Cougars roll through opening rounds
The top-seeded Central McLean Cougars took care of business in the opening two rounds of the District 8 Tournament, earning a pair of convincing wins at Washburn High School to move within one victory of a district championship.
Central McLean opened tournament play Friday, Feb. 27 with an 80-23 victory over eighth-seeded Mandaree.
The Cougars followed that performance Monday, March 2 with a 63-48 win against fifth-seeded Garrison Troopers in the semifinals.
With the two wins, Central McLean advances to the District 8 Championship game, where they will meet Wilton-Wing Miners on March 3 in Washburn.
In the opening round matchup against Mandaree, the Cougars wasted little time establishing control.
Using defensive pressure and efficient offense, Central McLean built a commanding lead early and never allowed the Warriors to gain traction.
Head coach Joi Anderson acknowledged the advantage of entering the bracket as the top seed but emphasized the team’s approach regardless of opponent.
“Well, we obviously had an advantage being the number one seed going up against number eight,” Anderson said. “We played a solid game and my subs played as much or more of the game as my starters.”
The depth of the Cougars was on full display as the bench logged significant minutes while maintaining intensity on both ends of the floor.
Despite the lopsided score, Anderson was most proud of how her team handled the situation.
“I will say that I continue to be proud of this group for always keeping it classy,” she said. “Not running up the score or rubbing it in. They do not make teams feel like we do not respect them and their ability.”