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Heritage JV Boys Finish 2011-2012 Campaign Undefeated
When the Mountain Heritage junior varsity boys basketball team began the long afternoons of grueling practice back in November, Cougar Coach Ken McCurry, his staff and players sat down for a team meeting and mapped out four goals for the squad for the upcoming season.
Number one on the list for the Cougars was to beat their rivals and number two was to win the regular season championship. Done!
With three more wins in the Western Highlands Conference Tournament this past week, the Cougars fulfilled their third and fourth goals of wining the league tourney and going undefeated on the season.
The Cougars captured the WHC tourney crown with a hard fought 42-37 win over Hendersonville and finished off the season at 24-0.
“We truely had a team effort this season that includes not only players, but mangers, stat-keepers, and coaches, Coach McCurry said.
“This bunch is like a family. They really played for each other and want to carry on the tradition of Cougar basketball as winners on and off the court.”
In the tourney title game the Cougars had to fight off a torrid Bearcat comeback attempt and hit some key free throws in the final minutes to pull out the win. Jake McClellan, Alex Cash and Grant Buckner all made critical shots at the foul line to help the Cougars keep a 30 game win streak, dating back to last season, alive.
Jake McClellan paced the team with 11 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assist and three blocked shots. Alex Cash made a huge contribution with 10 points and eight rebounds while Kaleb McCurry grabbed 15 of the Cougars 39 rebounds while handing out three assists and blocking four Bearcat shots.
Kaleb’s younger brother Gray led the team with four steals while scoring six points.
In a 54-32 win over Mitchell in the semi-finals, Heritage, who led by four points going into the finals stanza, held the Mountaineers to only seven 4th quarter points while scoring 18 themselves to blow open a close game.
Alex Cash led the charge with 12 points, 6 rebounds and 2 steals while teammates Gray McCurry and Jackson Hockaday netted 9 points apiece and Grant Buckner added 8 in another well rounded scoring effort for the Cougars.
Kaleb McCurry again topped the rebound charts for the Cougars with 8 while the sophomore guard also led the team in assists against Mitchell with 5. Grant Buckner and Jake McClellan each had four steals while Grant Buckner, Blake Elkins, Alex Cash and Will Buckner all had a blocked shot in the important win.
Heritage opened up tournament play with a 68-33 whitewash of host Polk County.
The Cougars put this one away early, out scoring the Wolverines 17-4 in the first seven minutes of play. Heritage led by 26 points at the break and the Cougars were never threatened.
Jackson Hockaday (15), Grant Buckner (13) and Jake McClellan (10) led the Cougar scoring in the opener while Will Buckner snared 11 of the team’s 48 rebounds and Gray McCurry dished out 6 assists and led the team with 5 steals. Will Buckner also had a big game inside for the Cougar’s defense. He had three of the Cougar’s seven blocked shots against Polk County.
“God has blessed me with the opportunity to coach these young men and be here at Mountain Heritage,” McCurry concluded.
The Cougar junior varsity team has won 40 of 43 games over the past two seasons.
Congratulations Cougar JV
Western Highlands Conference
Champions 2011-2012
