PM Boys Come Up Short In Cougar Classic
Tipping off the season with tough competition, the Parry McCluer High School boys basketball team lost a pair of close games last weekend at the Alleghany Cougar Classic Tournament, falling to host Alleghany 62-61 on Friday night before coming up short to Lord Botetourt 74-68 on Saturday night in Covington.
Both Alleghany and Lord Botetourt are larger schools, in Class 3, but the Class 1 Fighting Blues (0-2) held their own.
Against Alleghany (2-0), which ended up winning the tournament, the Blues tried to battle back from a 12-point deficit.
“I think even with the first game jitters, we handled that game with some real maturity,” said PM head coach Tyler Kerr.
Kerr praised junior guard Jamier Jordan for helping cut that deficit. Jordan went 3-of-4 from 3-point range and scored 13 points. “He helped shoot us back into that game,” said Kerr.
The Cougars were able to score in the final seven seconds of the game to force a lead change that would seal the win.
Going over the game, Kerr said, “It was just a great first game in a rowdy atmosphere. It’s what you want in a tournament game,” said Kerr.
Langston Cook led the Blues with 21 points, eight rebounds five assists and four steals. Nathan Glass contributed eight points, five rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks for PM, while Sam Griffin chipped in seven points and three assists.
LB 74, PM 68
For their second game of the tournament, the Blues fell 74-58 to Lord Botetourt (1-3) on Saturday night.
Cook topped the previous night’s performance with 34 points, nine rebounds, and five assists. ”He was definitely our player of the tournament,” said Kerr. Cook scored 55 points combined in the two games.
Glass and Jordan each scored 13 points. Glass pulled down seven rebounds, while Jordan had three steals, and Griffin added six points and two steals.
Going over the tournament, Kerr said, “These are the type of games you want early in the year. They test you and push you to put your best foot forward.”
The Blues were scheduled to play host to Auburn last Monday, Dec. 8, but that game was postponed to a date to be determined due to snow. PM was set to start Pioneer District action at Eastern Montgomery on Monday and will play at Smith Mountain Lake Christian Academy on Thursday before playing host to James River on Tuesday, starting with junior varsity action at 5:30 p.m. on both nights. The following Monday, Dec. 29, the Blues will face local rival Rockbridge County in Lexington, with the JV boys’ game at 2:30 p.m., followed by the 4 p.m. girls’ varsity game before the day concludes with the varsity boys’ game at 5:30.
