Published on: Thursday, March 07, 2013

By Ted Howard

Potomac, MD- The Quince Orchard Cougars defeated the Churchill Bulldogs 65-57 on Tuesday in the 4A West semi-final game.

Both teams were physical and put on an outstanding defensive performance. The Cougars, who defeated Whitman in the previous round, were propelled into the regional finals behind clutch play from their seniors.

“We just worked hard every day in practice, focused on their plays, just learned what they run,” said senior guard Eric Hoadley, who help lift the Cougars to victory with four 3-pointers in the previous round against Whitman.

The Bulldogs and Cougars were physical from the tip. Within moments of the second quarter, both teams were in the bonus after drawing several charging fouls and creating turnovers.

The Cougars were strong on the offensive glass in the first half and were able to capitalize on second chance opportunities. The Bulldogs answered the call in the first half with a strong offensive performance from senior guard Dominique Williams, who had 12 points at the half. The Cougars and Bulldogs were neck-and-neck at the half, with the Cougars up 26-24.

The second half saw more of the same. Cougars’ senior guard Charles Porter created a lot of opportunities for himself by penetrating the paint from the perimeter. Porter, who had a team high 15 points, worked the Bulldog pressure to draw trips to the foul line and create easy baskets. The game ended as a nail biter in the fourth quarter, as neither team was able to pull away. With six lead changes and one tie in the fourth quarter alone, Churchill seemed to be gaining momentum with a six-point lead late in the quarter. The Cougars battled back, and Hoadley hit a clutch three-pointer to put the Cougars ahead with less than two minutes left in the game. The Cougars never looked back from this point, hitting their free-throws down the stretch and pulled away with the win, 65-57.

“I told ‘em, this is a one and done deal,” said Cougars’ Coach Paul Foringer, who was prepared to see a completely different Bulldogs team on Tuesday night, after the Cougars won their previous meeting 64-46. The Cougars will face 4A defending state champion, Magruder, in the regional finals.