Cougars unable to get over the line against Mustangs

BAINBRIDGE – The North Putnam Lady Cougars, coming off of a big conference and county win against South Putnam on Friday, battled but came up just a little short against Edgewood in a tough, physical Western Indiana Conference contest Saturday night 59-57.

The Cougars battled back from deficits several times in the game as they never led but tied the score as late as the three-minute mark in the fourth quarter. The Cougars efficiently continued to score to keep with striking range as they shot 42 percent from the field in the game and hit 7-of-17 from long range.

The loss dropped the Cougars to 8-3 and 2-1 in conference play. Edgewood improved to 3-7 and 3-3 in the WIC.

“I thought we battled hard tonight. We kept coming back. It was tough coming off a win against a county rival last night (South Putnam) and another one (Cloverdale) on Tuesday,” North Putnam head coach Craig Franklin said.

North Putnam got off to an inauspicious start as Edgewood jumped out to a 9-0 lead, but back-to-back treys by Lexi Daigle and Sammi Hoops cut the lead to 9-6. The Mustangs would score at the buzzer to take an 11-6 lead after the first period.

“We have got quit digging ourselves a hole. We have had trouble getting off to good starts,” Franklin said.

The Mustangs pushed the lead to 22-13, but Daigle and Addi Osburn picked up the Cougars. Osburn began driving to the basket and the junior picked up 10 points in the second quarter as the Cougars tied the game 24-24. The Cougars hit 6-of-13 shots including a three in the period.

“We did a good job of taking good shots tonight. Sometimes we struggle knowing what a good shot is for us, but we played well offensively,” Franklin said.

The Mustangs jumped out to a lead to start the second half. Edgewood scored the first nine points of the third quarter. The Cougars then went a 7-0 run of their own punctuated by a Daigle driving jumper. Edgewood would get the last bucket of the quarter and lead 36-31 heading into the final act of the game.

“We continued to fight and play. I was proud of how we kept coming back,” Franklin said.

Edgewood’s Macey Crider would open the fourth quarter with a three-point play as she had 11 points for the Mustangs in the final quarter. North kept coming and tied the game at 41-41 on a pair of Daigle free throws.

Daigle and Rose Haste kept coming as the Mustangs would pull ahead by four or five points, then Haste would hit a trey or Daigle a trey. Haste hit her last three-pointer with :30.9 left to bring the Cougars to within one point, but the hosts could not get over the hump as Madi Bland knocked down 3-of-4 free throws late to set the final margin at 59-57 Edgewood.

“I call them the ‘Cardiac Cougars’. This team does make it exciting,” Franklin said.

Crider led all scorers with 17 points as Edgewood put four players in double figures. Jaylen Robinson had 12 points, Bland 111 and Alayna Flynn added 10.

Daigle led the Cougars with 16 points and Haste has 14. Osburn added 12 points for the Cougars.

“Lexi is a warrior. She is so tough and works hard. She did a lot for us tonight,” Franklin said.

North will have a tough weekend next weekend as they will host another WIC opponent, Sullivan on Friday and a red-hot Parke Heritage team on Saturday.

EDGEWOOD (59) – M Bland 2-6 7-11 11, Robinson 4-8 0-0 12, Flynn 4-9 1-2 10, Crider 7-15 3-3 17, Holmes 0-1 1-2 1, A. Bland 0-5 2-2 2, Whaley 2-4 2-2 6, McElhinney 0-1 0-0 0, Burks 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 19-49 FG, 16-22 FT, 59 TP.

NORTH PUTNAM (57) – Hoops 2-6 2-3 7, Haste 4-7 4-6 14, Brewer 0-1 1-2 1, Huffman 2-5 0-0 5, L. Daigle 5-12 4-6 16, Davies 0-2 2-4 2, Osburn 5-10 1-1 12, H. Daigle 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 18-43 FG, 14-22 FT, 57 TP.

3-point shooting – EHS 5-16 (M. Bland 0-1, Robinson 4-8, Flynn 1-3, A. Bland 0-2, Whaley 0-1, McElhinney 0-1), NP 7-17 (Hoops 1-4, Haste 2-4, Huffman 1-2, L. Daigle 2-3, Davies 0-1, Osburn 1-3) Rebounds – EHS 32 (M. Bland 7, Robinson 3, Crider 7, Holmes 1, A. Bland 2, Whaley 3, McElhinney 3) NP – 28 (Hoops 7, Haste 6, Brewer 4, Huffman 2, L. Daigle 3, Osburn 5) FG Pct. – EHS 38.8, NP 41.9. FT Pct. – EHS 72.7, NP 63.6. Turnovers – EHS 20, NP 21.