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

CCS 27, FREMONT CHRISTIAN 23

By no means will this be remembered as a CCS classic, but the Cougars continued their amazing resurgence with a thrilling and gritty 27-23 overtime win against the Fremont Christian Warriors.

Overall, it was a rough shooting night for the Cougars who trailed 20-14 with four minutes left in the game. However, as has become the hallmark of this team, they refused to quit, and fought their way back into in. Still, the team trailed 21-18 with 16 seconds left, when a key play occurred. FC was called for a Technical Foul for having six players on the court. Bharath stepped up to the line and hit a free throw to cut the gap to 21-19. With possession of the ball, the Cougars lofted two more shots before Chris T. grabbed an offensive board and put it back in to tie the game as the clock expired.

With momentum on their side, the team continued to play stifling defense and Chris T. took a layup in to give the Cougars their first lead since the early moments when they led 3-0. Brennan Moore continued the surge by stealing the inbounds pass and laying it in for a four-point lead. The Warriors were not done though, they scored again to cut the lead to 25-23. After several missed free throws by the team, Brandon was fouled with 7 seconds, and he calmly drained both shots to open an insurmountable 4-point lead and clinch the game. With the win, the Cougars claimed thier first regular season win in two years, and moved to an impressive 3-2, since returning from Winter Break.

Another great job by the team that refuses to quit!

The final score totals looked like this:

Chris T. - 7 points
Brandon - 6 points
Bharath - 4 points
Josh B - 4 points
Brennan - 2 points
Chris Y. - 2 points
Michael - 2 points

PRINCE OF PEACE 46, CCS 42

As the saying goes, "It's not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game." In the case of the CCS Cougars those words are quite approriate after the team fell in a dramatic Double Overtime loss of the Mission Peak Tournament Semis to host school Prince of Peace 46-42. Where to begin in this one? Without a doubt, the #1 thing that stands out in my mind is the heart and effort the boys showed on the floor tonight. This is truly a resilient bunch, and they never stopped believeing that they were going to win this one. Knowing we would face a stiff challenge tonight, I made the decision to shorten the rotation to give us the best chance to win tonight and everyone made a tremendous contribution. Michael played like a man inside tonight and led all players with 12 points, as well as tremendous rebounding and interior defense. Brennan continued his hot stretch as well by pouring in 8 points, all in a key 2nd half surge that got us back into the game. As usual, Bharath was the floor leader. He scored 7 points and was vital in rallying the troops during every timeout. The leadership and maturity he demonstrated was truly commendable. Chris T. added 7 points and made big play after big play on both ends of the floor. And who can forget Brandon, who twice left the game from different injuries, but kept begging to come back in and help the team. The fact is, everyone was a part of the great effort tonight, even the bench players who showed great support throughout. The kids truly left it all out on the floor tonight, and as a coach you cannot ask for more than that. While the scoreboard will not reflect it, in my book these kids are all champions and I'm honored to call myself their coach. This one is going to be a loss that hurts, but I hope the boys can look back and feel proud for their effort and conduct. I know I that I am extremely proud of them.

Tomorrow we go for our 3rd Place Trophy!

The final scoring totals looked like this:
Michael - 12
Brennan - 8
Chris T. - 7
Bharath - 7
Brandon -6
Josh B. - 2

MISSION PEAK TOURNAMENT 2009

It's tournament time for the CCS Cougars! Please keep the team in prayer as we embark on the most hectic portion of our schedule starting today. Here is a rundown of the tournament schedule. In our opener, we face Lutheran Grace of San Mateo!

TWENTY-FOURTH ANNUAL MISSION PEAK TOURNAMENT 2009

Wednesday (January 7)

Game 1: Christian Community vs Calvary Luth. (girls) 3:00 PM

Game 13: Christian Community vs Grace Luth. (boys) 4:15 PM

Game 2: Prince of Peace A vs Zion Luth., S.F. (girls) 5:30 PM
Game 14: Prince of Peace A vs Zion Luth., S.F. (boys) 6:45 PM

Thursday (January 8)

Game 3: Our Savior vs Bella Vista (girls) 3:00 PM

Game 15: Our Savior vs Bella Vista (boys) 4:15 PM

Game 21: (boys) 5:30 PM

Game 4: Redeemer vs Prince of Peace B (girls) 6:45 PM

Game 16: Redeemer vs Prince of Peace B (boys) 8:00 PM

Friday (January 9)

Game 9: (girls) 3:00 PM

Game 5: (girls) 4:15 PM

Game 17: (boys) 5:30 PM

Game 6: (girls) 6:45 PM

Game 18: (boys) 8:00 PM



Saturday (January 10)

Game 10: (girls) 9:00 AM

Game 22: (boys) 10:15 AM

Game 12: Seventh Place (girls) 11:30 AM

Game 24: Seventh Place (boys) 12:45 PM

Game 11: Consolation (girls) 2:00 PM

Game 23: Consolation (boys) 3:15 PM

Game 8: Third Place (girls) 4:30 PM

Game 20: Third Place (boys) 5:45 PM

Game 7: Championship (girls) 7:00 PM

Game 19: Championship (boys) 8:15 PM