CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The Clarksville Academy Cougars hosted the Nashville Christian Eagles in their second to last game of the regular season on Thursday, Feb. 6. The Cougars were intense from the beginning of the matchup, diving for loose balls and playing physical defense. They fed off that momentum on the offensive end to run past the Eagles, and earn a key district win, 60-36.
Right out of the gates, Academy created several steals and turned them into transition offense, which included some dunks that brought the house down. The Cougars went on a 9-0 run to start the game and led 33-19 at the half.
Clarksville Academy’s new interim head coach Sean Jones said defense was a point of emphasis. “That was what we harped on pregame was defense,” said Jones. “When you control the pace of the game and dictate that to the other team, it creates opportunities. We feed off that momentum; it’s huge for us or any high school team. We weren’t scared to make the play, and we made a lot of those tonight.”
Academy continued the pressure and cleared their benches for most of the fourth quarter.
The Cougars have one more game against Mount Juliet Christian, then it’s on to the postseason, where records don’t matter, and it’s win or go home.
“We have to be in the moment together,” said Jones. “We need to have a good outing so we can feel good about the way we are playing. You don’t want to feel like you’ve taken a step back. We want to make sure we’re playing our best basketball at the right time.”
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