By Thomas Sellers Jr.
A somber calmness overcame the Munford Gymnasium Tuesday night.
The electric atmosphere of the 2019 Region 7-3A Boys Tournament Semifinals became subdued when the Bolton Wildcats creeped ahead 31-18 late in the third quarter over the host Munford Cougars.
It was becoming apparent that the Wildcats were less than 10 game-minutes away from advancing to play the Bartlett Panthers Thursday night for the Region championship.
Then all of sudden the Cougars displayed the heart of a champion. The group that has restored the winning ways of Munford Basketball under fourth-year Head Coach Ryan Ross surged back in the fourth quarter to make the score 46-43 in favor of Bolton.
But that last gasp at victory took the wind out of Munford’s sails. The Wildcats were about to score the last 14 points of the game to prevail 60-43 over the Cougars.
“You’re always sad to see it end,” Ross said. “The emotion I would have the most right now is pride. How proud I am of not only how much they have grown from the team that won only a couple of games in middle school to district championship team and Regional Semifinals, but how they’ve grown as young men.
“Those kids have good grades,” he continued. “They don’t get in any trouble. I have no doubt that they’re going to be successful in life. I’m not just about wins and losses. In my book, it’s about when they come back how successful they will be in six and seven years.”
The Class of 2019 arrived on campus the same time as Ross. The Coach and his players bond together over the years and developed into a championship program reaching the Region 7-3A final four for the first time since 2014.
The game against Bolton started off sluggish for Munford falling behind 13-3 after one quarter. The Cougar defensive intensity picked up in the second quarter holding the Wildcats to 4 points.
The Cougars tallied 8 points to make the halftime score 17-11. Munford came out with some fight in the third quarter with Kylan Cunningham thing a couple of buckets to make the score 19-15.
Bolton proceeded with a 12-3 run to build a double-digit advantage at 31-18. Kyree Cunningham stopped the Wildcat momentum with basket. The scoreboard read 33-22 in favor of Bolton entering the fourth quarter.
The Wildcats’ largest lead was 42-25 early in the final quarter. The Cougars appeared to be on the brink of a devastating loss to end the tenure for the Class of 2019. But senior Landon Winter hit a three-pointer to bring some life back into the Munford faithful.The score was 42-28.
By the end of the Cougars’ 18-4 run, the bleachers were shaking and the 46-43 score gave Munford hope of surviving and advancing to the championship game.
During the run Winter hit another triple while his fellow senior Davin Bounds nailed a three-pointer as well. When Kyree Cunningham made a layup over a couple of Bolton defenders, the deficit was 3 points.
That turned out to be the final bucket for the Cougars for the 2018-19 season. The Wildcats proceeded with a 14-0 run to close the contest and advance to the title game.
The 2018-19 campaign ended for the Cougars with a District 13-3A runner-up finish during the regular season, most wins in a season under Ross and the 2019 District 13-3A Tournament championship.
Ross said having a banner season is special but the most important factor about the 2018-19 season is his first full graduating class.
“Those kids are family,” he concluded fighting back tears. “It’s tough to see them go. I can say those kids have had an impact on me personally, not just as a coach. I hope people remember they brought the pride in this basketball program back.”
