Cougars top Armorel in first win of season

Kirk Horton sails to the basket in Rector's win over Armorel. Also pictured are Tyler Kirklin (42) and Ben Petty (30). [Click to enlarge]

The Cougars picked up their first win of the season Friday night, topping Armorel, 59-44, in Rector.

The Cougars started the game off with a 12-0 run that had their foes backing up early. Brandon Stevens started the spree, burying a three-pointer from the top of the arc. Stevens continued to find the stroke, connecting on a long jumper with a toe on the line later in the series. Point guard Kirk Horton had also had five points in the crucial start, attacking the basket with force twice, adding a free throw when he was hit on a coast-to-coast layup. Tyler Kirklin added two points in the opening, sinking a turnaround jumper from the right block.

Kirklin added four more on a pull-up and a drive, as Rector took a 16-2 advantage into the second frame. The Cougars kept their pace in the second, going to intermission with a 31-19 lead.

Armorel fought back in the third, clawing to within six points, 33-27, following an 8-0 run early in the frame.

Rector replied with an 8-0 run of their own thanks to a pair of low post buckets from Kirklin, a fast break led by Horton and finished by Stevens and offense rebound and stickback by guard Zach Burleson. The third quarter came to a close with the Cougars leading 42-32.

Rector continued to swarm the post in the fourth, building upon their advantage and coming away with the win.

"I thought we did a good job of attacking the basket and getting the ball down low," RHS coach Matt Mills said. "We were able to do that and make some good things happen."

Three Cougars scored in double figures on the night. Horton led the charge with 16 points. Kirklin finished with 14 in the win. Stevens finished with 13 points, 11 rebounds and three blocked shots. Also scoring were Burleson 6, Daniel Blackshare 4, Clinton Haley 3, Dustin Smith 2 and Zach Gilbee 1.

Armorel was led by 10 points from guard Zach Skelton.

Rector improved to 1-3 on the season with the victory.

Juniors Win Big

The Junior Cougars cruised to a 51-27 win in their meeting with Armorel. The second half was all Rector, as the boys in blue outscored their guests 28-8 over the final two frames. The Junior Cougars led throughout: 14-9; 23-19; and 37-25.

"We were able to build a good lead, and then really got after it in the fourth," Mills said.

Mitchell Weber paced Rector with a game-high 18 points. Dillon Shelton and Daniel White scored 12 points each in the win. Other Cougar scorers were Reed Weber 4, Adam Dinkins 3 and Zach Brown 2.

Tough Loss To CRA

The Cougars lost a thriller to host CRA Monday night in Paragould, falling 69-63 in overtime.

After trailing 23-12 going into the second quarter, Rector closed to 27-24 at halftime. Going into the fourth, the Cougars had moved ahead, 45-41. Regulation ended with a 54-54 tie.

Rector led by as many as 14 points in the fourth quarter, and was up by eight with just three minutes to play in regulation. Three straight turnovers and a missed layup on the offensive end hurt the Cougars, allowing CRA to fight their way back into it. The momentum carried over into the bonus play for the home team, as Rector fell behind.

"That was one of those nights," Mills said. "We had the lead late and everything looked like we were going to come away with the win. Then, it seemed like whatever could go wrong, did."

Burleson and Horton finished with 18 each to lead Rector. Kirklin scored 15 in the loss. Also scoring were Stevens 6, Haley 4 and Ben Petty 2.

Wade Freer paced CRA with 22 points. Adam Watson and A.J. McCoy scored 18 each.

Juniors Win

The Junior Cougars came away with a 45-39 win over CRA. Rector trailed 17-5 after the first quarter, but closed to within 21-20 at halftime. The young Cougars led 26-25 going into the final frame.

Shelton led the way with 18 points for Rector. White notched 14 in the win. Also scoring were Alec Scott 8, Reed Weber 3 and Ryan Jackson 2.

Rector was slated to visit Paragould Tuesday night, before taking time off for the Thanksgiving holiday. The boys will return to action when they host Black Rock on Dec. 4.