Cougars face Tigers in annual ‘Cat Fight’

The gym at Lakewood High School was decked out with posters and the school colors of both the Cougars and Granite Falls Tigers during the schools’ fourth “Cat Fight” basketball game.

By Lauren Salcedo • January 23, 2013 8:53 am
Freshman Reille Jones prepares to shoot during the Lakewood vs. Granite Falls “Cat Fight” game on Friday
Freshman Reille Jones prepares to shoot during the Lakewood vs. Granite Falls “Cat Fight” game on Friday

LAKEWOOD — The gym at Lakewood High School was decked out with posters and the school colors of both the Cougars and Granite Falls Tigers during the schools’ fourth “Cat Fight” basketball game.

The varsity girls game started first and was a win for the Lakewood team, which topped Granite Falls, 43-28.

The Cougars started out with a sizable lead thanks to their strong offense, scoring 11 points in the first quarter alone, while Granite Falls only managed four.

Although Lakewood’s defense stopped the Tigers a lot in the first quarter and they optimized their rebounds, the Tigers kept pace with the Cougars in the second quarter, when they scored 12 points to Lakewood’s 14 points, and the teams went into half time with a 25-16 score to Lakewood.

If the Tigers hoped to make a comeback in the second half, they fell short of that goal, especially with a low-scoring third quarter for both teams, with Granite Falls only scoring two points and Lakewood scoring five. Both teams upped their strength defensively, but the Tigers couldn’t close the gap on the lead the Cougars had from the start. They scored another 10 points in the fourth quarter, while Lakewood scored 13 points and the Cougars finished the game with a 43-28 lead.

It was Cougar freshmen who led the way in scoring, including 5-foot-11 freshman Reille Jones, who scored 11 points ,and 5-foot-10 Marissa Blair, who scored 10 points. Sophomore Hailey Malakowski scored eight points, including two 3-pointers, while freshman Hayley Senyitko scored seven points, including one 3-pointer. Senior Mikayla Holmes scored five points, including one 3-pointer, while junior Cassidy Dvorak scored two points.

Following the girls game was the Cougar boys team, who lost by one point to the Tigers, 58-57. The Cougars held the lead going into halftime, but couldn’t hold on as the Tigers outpaced them in the final quarter.

The Lady Cougars are set to face Kings High School on Friday, Jan. 25, at 7 p.m. at home for a Coaches vs. Cancer fundraising game, while the boys teams play at Kings at the same time, also for Coaches vs. Cancer.