final minute to Fremont Christian 43-39. After falling behind 7-0 to start the game, the Cougars rallied back to close the first quarter trailing on 9-6. The 2nd period was one of the team's finest of the season as they outscored the Warriors 18-15 to close the half in a 24-24 tie. This period marked probably the finest stretch of basketball by Josh. H. who came off the bench to score 7 points and play defensive stopper of the Warrior's high-scoring guard. Maurice O. also nailed a big three to stun the Warrior's defense. In the 3rd quarter, the Warriors started strong and re-opened the lead to 32-24 with less than a minute left in the quarter, but two key steals followed by threes from Bharath R. cut the deficit to 32-30. For the game, Bharath finished with a team high 13 points in his best all-around game as a Cougar. After falling behind again by a 41-32 deficit, the Cougars managed one more improbable rally to cut the score to 41-39 and forced a turnover that gave them the ball. However, they couldn't quite manage the final basket them need and ended up falling in a breathtaking 43-39 loss. Still, this coach could not have been prouder of the effort given forth by a special group of players. My only regret was being unable to work all the outgoing 8th graders into the lineup for a final appearance. Still, I hope all the kids know how much they and this season meant to me. Thanks for some unforgettable moments, Cougars!

SCORING TOTALS

Bharath R. - 13
Josh H. - 7
Josh B. - 6
Maurice O. - 5
Nick C. - 4
Justin M. - 2
John T. - 2

COMING SOON: T3

In a totally biased plug for a future Cougar, I wanted to post some highlights of young gun, Tyler "T3" Lynch who has led the 4A OLG Saints to a 7-3 record in the Mission Valley CYO league. He will start wearing the Cougar's jersey two years down the line and leads a promising class of 4th graders ready to make thie mark in the CCS' record books. Enjoy his exploits at: http://olgsaintscyobasketball.blogspot.com/

REDWOOD CHRISTIAN 60, CCS 28

This turned out to be another tough day for the Cougars. After a well-contested 1st half that saw the Cougars trail by a margin of 23-16, the wheels fell off in the 3rd period when the team was outscored 19-6. The final score was Redwood Christian 60, CCS 28. Josh B. continued his nice upswing in the scoring department with a team high 10 points, while Justin M. added 6.

SCORING TOTALS

Josh B - 10
Justin M. - 6
Bharath R. - 4
Nick C. - 4
John T. - 2
Ethan S. - 2

NORTH CREEK 48, CCS 28

This turned out to be one of the most disappointing games of the year for CCS. After opening the game with an 18-16 lead at halftime and extending that lead to 24-19 in the early minutes of the 3rd Quarter, North Creek exploded for 29-4 run for the remainder of the game. Simply unbelieveable! The beginning of the end started after Justin M. fouled out late in the 3rd period, and things went downhill from there. Josh B. led all CCS players with 6 points, while Bharath R. had 5 points.

SCORING TOTALS

Josh B. - 6
Bharath R. - 5
Nick C. - 4
Justin M. - 4
Brandon T. - 4
John T. - 2
Josh H. - 2
Chris Y. - 1

VALLEY CHRISTIAN 49, CCS 19

After a nice three-wins in four games stretch, CCS was playing its best basketball of the season and knew they would be tested by the visiting Valley Christian of Dublin. Valley Christian is the traditional league power, but with CCS playing on its home court, the hope was for a better match-up than the previous encounter. The result of the game was a 49-19 loss for CCS due to a cold day of shooting from the perimeter for the Cougars, but the team did show improvement over the first encounter, where they scored only 10 points. Bharath R. was especiually strong as he led the team with 7 points, and Justin M. continued his impressive development with 6 points and numerous rebounds and blocks. With two minutes remaining in the first half, Valley Christian led only 16-10, until Justin suffered a cut that forced him out of the game. The result was an 8-0 Valley Christian surge that opened the halftime deficit to 24-10. With the loss, CCS falls to 1-6 in league play and 3-7 overall.

SCORING TOTALS

Bharath R. - 7
Justin M. - 6
Nicholas C. - 2
Maurice O. - 2
Josh B. - 1
Jonah E. - 1

CCS 28, NORTH CREEK 22

While, it will never be remembered as a classic game, CCS did what it needed to do in securing their first league win of the season against the visiting North Creek squad from Walnut Creek. In a game that was close throughout and still in doubt until the final minute, Bharath R. proved the difference as he led the Cougars with 9 points. Josh B. added 6 points, while Brandon T. chipped in 5. The key play of the game came with 2 minutes left and the score tied at 20. Nico C. stole an inbound pass and drove the length of the court for the basket that gave CCS a lead they would not relinquish. While the Cougars had their troubles scoring and handling the ball, there was no letdown in effort or defensive intensity. The team forced numerous turnovers and played aggressive defense to limit North Creek's chances. Quite simply, they wanted it more and made the big plays when it counted to make sure they took this "W" home. With the win, the Cougars improve to 1-5 in league play and 3-6 overall. Next up is league power, Dublin Valley Christian on Thursday at CCS.

SCORING TOTALS:

Bharath R. - 9
Josh B. - 6
Brandon T. - 5
Nico C. - 2
Justin M. - 2
Joshua H. - 2
Kyle S. - 2

PRINCE OF PEACE 35, CCS 31

The 25th Annual Mission Peak Basketball Tournament ended on a disappointing note as the Cougars fell just short in a 35-31 loss to Prince of Peace. After a slow start, the Cougars found themselves trailing at halftime 15-10. However, they came out blazing in the 3rd quarter and cut the deficit to 21-20 with a single quarter of tournament play left. With four minutes left in the game, Josh H. nailed a huge three-pointer to give CCS its first lead 26-25, and Maurice O. followed that up with another trey to extend the lead to 29-25. However, several key turnovers allowed the Patriots to tie the game with under 90 seconds to play. At that point, Coach T. made a regrettable comment that led to a technical foul and the key free throws that allowed Prince of Peace to reclaim the lead, and ultimately the game. It is sad that referees allowed the game to be decided by their calls and non-calls, but it was a good lesson for the Coach, who cost his team a chance to claim the tournament crown. no matter what, the team should be extremely proud of their efforts as they claimed 2nd Place and played hard throughout the tournament. In my eyes, they were all winners regardless of what the final scoreboard showed.

Special Congratulations to Maurice O. for his selection to the All-Tournament team!

With the conclusion of the tournament, CCS moves to 2-6 on the season and now begins the final stretch of five league games to close out the year.


SCORING TOTALS

Bharath R. - 8
Brandon T. - 5
Josh H. - 5
Maurice O. - 5
Josh B. - 4
John T. - 4
Justin M. - 2

CCS 40, OUR SAVIOR 31

Another night, another exciting win! It must be tournament time for the Cougars who always seem to bring their A game to the Prince of Peace courts. This time out, the Cougars displayed a great team effort that saw nine players score points in dismantling Our Savior of Livermore 40-31. The team was led by the big game heroics of Bharath R. who scored 7 of his team-high 9 points in the opening quarter that saw the team take a 10-7 lead. Still the game was tight throughout the first half and the Cougars held only an 18-16 lead at the break. The damage was done in a decisive third quarter that saw the Cougars ratchet up the defensive intensity and outscore their opponents 14-2 for a commanding 32-18 lead after three quarters. In the third period, Nico C., Josh B., and John T. each scored 4 points to spread the scoring load. In the final period, OSL began a desperation press that was effective enough to trim the lead back to single digits with several minutes remaining, but the Cougars held on for the victory. Special mention goes out to Brandon T. for a phenomenal defensive effort against OSL's star player and Justin M. who has an absolute beast on the boards and presence on the inside. Next up is a big rematch that has been one year in the making as CCS faces off againt tournament-host Prince of Peace for the championship. Last year the Patriots outlasted the Cougars in a double OT thriller and this game promises to hold similar fireworks. There is no question, the Cougars will be fired up for this one.

SCORING TOTALS:

Bharath R. - 9
Nico C. - 8
Josh B. - 5
Josh H. - 5
Justin M. - 4
John T. - 4
Brandon T. - 2
Chris Y. - 2
Kyle S. - 1

CCS 32, REDEEMER 16

The CCS' Cougars opened the 25th annual Prince of Peace Tournament with an emphatic 32-16 win! After a slow first quarter that saw the Cougars lead only by a 4-2 margin, the team outscored the Braves 8-1 in the second period to open a 12-3 halftime lead, capped by a driving Brandon T. assist to Josh B. as the clock expired. The Cougars continued to play with loads of energy and enthusiam throughout the rest of the game, and were paced by an offensive explosion from Maurice O. who collected a season-high 11 points. He was assisted by Nico C., Justin M., and Ethan S. who each added 4 points, while Chris Y. added 3. Overall it was the most complete effort of the season from the Cougars who move on to a semi-final match-up with Our Savior of Livermore. Great job Cougars!

SCORING TOTALS:

Maurice O. - 11
Nico C. - 4
Justin M. - 4
Ethan S. - 4
Chris Y. - 3
Josh B. - 2
Mitchell H. - 2
Bharath R. - 2

SRVCA 44, CCS 7

SRVCA is the best team we have played this season. In the match-up, we handled their press much better, but for whatever reason could not convert our open shots or free throws. With the Prince of Peace Tournament on the horizon, hopefully the Cougars can catch fire at the right time for a nice tournament run much like the one that ignited their momntum last season!

SCORING TOTALS:

Bharath R. - 3
Justin M. - 2
Brandon T. - 2

REDWOOD CHRISTIAN 37, CCS 17

Unfortunately I missed this game. After a tough first quarter that saw the Cougars down 25-1, the team played well over the next three quarters and outscored Redwood Christian over the second half.

SCORING TOTALS:

Bharath R. - 4
Nicholas C. - 3
Kyle S. - 3
Chris Y. - 3
Ethan S. - 2
Maurice O. - 1
Brandon T. - 1

VALLEY CHRISTIAN 42, CCS 11

One of our better efforts for one half, as we trailed only 16-10 halfway through the third before a late Valley Christian push.

SCORING TOTALS:

Maurice O. - 4
Bharath R. - 3
Chris Y. - 3