CRAWFORDSVILLE -- The North Putnam boys' varsity basketball team picked up its first win of the season Saturday, defeating Crawfordsville, 63-51

Monday, December 12, 2005

CRAWFORDSVILLE -- The North Putnam boys' varsity basketball team picked up its first win of the season Saturday, defeating Crawfordsville, 63-51.

The Cougars displayed hot shooting from the field and dominance on the boards throughout the game, shooting 61 percent from the field and outrebounding the Athenians, 24-9.

Lee Fordice led North Putnam with 19 points and 10 rebounds in the game, while Jake Mullis had 18 points, five assists and four steals in the contest.

In his first year coaching the Cougars, North Putnam Head Coach Wes Peek was pleased to see his team playing well.

"Kids need to have that taste of success," Peek said. "We didn't want to wait until it's too late to get that first one."

The Cougars were down 18-10 after the first quarter and 29-17 at halftime. The Cougars turned the ball over 18 times in the first half, and appeared to be struggling to contain the Athenians on defense.

However, they were still only down two points.

"As poorly as we had played, we told them that we were still in the game," Peek said.

The Cougars came back roaring in the second half, scoring 36 points while holding Crawfordsville to 22 points. North Putnam was playing strong defense and taking care of the basketball, only committing four turnovers for the remainder of the contest.

"Our kids played a very, very smart second half, especially the fourth quarter," Peek said.

The Cougars outscored the Athenians, 19-9, in the final stanza, sealing the victory.

"We got up four or five, and were able to push that lead to 11 or 12," Peek said.

Senior forward Riley McGaughey added 13 points to North Putnam's effort, while Brayden Dahlstrom also made a solid contribution, scoring eight points on 3-of-3 shooting from the field.

The Cougars improve to 1-3 on the season and play at Cascade Friday at 8 p.m.

In junior varsity action, Crawfordsville defeated North Putnam, 35-30. Griffen Dahlstrom led the Cougars with 10 points.

At Crawfordsville

North Putnam 10 17 17 19 -- 63

Crawfordsville 18 11 13 9 -- 51

North Putnam -- L. Fordice 6-7 7-8 19, C. Fordice 1-2 0-0 2, Ensor 0-1 0-0 0, McGaughey 5-8 1-2 13, B. Dahlstrom 3-3 2-2 8, Mullis 6-9 2-2 18, Trent 1-5 1-3 3. Totals FG 22-36, FT 13-17, TP 63.

3-pt. -- North Putnam 6 (Mullis 4), Rebounds -- North Putnam 24 (L. Fordice 10), Assists -- North Putnam 14 (Mullis 5), Steals -- North Putnam 10 (Mullis 4), Blocks -- North Putnam 2 (L. Fordice 2).

JV -- Crawfordsville defeated North Putnam, 35-30. Griffen Dahlstrom led the Cougars with 10 points.

Next game -- The Cougars travel to Cascade Friday to face the Cadets at 8 p.m.

Crawfordsville improved to 4-2 with a 35-30 win over North Putnam. Andrew Swart provided six points and seven rebounds. Corey Nordenbrock led the way with 10 points. Quinten Anderson and Justin Wright each had six points. Griffen Dahlstrom led the Cougars with 10 points.

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