Cougars beat Gryphons in boys basketball

TRURO - The Cobequid Cougars were just too much for the North Nova Gryphons.
The Cougars applied pressure all game, opened a lead and took control and didn't let the Gryphons back in en route to a 75-66 win in their boys basketball Mainland Athletic Conference game Wednesday in New Glasgow.
"I'm really happy for the guys," said Cougars coach Marc Roberts. "They really deserved it. We practised well the last few days and executed out game plan. We're young and had some new guys but we did really well."
Brandon MacKay led the Cougars with 13 points while Shane Stonehouse added 12 points and 12 rebounds. Dan MacLeod chipped in 11 points.
Roberts said his starting group was able to apply plenty of pressure on North Nova's back court staff, putting them on their heels early. Then, bench players such as MacLeod, Tyrell Johnson and Sanjay Makkar were able to keep that pressure on.
"Their bench wasn't really as strong and that was key for us," Roberts said. "We started off really well and jumped out to a lead and shared the ball really well."
Roberts said MacKay's aggressive play drew several free throws for Cobequid while Stonehouse's rebounding ability allowed the Cougars to transition quickly and score.
Girls
The Cougars dropped a 72-52 decision to the Dr. John Hugh Gillis Royals in Antigonish.
The Cougars fell into a 39-18 hole by half-time and couldn't recover.
"We came back strong in the second half and it was a pretty equal game," assistant coach Holly MacCallum said. "But we just weren't ready in the first half."
Lauren Sinclair led Cobequid with 16 points while Sara Densmore added 12.
MacCallum said part of the Cougars slow start might have been due to nerves, but added the team was forced to play with just eight players dressed. "We were really short on numbers due to injuries," she said.
MacCallum said most of the injuries are minor and should be healed within a week or so, and isn't predicting the short bench to cause problems down the road.
But MacCallum said she was encouraged by her team's spirit in the second half.
"We really came back and played hard and our defence started getting better," she said. "It's a game we can learn from."

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