Cougar freshmen boys defeat Athenians in OT, 51-44

CRAWFORDSVILLE -- The North Putnam freshmen are making a habit of big second half comebacks.

After a 19-point comeback on Tri-West last week, the Cougars were at it again Monday, defeating Crawfordsville 51-44 in overtime after trailing by 16 in the third quarter.

"We got down, but they battled back and played well," Cougar coach Steve Peek said. "We played the way we want to play."

The Cougars got back in the game with a big third-quarter run that cut the 16-point lead down to three by the end of the quarter. The Cougars used the same formula they had against Tri-West -- they used a full-court press to force turnovers and get easy layups.

The Cougars outscored the Athenians 15-7 in the frame.

In the fourth, the plot thickened, as North's Cody Beck fouled out, leading them with just five players.

They had to bring Jacob Lucas, who was injured in pregame warm-ups, off the bench. Lucas responded by hitting three big buckets in the fourth and overtime.

"He played really well for being hobbled," Peek said of Lucas.

When regulation ended at a 42-42 tie, North had to go another five minutes with just five players. They didn't seem to have a problem.

After Crawfordsville got the two early points of the extra session, North scored the rest to bring the game to its final margin.

"Everybody was happy to outscore them 9-2 in the overtime," Peek said.

Tommy Welch led the Cougars with 25 points. Payne Stewart was next with 11.

Last Thursday night, the Cougars fell to Turkey Run 46-33 on the road.

Lucas led the Cougars with 11 points.

The Cougars host Rockville at 6 p.m. Thursday.

At Crawfordsville

North Putnam 10 5 15 12 9 -- 51

Crawfordsville 11 15 7 9 2 -- 44

North Putnam -- Welch 15, Stewart 11, Lucas 6, Fordice 2, Beck 2.

At Turkey Run

Turkey Run 46, North Putnam 33

North Putnam -- Lucas 11, Stewart 6, Hunt 6, Summerlot 4, Fordice 4, Summerlot 2.

Next game -- The Cougars host Rockville at 6 p.m. Thursday.