Foul trouble for both teams played a big role in the first half, as four Blue Jays and two Cougars all had three fouls before the half. Lafayette led by nine at the break, and it would have been a larger deficit for the Jays had Colton Burns made a pair of free throws and another bucket in a minute span to close out the first half. Jordyn Harris played a couple of key minutes at the end of the half as well.
The Blue Jays got going in the second half, as they got the game to a one possession game, and both teams would exchange blows like they were in a heavyweight fight the entire second half and in OT. The Blue Jays got a big stop at the end of regulation, as Monti Mixon had an impressive defensive play, shutting down the Cougars chance at a GW bucket late.
In overtime, the Blue Jays jumped out to a four-point lead due to a big three-point shot from Keyonte Wingfield. The Cougars would continue to fight in a game that would go back and forth, but it was Kobe Hughey's time and he showed everyone in the gym what a walking bucket looked like, as he scored 16 of his team-high 28 points in the fourth quarter and overtime.
A nice backdoor cut and pass from Wingfield, found Hughey in the lane for a floater, and everyone in the gym knew it was going in. Another stop from Nevada led to a 77-75 win. "These guys just dont know how to lose. We had four starters with three fouls in the first half. Colton had a big moment for us. Hurk did a great job guarding their best player, and at the end our seniors took over, and Kobe was in attack mode and they couldn't guard him," Coach Eddie Beck said after the win.
Hughey led the Jays in points with 28. Kobe added eight rebounds and five assists. Tre King was a bright spot for the Jays offense early on especially, and finished with 14 points, five big rebounds, and three assists. Rico Aparicio poured in 10 points. Monti Mixon had eight points, nine rebounds, and three big time blocks. Keyonte Wingfield had five points and seven assists. Taco Roberson, Hurk Burns, and Colton Burns all had four points.
Ty Palermo led the way for the Cougars, as he is a grown man on the court, scoring 28. Amarre Rone scored 18 and Jordan Walters added 17. It was a great game from Lafayette County, as both of these teams will make some noise next week at state.
Nevada is back in action on Tuesday as they face Brinkley at 2:30.
Photos courtesy of Josie Carlton
