Cougars defeats Cherokee 74-55 for the first time since January 2008

In a game where East needed to win, they did not disappoint. From the tipoff to the final seconds of the game, the Cougars dominated the ball on both sides of the court. Things did look a bit iffy to start of the game, however. Jake Gurkin ('12) and Dan Melleby ('11) were benched in the first quarter on a coach's decision, but East still managed to outscore the Chiefs 15-12 without either starter. Edou Zaken ('11) and Jesse Gold ('12) started for East.

East started off the game with a Zaken layup just seconds into the game. They had a quick six-point lead, until Cherokee made two shots in a row to cut it to 6-4 in East's favor. Later in the quarter on a breakaway, Chris Santo ('11) missed a dunk, but grabbed the first of his 11 rebounds to put it back in for a layup.

The second quarter (now with Gurkin and Melleby in the game) started off with a Cherokee three pointer by their leading scorer, Bryan Cooper who had 17 for the game. After a few alternating shots and a Gurkin layup, East was up 25-19 when Cherokee called their first timeout. Melleby turned the ball over on the next drive and Cooper made two 3-pointers in a row tying the game up at 25. Gurkin single-handedly started to increase the lead with a offensive rebound turned into a hook shot followed up by another layup. Gurkin had six points in the quarter. After Cherokee made two free throws, Marc Schlessel ('12) started to make his shots (a three-pointer followed by two foul shots giving East their final point of the half with 34 to Cherokee's 29.

The third quarter is what really finalized the game for the Cougars. Schlessel threw a no look pass to Gold who made the three. Sam Rose ('11) dished it out to Gurkin for a layup making the score 41-31. Gold then made his second 3 pointer of the quarter and his eighth point of career high 14. Rose once again passed it to Gold for another three, which sent the crowd screaming. Gold not only showed up on offense, but sprinted back court to steal the ball passing it to Rose who assisted a Gurkin three making the score 50-35. Cherokee called a timeout to settle down their players as the score of this quarter was 16-6 only four minutes in. Following the timeout Cherokee made a three. On the next possession, Schlessel missed a three pointer in which Santo tipped in. Santo then had another put back shot giving East 54 points as of the 2:37 mark on the clock. Cherokee then made two foul shots which led to the third and final Rose to Gurkin three. Gurkin at this point had not missed a shot for the game. Cherokee then went on to make one of two from the line and on the next play, Gurkin missed his first shot on a jumper with 25 seconds remaining in the third with the score 59-46. Cherokee went on to miss two shots underneath the basket when Santo grabbed the rebound dribbling down court to take a final shot in which he made at the buzzer giving East 28 points in the third quarter with the score 62-46.

The fourth quarter was not a fun one to watch, as it resulted in East holding the ball for just under three minutes. East still managed to outscore Cherokee 12-9 in the final quarter beating them 74-55 after losing three straight to them dating back to the 2008-2009 season.

Stats of the game: Chris Santo- 7-13 from the field with 22 points 11 rebounds. Marc Schlessel- 15 points six rebounds and a career high 7 assists (leading the team). Jake Gurkin- 19 points in just three quarters of play shooting 8-10 from the field. Sam Rose had five assists, Jesse Gold had 14 points shooting 5-6 with two free throws also dishing out 5, and Justin DeJesus making his only shot of the game bringing his season total to 6-6 from the field.

Player of the game: The entire team. They showed up to play this game on both sides of the court and showed the fans what type of team they truly are.