Polk County led at halftime 24-19 and took a 27-26 lead into the fourth quarter, but was outscored 17-8 in the fourth resulting in a disappointing 43-35 loss.

The Mountain Heritage Cougars’ height advantage finally became a factor as they out rebounded Polk in the later stages of the game. It was actually one of the best games Polk has played all year, the effort and intensity was definitely there throughout the game.

“I feel like we played our best defensive game; we blocked out, we communicated well, we got back on defense and we moved our feet,” Coach Josh McEntire said. “We did some really good things on defense. I was proud of the way we fought and played against a team with superior size and kept them off the offensive backboards.”

However, mental mistakes and poor execution down the stretch prevents a team from grabbing the win in big games. Once Mountain Heritage got the lead Polk seemed to rush the ball up the court and had several turnovers.

“On offense we did not take great shots at times, but they frustrated us with their zone and we could not get shots to fall,” McEntire said. “In the end they just caught a few more breaks than we did. They made some free throws when they needed to and made plays when they needed them. We have to make plays at the end and have confidence when it comes time to make the big play.  I continue to see improvement in this team we just need to learn to step up in big time games.”

Game Stats

Mtn. Heritage 43, Polk County 35

Polk: 14; 10; 3; 8 – 35

Mtn. Heritage: 13; 6; 7; 17 – 43

Polk – Philpott 12, Tanner 6, Miller 4, Stockdale 4, Carson 3, Hines 3, Mullis 2

Records: Polk, 7-12, 3-6 WHC.

Next game: At Mitchell tonight, Tuesday, Jan. 29