The Cowboys welcomed the Canyon View Falcons from Cedar City into town last Friday night. A back and forth battle all night saw the Cowboys start off slow, struggling to get into an offensive rhythm. Fighting against an early full court press put on by the Falcons, it took the Cowboys awhile to find an answer. After one quarter of play the Falcons led 16-12.
The second quarter saw both teams get physical, battling for every possession and every point. The Falcons’ Andrew Barnes led the scoring attack in the first half as the Cowboys offense finally settled in, they managed to cut the lead to one point at halftime 31-30.
The Cowboys grabbed their first lead of the game in the defensive heavy third quarter, where neither team was able to put up many points, but the Cowboys carried the lead into the fourth quarter 41-39. The intensity picked up in the fourth quarter as both teams’ chippiness and hard play ignited energy from the crowd. The Cowboys controlled the pace of the game in the fourth, leading all the way in the final stanza until the Falcons tied the game with 8.4 seconds left at 57 a piece.
The Cowboys failed to get a shot off, sending the game into overtime (OT). Two turnovers to start the OT saw the Cowboys get down by four with just over a minute left in the game. As the Falcons tried to stall with a two point lead, sharp shooters Jordan Cornell and Ashton Grymes fouled out with 44 seconds left, giving freshman point guard Kale Glover an opportunity. The Falcons took a six-point lead with 22 seconds left after a Cowboy turnover and easy bucket by the Falcons. Preston Houston then nailed a clutch three with 12 seconds left, leading to a Cowboys foul by Glover to stop the clock. The Falcons extended the lead on a free throw that looked to ice the game giving them a four-point lead until Kason Janes hit a huge three pointer from the elbow, got fouled, and gave the Cowboys an opportunity to tie on the free throw try. Janes missed the tying free throw, but the ball went out on a Falcons player, giving the ball back to the Cowboys with 3.4 seconds left and the Cowboys down one point 65-66.
Freshman Kale Glover caught the ball on an inbound pass fading to the elbow behind the three-point line and launched a beautiful shot that dropped in off the glass, giving the Cowboys the victory 68-66. The crowd obviously went wild and stormed the court after such a dramatic ending and tough win over a 4A opponent. Coach Jerron Glazier said, “I loved the way the boys battled through sickness. I loved the outcome and the memory we created for our team and our community.” Kason Janes led the scoring attack for the Cowboys with 22, followed by Cornell with 18 and Grymes with 12. Collin Szymanski and Janes led the boys with 12 rebounds each. The Falcons were led by Andrew Barnes who had 25 points.
The Cowboys hosted Diamond Ranch on Tuesday, December 21, and pulled out another victory 80-47.
