It has been a season of growing pains for Coldwater basketball so far.
Neither the Cougars or Lady Cougars have been able to pull out a win halfway into the season and while that didn’t change in last Friday’s matinee against Ashland, Coldwater did show flashes of progress against its region foes.
In a 56-37 loss for the Lady Cougars, Coldwater rallied from an early 6-0 deficit to tie the contest, setting up a back-and-forth battle over the final four minutes of the opening quarter. The Lady Blue Devils made it an 14-11 lead late in the first period, only for Coldwater to drain a three and tie the game at the first quarter buzzer.
A quick 6-0 run within the opening minute of the second period helped Ashland begin to pull away before halftime and a three-pointer with 2:01 left pushed the Lady Cougars into a 10-point deficit, 29-19.
Trailing 34-22 at the halftime break, Coldwater took advantage of miscues from Ashland to open the second half on a 9-3 run, closing the gap to 37-31 late in the third quarter. That’s when the Lady Blue Devils began to play keep-away, holding the ball on the final three possessions of the quarter and taking a 41-31 lead into the fourth and final quarter.
Momentum favored the visiting team over the final eight minutes of the contest, as Ashland began to pull away for good, denying the Lady Cougars their first win of the season.
Brieunna Coleman led Coldwater with 19 of the team’s 37 points, while Gre’meria Jackson added six more points for the Lady Cougars. Megan Crutcher led Ashland with 22 points, while Morgan Crutcher chipped in an additional 15 points.
In a 56-44 loss during the boys’ contest, Ashland led the entire way despite pressure from the Cougars. Trailing 15-10 entering the second period, the Cougars opened with three straight turnovers that resulted in a pair of quick baskets for the Blue Devils.
Although Coldwater would close out the first half on a 9-0 run, the Cougars would still head to the locker room on the wrong end of the scoreboard, down 28-23.
Coldwater opened the second half the right way, draining a quick jumper that brought the Cougars within a short 28-25 deficit. However, Ashland answered with a 6-0 run of its own to pull the lead back to nine points.
Trailing 42-31 entering the fourth period, Coldwater was unable to come any closer, as Ashland maintained its double-figure lead over the final eight minutes of the contest.
Wilson led Coldwater with 17 points, while Allen accounted for 14 points in the loss.
Coldwater remains winless on the season, as the two teams will reconvene for a road matchup at Independence on January 4.
