North Putnam slips by Bulldogs

The North Putnam boys' went against the Monrovia Bulldogs Friday night at home, with the Cougars coming out on top, 64-61.

The Cougars jumped on the Bulldogs and never let up. They combined good offensive play with a very aggressive defense to gain the victory.

The Cougars were led by Jake Mullis, who scored a game-high 29 points and hit 10-of-12 from the charity stripe.

An enormous lift for the Cougars came from junior Zack Hedrick. Hedrick scored 19 points, connecting on four shots from beyond the arc. Three of the four three-pointers came in the first half and helped North Putnam go into halftime with a 36-26 lead.

"Zack played really well tonight," coach Wes Peek said after the game. "He's a really good shooter."

The Cougars received a scare from Monrovia in the third quarter as the Bulldogs cut the Cougar lead to just two points midway through the quarter.

Jake Mullis connected on a driving shot that put the Cougars back on track and ignited the team to go on a seven-point run in the closing minutes of the quarter.

Mullis got the Cougars on track by scoring its opening points in the final quarter and set the pace. Hedrick connected on two shots to grow North's lead to 12 points.

Tyler Trent went 5-for-8 from the line in the quarter and help keep the Cougars ahead of the Bulldogs.

In the closing minutes, North continued to connect on their free-throws and a held back a Bulldog run to seal the victory.

The Cougars ran a zone defense most of the night to clog up the paint and keep Monrovia's big men out of the game.

"I told them when you're not on your man, keep one foot in the paint," Peek said.

North Putnam's boys will face off against Fountain Central tonight at 7:30.

At North Putnam

North Putnam 64 Monrovia 61

North Putnam (64) - Mullis 29, Hedrick 19, Trent 5, B. Dahlstrom 4, Blaydes 3, Young 4. Totals FG 18-38 FT 22-28 TP 64

3pt. shooting - NP 6 (Hedrick 4, Mullis, Blaydes), Monrovia 5 (Speck 2, Standeford 3). Fouls - NP 14 Monrovia 23. Fouled out - NP - B. Dahlstrom Technical fouls - Monrovia (bench)

Next game - North Putnam boys will host Fountain Central tonight at 7:30 p.m.