Cooter holds off Mustangs in opening round

RISCO, Mo. -- In the weeks leading up to the Tri County Conference Tournament, there was much controversy as to how the seeds would fall into place.

As they were released, there were grumblings around the area that the seventh-seeded North Pemiscot Mustangs got a raw deal as they drew second-seeded Cooter in the first round at Risco Monday night.

The Mustangs went a long way in proving that they did indeed deserve a higher seed as they were competitive the whole way, but fell short by a count of 78-70.

The two offenses traded blows in the opening quarter as North Pemiscot sophomore Britton Wilson picked up six points on the frame as a result of his work on the offensive boards.

Not to be outdone, Cooter's Aaron McCaig continued to his tear through the Tri-County Conference as he kicked off another big night with six points of his own in the first quarter. Following a Charles Copeland lay in, Cooter held a 17-16 edge after one period.

Cooter went on to extend their lead substantially in the second quarter. Sophomore Zach Watkins, who is widely known for his rebounding and shotblocking, came up big for the Wildcats, except this time on offense.

Watkins knocked down a pair of 3-pointers in the second period on his way to helping Cooter outscore the Mustangs 24-13 on the quarter and lead 41-29 at the half.

At halftime, the Mustangs may have been down, but they most certainly weren't out as more strong inside play from Wilson and Edward Childress helped them scratch and claw their way back to within three points.

"Well you know it was ugly tonight but sometimes, especially when your seeded high in a tournament, that happens," Cooter coach Delane Beckwith said. "No matter how many times you tell your kids not to worry about the Clarkton Reindeer or the Campbell Camels or whoever you play the next game, they do, which lets teams sneak up on you. But that's just kids, and it's what makes our job as coaches fun."

However the Mustangs simply had no answer for McCaig who knocked down another pair of 3s in the third period, and picked up six points in transition in the final period to help Cooter hold on for the eventual win.

McCaig led all scorers on the evening with 31 points on the night. He was joined in double figures by Watkins with 15 and Givens with 14.

North Pemiscot was led by their post players Childress and Wilson, who scored 22 and 21 points respectively.

With the win, the Wildcats advance to the semifinals to meet the winner of tonight's Clarkton-Holcomb matchup.