The Grayson County Middle School boys basketball teams split a pair of games Thursday evening in Cougar Gym.
In the opener, Spencer Langdon hit four three-pointers to finish with a game-high 18 points, and point guard Kaden Hanshaw recorded a double-double with 12 points and 16 rebounds as the Cougars moved to 5-0 on the season with a 39-31 victory.
In the eighth-grade game, the Cougars led by six with 3:08 to play, then went scoreless the rest of the way, allowing East to score ten unanswered points to win the game 40-36.
SEVENTH-GRADE GAME
The Cougars never trailed after scoring the game’s first nine points and leading 13-6 after the first period of play. Hanshaw scored nine of his 12 points in the first period. Grayson County led by three, 20-17 at the half.
One of two free throws by East’s Kash Carter with 56 seconds left in the third quarter pulled the Raiders to within a point of the lead, 25-24, but they would get no closer.
Carter and Armani Bird led the Raiders with 12 points each.
Eli Meredith finished with five points for the Cougars, while Garrett Bradley and Trigg Payne had two each to complete the Cougar scoring.
EIGHTH-GRADE GAME
This was a close game from the start. The Raiders led by four in the early going of the first period, but a 7-0 Cougar run saw them take a 10-9 lead after the first period of play.
Kaleb Prince scored for the Raiders to open the second period and give his team an 11-10 lead, but the Cougars responded with an 8-0 run to lead 18-11 with 42 seconds left in the half. Grayson County led by six, 18-12 at the half.
When Gage Napier scored on a short running jumper to open the third period, the Cougars held their largest lead of the night, eight points at 20-12.
The Raiders used a 6-0 run to pull back into the game and trailed by just two, 27-25 at the start of the fourth quarter.
Chase Baunach hit a three-ball with 3:08 remaining to be played and Grayson County led 36-30. Those would be the last points the Cougars would score. The Cougars would possess the ball five more times in the game, but they turned the ball over on four of those possessions.
Kyler Pedigo hit three three-pointers and led the Raiders with 14 points.
Kaden Hanshaw led the Cougars with 16 points, and Napier joined him in double figures with 11 points. Jake Bratcher had six points, and Baunach finished with three to complete the Cougar scoring.
By Don Brown, Local Sports
Reach Don at donbrown@k105.com
