Chargers Drop Rivalry Late Against Cougars

Varsity Men's Basketball: Courtland Cougars vs. Chancellor Chargers

Friday night's match-up between the Chancellor Chargers and Courtland Cougars was definitely a tale of two halves. The Chargers soared early with big performances from Seniors E.J. Jenkins and Jason Brown, but would fall late due to turnovers and fouls.

Early on, the Chargers showed true dominance with efficient shooting and strong defense that would limit the Cougars. The Chargers led for almost all of the first half, and benefited from some great 3-Point shooting by Josiah Jones and Robbie Foster. Also, Brown and Yetur Matos showed some style in the first quarter as Brown threw a marvelous pass to Matos that set up an easy two points. After one bumpy and physical quarter, the Chargers trailed by a small margin of 14-13.

The Chargers would start off the second quarter with nine unanswered points. Two of those points came in dominating fashion, as Brown collected another incredible assist with a toss up to the board that Jenkins would hop into the air and collect in time to bring it down on the hoop and slam in two points. The points started pouring for the Chargers and they had their best shooting quarter. If not for Courtland's Number 50, the Cougars would've been lost as No. 50 scored all of their field goals in that quarter with four. The Chargers' lead was still prominent however, as they led 35-28 going into halftime.

Early on after halftime the Chargers started off hot, growing a game-best lead to 13 points and showing some shooting consistency. It wouldn't last for too long though, as struggles from their previous game appeared. Turnovers and fouls became aplenty and the Chargers lead would shrink. The Cougars' Number 12 recovered from a rough first half, and scored eight points in the quarter. Afterwards the Chargers felt winded, now only leading 48-46.

The second half struggles would continue for the Chargers going into the fourth quarter, as the Cougars grabbed a lead early and held onto it. Shooting for both teams became a problem at points, as both teams struggled to convert turnovers into points and found most of their scoring on free throws. Most notably of all had to be Brown, who recovered from an 1-5 free throw line from Wednesday night to put up a 10-12 free throw line. He would eventually be responsible for 26 of the Chargers points leading all scorers by far. In the end though it would be the Cougars who played tough and held onto their lead for a 65-60 victory. 

The Chargers' next test will be on the road against the James Monroe Yellow Jackets, as they look to get their first win of 2017. 

Notables

• Field Goals : Courtland - 42% (16/38), Leader was No. 50 who shot for 56% (10/18). Chancellor - 43% (19/44), Leader was E.J. Jenkins who shot for 67% (8/12).
• 3-Point Goals : Courtland - 22% (5/23), Leader was No. 12 who shot for 29% (2/7). Chancellor - 14% (3/22), Leader was Josiah Jones who shot for 33% (1/3).
• Free Throws : Courtland - 62% (18/29), Leader was No. 12 who shot for 75% (9/12). Chancellor - 65% (13/20), Leader was Jason Brown who shot for 83% (10/12).
• Rebounds : Courtland - 32 Total (20 Defensive, 12 Offensive). Chancellor - 40 (27 Defensive, 13 Offensive).
• Turnovers : Courtland - 15 Total, 9 in first half. Chancellor - 13 total, 5 in first half.