Cougar Men get road win for 15th victory
ACHS shakes off slow start to top McDowell
Three Cougars scored in double figures to lead a come-from-behind effort against the McDowell Titans on Tuesday evening, February 5, in Marion.
Despite trailing 16-8 after one period, the Cougars outscored McDowell 43-26 during the second and third stanzas to secure an impressive 68-59 road win.
With the victory, ACHS improved to 15-6 overall this season. With three conference games (Freedom, Hickory, South Caldwell) remaining on the schedule, the Cougars stand at 8-3 in NW 3A/4A contests.
Jem Lowrance scores 16 points in win at McDowell.
Junior Jem Lowrance again led the ACHS offense. The Cougar forward led a trio of double-figure scorers with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Freshman guard Evan Presnell continued to shoot the ball well from behind the three-point line. Presnell hit four of nine shots from downtown and finished with 13 points.
Senior forward Lyndon Strickland added a dozen points in the win.
JC Olivo led four Titans in double figures with a game-high 18 points.
LADY COUGARS CAN’T START WIN STREAK
After claiming their first league win of the season last Friday against St. Stephens, the ACHS Lady Cougars looked to make it two straight wins on Tuesday at McDowell.
However, McDowell scored 29 points off 24 Cougar turnovers and rolled to a 51-37 win over the Varsity Lady Cougars.
The loss dropped Alexander to 2-19 overall and 1-10 in league games.
Teagan Pennell led the Lady Cougars with 10 points, while Nikki Hagy added eight points and 13 rebounds.
JV WOMEN NEED TWO OVERTIMES TO STAY PERFECT
In the first game of the day on Tuesday, the Alexander JV Women’s Basketball Team stayed perfect on the season with a 48-43 win over McDowell in a double-overtime shootout.
The two teams played to a 35-35 tie after regulation play. After one overtime period, the game remained deadlocked at 40 all.
However, ACHS rallied in the second extra session to outscore the home squad 8-3 for the five-point win.
Freshmen guards Chesney Stikeleather and Peyton Price combined for 32 of Alexander’s 48 points. Stikeleather’s recent run of hot play continued as she tallied a team-best 17 points. Price contributed 15 points from her point guard position.Price’s long three-pointer in the final seconds of the first overtime session forced the second extra period.
The win lifted ACHS to 16-0 overall this season and 6-0 in NWC clashes.
JV MEN COME UP SHORT IN SECOND STRAIGHT
Alexander Central’s JV Men’s Team dropped its second straight game in a 46-39 loss to the McDowell JV Titans on Tuesday.
The seven-point loss to the Titans dropped the young Cougars to 7-11 overall and 5-6 in conference games.
Mason Hubbard led the Alexander offense with eight points in Tuesday’s loss. Dusty Sigmon added six points and Grove Lowrance tallied five points.
The ACHS Teams will remain away from home on Friday evening, February 8, when they travel to Morganton to face the Freedom Patriots.
The JV women’s game will open play at 4 pm. The Patriot Varsity Teams will enter Friday’s games with unbeaten NWC records after a doubleheader sweep of South Caldwell on February 5. Both Patriot squads will enter Friday’s Senior Night contests with 20-1 records.
ACHS returns home next week for games against Hickory on Tuesday, February 12. The Cougars host South Caldwell in the regular season finale on Friday, February 15.
Teagan Pennell 3-7 2-2 10; Gracie Harrington 2-8 5-6 9; Nikki Hagy 3-8 2-5
8; Lanie Hammer 2-11 0-1 4; Jordan Black 1-1 0-0 2; Ivy Fortner 1-3 0-0 2;
Malorie Glenn 1-4 0-0 2; Karly Fairchild 0-4 0-0 0. Totals 13-46 9-14 37.
Dezi Williams 5-11 4-4 14; Makaylah Chandler 4-14 1-2 11; Makenna Parkins
2-14 6-7 10; Alana Stephenson 2-7 2-2 6; Candace Cooper 2-6 0-0 5; Naliyah
Boyce 0-5 3-8 3; Daisy Rice 0-1 2-3 2; Tayla Wood 0-1 0-2 0; Silese Carson
0-3 0-0 0. Totals 15-62 18-28 51.
McDowell…………………. 11 11 16 13 – 51
1-4; Alana Stephenson 0-1; Daisy Rice 0-1; Silese Carson 0-2; Dezi Williams
0-4). Fouled out–Alexander Central-None, McDowell-Makenna Parkins.
Rebounds–Alexander Central 43 (Nikki Hagy 13), McDowell 47 (Dezi Williams
14). Assists–Alexander Central 8 (Nikki Hagy 4), McDowell 7 (Dezi Williams
4). Total fouls–Alexander Central 18, McDowell 12. Technical
fouls–Alexander Central-None, McDowell-None. A-434
Jem Lowrance 6-16 4-4 16; Evan Presnell 4-9 1-2 13; Lyndon Strickland 6-7
0-0 12; Maddox Kerley 3-6 0-1 6; Zach Wooten 1-2 2-2 5; Lucas Walker 1-4 3-4
5; Dalton Stikeleather 2-6 0-0 5; Jamison Benfield 2-4 0-1 4; Dawson Elder
1-3 0-0 2. Totals 26-57 10-14 68.
JC Olivo 6-11 3-3 18; Trent Lewis 5-12 3-3 13; Qualigue Garner 5-13 0-0 13;
Dylan McRary 2-10 7-7 11; DeQuan Boyce 1-3 0-0 2; Adam Randolph 1-1 0-0 2;
Trenton Gragg 0-0 0-0 0; Richard Handy 0-0 0-0 0; Jalen Robbins 0-0 0-0 0;
Andruw Randolph 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 20-50 13-13 59.
McDowell…………………. 16 10 16 17 – 59
Dalton Stikeleather 1-1; Lucas Walker 0-3; Jamison Benfield 0-2; Jem
Lowrance 0-4), McDowell 6-23 (JC Olivo 3-7; Qualigue Garner 3-7; Dylan
McRary 0-8; DeQuan Boyce 0-1). Fouled out–Alexander Central-None,
McDowell-None. Rebounds–Alexander Central 34 (Jem Lowrance 12), McDowell 31
(Trent Lewis 7). Assists–Alexander Central 18 (Evan Presnell 5), McDowell
16 (Dylan McRary 5; Adam Randolph 5). Total fouls–Alexander Central 15,
McDowell 14. Technical fouls–Alexander Central-None, McDowell-None. A-434
