SO MUCH FOR THAT Cougars winning streak. Corey McDonald had 23 points and 17 rebounds, Tremaine Shaw scored a game-high 24 and First Works Warriors finished Saturday’s Premier League basketball contest on a 12-4 spurt to thwart Nicholls Baking Company Cougars’ latest upstart bid in an 80-70 victory at the YMCA.
The result put an end to any hopes the upstart Hothersal side had of winning back-to-back games for the first time in two years, following Thursday’s 76-64 stunner over Lakers.
But Cougars looked every bit of the team that finished the last two seasons with a league-worst three wins while managing just four points over the game’s final 3:51.
This after Cougars actually led by as many as 13 points (26-13) at the end of one period before having to erase a seven-point third-quarter deficit to lock the scores at 60 early in the fourth.
However, leading scorer Adrian Stewart fouled out just minutes later, and opposing guard Kirk Shaw converted two subsequent turnovers into transition layups before assisting Kareem Farrell on another for a 72-66 Warriors lead.
Shaw wasn’t finished just yet though, adding a pair of free throws, while his younger brother Tremaine and McDonald did likewise as part of six unanswered foul shots made by Warriors that came as a direct result of the opposition’s sloppy offence.
When they weren’t busy coughing up the rock, Cougars were happy just watching Godfrey Leacock launch one contested three-pointer after another, as the Hothersal side went scoreless for nearly three minutes before Richard Layne’s layup with one minute remaining.
So bad was Cougars’ meltdown that Warriors even found time to showboat, with McDonald throwing an alley-hoop off the glass for a trailing Farrell in transition.
It was a far cry from the events that transpired in the first quarter, where Cougars were the ones doing the prancing, following Leacock and Stewart’s surreal start.
The pair combined for all but four of the team’s first 26 points, with Stewart going a perfect four of four from the field after Leacock was personally outscoring Warriors.
But McDonald responded with a pair of long jumpers to start the second and the younger Shaw began to attack the rack relentlessly as part of a 31-7 run that gave Warriors a 34-33 half-time advantage.
And that lead soon became seven (56-49) as Kevin John supplemented Shaw’s transition exploits in the ensuing third quarter by consistently knocking down his favoured mid-range jumper.
He scored all nine of his points in the period and added ten rebounds for Warriors, who improved to 2-1 on the season.
For Cougars (1-2), Leacock led all scorers with 31 points and Stewart finished with 17.
Combo guard Jeremy Gill had 11 of his game-high 17 points in the second quarter while Act II Popcorn Clapham Bulls opened up a double-digit advantage before blowing away defending champs Mpact Station Hill Cavaliers in the fourth quarter of an 85-61 rout.
Stefan Yard added 13 points and Rahiim Gibbons chipped in with 11 as Clapham turned an 18-16 lead in the first quarter into a 41-29 cushion at the break. Cavs only got as close as nine the rest of the way before Bulls closed the contest on a 21-9 run.
The win puts Bulls (3-0) at the top of the standings while giving a possible second loss to Station Hill, who are still awaiting the executive’s decision over their blown-off game against Co-operators General Tridents.