Just four days removed from an ugly 27-point loss at Troy that handed the Cougars their first District 25-2A loss of the season, the last thing Jarrell needed was a similar slow start.
Jarrell trailed big early once again but rallied in the second quarter, blowing out Salado late to close out 25-2A play with a 59-42 win.
“The win wasn’t as important as we just wanted to play well,” Jarrell coach Drew Sumner said. “If the same thing would have happened to us that would have happened to us at Troy . . . then our kids would lose a lot of confidence.”
But that’s the way it appeared early on.
The Cougars (21-9, 13-1) started the game 0-for-7 from the floor and didn’t make their first field goal until nearly 6 minutes into the first quarter. For most of the first quarter, Aaron Mueller’s free throw was the team’s lone point.
Salado’s first-quarter lead ballooned to 10 before the Cougars put together a run to get back in the game and regain their confidence.
Two Kreece Cooper 3-pointers helped spark a 10-2 Cougar run to end the second quarter. Jarrell forced a pair of turnovers by Salado (12-7, 10-4) in the Eagles’ final two possessions of the half to help the Cougars get back to their fast-paced style.
Sumner said it was actually good for the Cougars to get behind early once again because it showed his team that it could rally from a deficit.
“I know it got us back in front, but it got us back in the game,” Sumner said. “Just to get us back in the game was real big because if we would have went in that locker room at halftime way down, our kids might have hung their heads.”
With the Cougars having already locked up a second straight 25-2A title, there wasn’t anything on the line for Jarrell, a Class 2A state semifinalist last season.
But erasing that loss to Troy on Friday night was important. The Cougars - who received a bi-district bye - certainly didn’t want to enter their area-round game on a two-game losing streak.
On the line for Salado was a chance to grab second place in 25-2A. The Eagles’ loss combined with runner-up Academy’s win over Rosebud-Lott gave Salado a third-place district finish.
The Eagles looked like they had a chance to grab that second place spot after a strong third quarter. After trailing by three at the half, Salado took a 36-35 lead into the fourth quarter. A late run, highlighted by Trae Liller’s basket at the buzzer, gave the Eagles a one-point lead.
That lead didn’t last long. The Eagles went without a field goal for seven minutes in the fourth quarter.
Jarrell’s defense forced Salado into bad shots, allowing the Cougars to get out and run in transition.
And when they’re running, the Cougars are tough to stop. Cooper started Jarrell’s 21-0 run in a 5-minute stretch in the fourth. Cooper hit three 3-pointers in the run and finished with a game-high 22 points.
“They shot well in the fourth quarter and we couldn’t buy a basket,” Salado coach Kenny Mann said. “That pretty much summed it up right there.”
The Eagles shot 2-of-15 in the fourth quarter and missed five free throws.
Cooper was one of three Cougars to finish in double-figures. Both Taylor Cooper and Mueller finished with 12 points.
David Rosenau had a team-high 13 points for the Eagles, who will play 26-2A’s No. 2 seed in the bi-district round next week.
rschneider@temple-telegram.com
