Cougars rout Cross County to earn key conference win

The Cougars broke free from their holiday slump in front of their home crowd, topping the visiting Cross County Thunderbirds, 54-30.

Rector led 12-7 after the first quarter, then really took over to start the second frame, rattling off 12 unanswered to move ahead 24-7 midway through the period. Tyler Kirklin scored down low and added a free throw, while Kirk Horton found the basket on a fast break and an offensive rebound. Brandon Stevens connected from three-point land, while Clinton Haley sank a pair from the line to turn the momentum squarely into the Cougars' favor.

By the time the dust settled on the first half, Rector looked back from a 34-10 advantage. The Cougar lead grew to 52-19 after three quarters.

Rector got out a better start than they had in recent outings, allowing the team to build momentum early.

"We were ready to go from the tip-off," Rector coach Matt Mills said. "We showed up ready to play. That's something we've been struggling with lately."

At 6-9 overall, the Cougars were becoming anxious for a victory.

"We played with a sense of urgency," Mills said. "We came out and played like we had to win. That's the kind of mindset we need to have every night."

Zach Burleson led Rector with 14 points, burying four threes on the night. Kirklin and Horton also reached double-digits in scoring, netting 12 and 10 points, respectively. Also scoring for the Cougars were Stevens 9, Haley 4, Cory Hager 3, Daniel Blackshare 1 and Zach Gilbee 1.

McIlwain led Cross County with 13 points.

Junior boys roll

The Junior Cougars cruised to a 53-26 win in their meeting with Cross County.

Rector jumped out to a 19-3 first quarter lead and never looked back, leading 29-9 and 44-18 after the second and third, respectively.

"We came out and went to work," Mills said. "We were ready to play from the very start."

Dillon Shelton finished with 16 points to lead Rector. Adam Dinkins notched 10 in the win. Also scoring were Mitchell Weber 9, Reed Weber 5, Josh Loveless 5, Daniel White 4 and Tyler Carter 4.

Battle with BIC

The Cougars came up just short in a defensive struggle with Buffalo Island Central, falling 39-37.

Rector led 12-8 after the first quarter and looked to have things in hand by the time intermission rolled around, leading 21-12. The Cougars hit a shooting slump in the third, managing just four points in the frame, as BIC came roaring back to cut the deficit to a single point, 25-24, going into the fourth.

"We just couldn't hit our shots," Mills said. "We didn't get many good looks at the basket, but when we did, we had problems taking advantage of it."

BIC had the Cougars well scouted, double-teaming Kirklin in the post and staying close to shooters Burleson and Stevens on the perimeter.

Burleson paced Rector with a game-high 14 points. Horton added 11 in the loss. Also scoring for the Cougars were Kirklin 5, Stevens 5 and Blackshare 2.

Atkison scored 10 to lead BIC.

Junior boys win big

The Junior Cougars came away with a 49-27 win over BIC in their meeting last Tuesday.

Rector held the advantage throughout: 16-2; 34-13; and 43-20.

Mitchell Weber had the hot hand for Rector, scorching the nets for a game-high 23 points. Also scoring for the Junior Cougars were Shelton 9, Alec Scott 9, Dinkins 5 and White 3.

The Cougars were slated to visit Marked Tree Tuesday before heading to Lepanto to face conference powerhouse East Poinsett County on Friday. The boys and girls squads are set to visit Turrell on Tuesday, Jan. 26.