“He’s just a great coach,” said senior guard Josh Lennon. “He has so much experience and he always puts us in the right positions. We trust him and what he does really just helps us win games. We’re always in the right defense and always in the right play, I’m just glad we could get him win 300.”
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Cinco Ranch dug deep.
They wanted to win Tuesday, they knew what the game against Jordan meant not just to their playoff hopes but also for their head coach Neil King.
The Cougars trailed for most of the game, but things clicked for the Cougars in the fourth quarter as they made a comeback and won in overtime 55-52 in thrilling fashion over Jordan.
The reason it meant so much to the Cougars? It was their head coach Neil King’s chance to get his 300th win of his career, and the Cougars wanted to make sure it happened on Tuesday.
“He’s just a great coach,” said senior guard Josh Lennon. “He has so much experience and he always puts us in the right positions. We trust him and what he does really just helps us win games. We’re always in the right defense and always in the right play, I’m just glad we could get him win 300.”
The win was more than just the 300th for King for Cinco Ranch. It was a win that kept the Cougars in the top four in what is a tight battle in District 19-6A, and a win over a Jordan side that they are competing with for playoff spots and positioning.
Jordan came out with a strong start and built a seven-point lead in the first quarter and went into halftime up eight.
But Cinco Ranch kept pushing and kept finding a way to stay in the game, and they started to get back into it in the second half, as the Cougars did not give in.
“I’m just so proud of the way we fought for this whole game,” King said. “We battled for the entire time, a lot of things didn’t go our way but they just kept competing. It’s what we’re about and to see them pull out a win here the way they did was awesome.”
Cinco still trailed by eight entering the fourth quarter, but continued to get back into it and started to trim the deficit behind a terrific performance from Lennon. Lennon scored all 18 of his points in the third and fourth quarters, including seven in the fourth. The Cougars finally tied things with 40 seconds left and took the game to overtime where Prince Jones-Bynum scored six of his 18 points to seal the win for the Cougars.
Lennon had been out with an injury and his return was felt both on the scoresheet and with the way he helped open the offense up for others.
“He’s a first team all-district player and a two-year letterman so he’s a big piece,” King said. “The team plays with a lot of confidence when he’s out there, he’s a part of everything that we do. I’m just glad that he was able to recover from that injury and credit to him for how he worked himself back. He didn’t want to let any of his brothers down and he was huge for us tonight.”
The Cougars continue to grind out performances and it’s brought them to a decent position in the second half of the district schedule, but they know there is work to do and that they can’t let up moving forward.
“This win was such a big one for us,” Bynum said. “It’s a confidence booster for us after we had lost some of these close games. We came back stronger and now have to go out and continue winning.”
District 19-6A
Cinco Ranch 55, Jordan 52
Points: (CR) Josh Lennon 18, Prince Jones-Bynum 18, Nashir Waters 8, Drew Joyce 5, Emmanuel Gregory 5; (J) Jaden Holt 17, Trevor Martz 12, Tyler France 7, Shawn Mitchell 6, Elijah Black 4, Isiah Tchokonte 4, Quinn Ford 2;
Halftime: Jordan 24-16; 3-Pointers: (J) Holt 3, Martz; Records: Cinco Ranch 18-10, 7-4, Jordan 21-7, 8-3;