By Thomas Sellers Jr.
The Munford Cougars have been taking on challenges and a variety of tests all season to get ready for the district run starting this month.
One last non-league test came Jan. 4 in the Munford Gymnasium against the Bolivar Central Tigers. Head Coach Nic Buford’s Cougars jumped out to a double-digit lead by halftime and held a 46-28 advantage early in the third quarter. But the Tigers clawed back to make the contest a thriller before the Cougars prevailed 70-67.
The opening moments of the game started with back-to-back triples from Cougars Michael Lee and Levi Poindexter. Then Jamarius Ealy added a put-back bucket to make the score 8-2. The Munford lead continued to grow when JaDyn Lee drove baseline for a runner to make the tally 10-2.
The Cougars’ advantage reached double-digits when Michael Lee hit a jumper. Munford was ahead 18-10 after 8 minutes.
The Cougars dominated the second quarter outscoring Bolivar 26-18 behind Norman Murray hitting a couple of treys and a layup during one sketch. Murray’s basket at the rim made the score 33-23.
The Tigers punched back to make the score 36-28. Then JaDyn Lee closed out the first half with a floater in traffic and a three-pointer in transition to make the score 41-28. Before the buzzer, Cougar Decameron Haynes hit a triple to make the score 44-28.
In the third quarter Poindexter made a bucket to give Munford that 46-28 advantage. Then the Tigers seized control of the quarter with a 19-7 outburst to make the score 53-47 before the final period.
The Tigers did outscore Munford 20-17 in the fourth quarter but the Cougars held on for the three-point victory.
