Patriots Stun The Cowboys

Last week the North Gem boys basketball team faced two conference opponents.  They hosted top ranked Watersprings on Tuesday then traveled to American Heritage Charter on Thursday.  The Cowboys expected to have their hands full with the Warriors from Watersprings but they had beaten the Patriots from American Heritage very soundly early in the season.  A lot has changed since that early meeting and that was evident as these games were played.

First on Tuesday the Cowboys had to take on the Warriors who currently are tied for first place in the conference along with Rockland.  It did not take long for the Warriors to take control of the game.  The Cowboys fought hard in the first but were still doubled up by the Warriors who took an eight point lead at the end of the quarter.  The second quarter was even tougher on the Cowboys.  The Warriors doubled their own score while holding the Cowboys to just six points.  North Gem now trailed by nineteen points.  The third quarter was completely devastating for the Cowboys as the Warriors had their highest scoring quarter of the game outscoring the Cowboys by twenty points in that quarter alone.  With a running clock the Warriors finally relented and called off the dogs allowing the Cowboys to win the fourth quarter by two points.  In the end however the Warriors easily dispatched the Cowboys by thirty-seven points.

Following that type of a loss the only thing you can do is put it behind you and plow ahead.  The Cowboys hoped to erase the memories of the blowout loss as they traveled to American Heritage Charter school in Idaho Falls.  Very early in the season these two teams met in Bancroft where the Cowboys dismantled the Patriots winning by over thirty points.  Since that win North Gem has had some roster changes and the Patriots have been making improvements.  This game had a very slow start from both teams.  Scoring was at a premium with each team having trouble putting the ball in the hoop.  At the end of the first quarter the Patriots took a one point lead with a very low score of five to four.  Scoring continued to be an issue for both teams but more so for the Cowboys in the second quarter.  The Cowboys only added one basket to their total while the Patriots added nine.  The Cowboys went to the locker room with a season low six points for the entire first half and trailed the Patriots by eight points.  In the third quarter the Cowboys finally woke up and tallied eleven points while cutting the lead to just four points heading into the fourth.  The Cowboys once again had a solid quarter in the fourth adding another ten points but unfortunately for North Gem the Patriots also played solid and ended up winning the game.  The Patriots shocked the Cowboys with a six point victory earning some revenge for the early season loss.

The Cowboys traveled to Richfield on Monday and will host Mackay on Thursday for their final regular season game.

Cowboys 8 6 5 7 26

Warriors 16 17 25 5 63

M.Frandsen 3, P.Hill 1, R.Hatch 7, C.Yost 6, R.Hayden 9

Cowboys 4 2 11 10 27

Patriots 5 9 7 12 33

P.Hill 1, H.Frandsen 4, C.Yost 2, R.Hayden 17, W.Wakley 3