Cougars hold off charge

Updated: March 23, 2011 9:22AM

Andrean looked like it was still sleep walking back from the end of a long day at school when the 59ers took the floor against West Side.

The Cougars made the 59ers pay dearly for their slow start, beating them 67-56 despite a furious second-half comeback.

Andrean spotted West Side an 18-point lead, thanks to a second quarter scoring malaise in which the 59ers didn't make a bucket for over six minutes.

"Our guys played with a tremendous amount of vim and vinegar in the second half," Andrean coach Carson Cunningham said. "You can't dig a hole like that and expect to come back."

The Cougars suffocated Andrean early with their pressure defense and by getting it inside to Jonathan Black, a 6-5 wide body who is hard to guard if he gets the ball down low. Black, who had six first-half points, finished with 17.

"I just try to use my body especially when I'm playing against guys that are taller than me," said Black, who had 6-7 Josh James guarding him.

West Side jumped out to a 6-1 lead before Nick Davidson hit a 3-pointer with 3:50 left in the first quarter.

The Cougars finished the first quarter with an 11-1 run that ended when Arnold Wilson dropped in a 3 from the corner at the buzzer, giving West Side a 17-5 advantage.

Cunningham pulled four of his starters at the end of the first quarter partially to try to get a defensive boost and partially to protect Adam Bosak and Davidson because they had two fouls each.

West Side stretched its lead to 23-5 when Rashaad Armsrong made a pair of free throws with 4:36 left in the half.

Andrean finally broke a scoring slump that last 6:34 when Josh James made his first bucket of the game with 3:00 left in the half. West Side made 12-of-22 from the field in the first half while Andrean was just 4-of-20. They finished 17-of-50 for the game.

The 59ers came out fighting and trapping in the second half.

They trailed by 10 after three quarters.

A 3-pointer by Collin Wojcik with 6:50 left cut the lead to seven and then another bucket by James, who was just 1-of-9 in the first half, cut the West Side lead to 46-41. Wojcik made two free throws with 5:16 left that made it 47-43 in favor of West Side.

Andrean had all the momentum going, particularly after the 59ers forced a turnover.

But Arnold Wilson broke their heart and quieted the rowdy crowd when he stole a pass in the backcourt and flipped to Jimmy Dunham with 4:50 left in the quarter.

Two more free throws by Davidson cut the lead to four again but Wilson made a pair of free throws to give the Cougars a seven-point lead.

West Side expanded the lead to eight and then milked the clock for the rest of the way.

West Side coach Winston Garland said his team played fairly well for part of the game.

"We played good in the first half," he said. "We had seven or eight good minutes in the second half and that is being generous."

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