Bruins take down Cougars, 65-26

North Putnam sophomore Taylor Nauert searches for a window when she is surrounded by defenders during a game earlier this season. Nauert had 13 points and 12 rebounds at Tri-West on Tuesday. (Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN)

LIZTON -- The North Putnam girls' basketball team traveled to Tri-West High School to take on the Bruins on Tuesday. Despite sophomore Taylor Nauert's outstanding performance, the Cougars fell 65-26.

In the first quarter the Cougars (1-7), 0-0 WCC) could not find a way to the hoop. In the quarter, they attempted eight shots and all missed their mark. The Bruins, (4-3, 1-1 Sagamore) meanwhile, had no trouble finding their mark and gained an 11-point lead.

"We had good movement and we got good looks, but it was back to where things did not fall for us. We could not get anything in the first half, and in the second half they started to fall," NPHS coach Curtis Lawrence said.

The Cougars shooting woes continued into the second quarter. Their first bucket came on a Nauert jumper from 15 feet and they went into halftime down, 23-2.

"I told the girls that this week (in practice) we are going to get a lot of shots up and work on boxing out," Lawrence said. "We have a tendency to go to where the ball is and not get a body on someone."

North Putnam allowed 12 offensive rebounds and was outrebounded by nine in the game.

The Cougars came out of the half hot, as did the Bruins. A total of 35 points were scored in the quarter and Nauert had nine of them. Each of the Cougars' buckets in the first three quarters was assisted by either senior Bethany Wiatt or senior Alexandria Land.

North Putnam continued to score in the fourth quarter and so did Tri-West, with a total of 31 points being scored in the fourth.

The Bruins were just too much to handle on the offensive end, with a couple top-notch shooters and a center who stood four inches taller than 6-foot-1Nauert.

The Cougar continue to make better decisions and are cutting down on their turnovers, a recipe for late season success.

"Our anticipation skills are not always the best," Lawrence said. "We don't always see where that next defender is going to come from when we make a pass and that's something we have to work on."

North Putnam is off until next Tuesday when it hosts North Vermillion at 7:30 p.m.

At Tri-West
North Putnam......0 2 11 13 - 26
Tri-West............11 12 24 18 - 65