CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- The CCSC boys’ basketball team wrapped up the first part of the season with a 2-1 record. It started off its 2007-08 season with a win over Foxboro Regional. The boys made the home opener seem easy as they soared pass the opposing team, 55-45.

Skills were displayed on both sides of the court, but CCSC still had minor mess-ups that could have cost it the game. For example, team free throw shooting was below 50%. After the game coach Hurst-Hiller said, “We have a lot of work to do,” as in the CCSC boys have a lot of tough practices ahead of them. Despite the misses and turnovers, the Cougars were able to recover and kept a lead through halftime that allowed them to win the game.

Co-Captain Bayoan Garcia had a total of 18 points, seven rebounds, four assists, but he also had five turnovers. Co-Captain Geo Morgan and Jude Odige each had a total of seven points. Michael Elysse had ten points and eight rebounds.

The team as a whole shot 46% from the field, had ten steals and ten assists but had a recorded 14 turnovers. The Cougars will try to maintain the positive attitude they had going into the season for the remainder of the season.

The team looked forward heading into Boston with a 1-0 record for the first time in CCSC history; up next was City on the Hill in its inaugural season in the MCSAO. The boys didn’t know what to expect since they never played them before - or heard of them.

In the first minutes of the game, the Cougars and the Blue Storm went back and forth in scoring until Coach Hurst-Hiller called a timeout. He told his team, “The only way we are going to beat them is to go up, draw contact, make them foul you, and then make the shot.” The Cougars listened to their coach and at three minutes before the half, the Blue Storm had over 15 fouls.

At the half, the Cougars were down six. The second half was different as Jude Odige continued his torrid pace. In the first half he took over and scored almost half the boys’ points and ended up with 17.  Meanwhile, Bayoan Garcia and Michael Elysee combined for 29 points, and Geo Morgan and Chuck Tibbs combined for 14 rebounds.

Morgan missed the last two free throws to put the Cougars up by three and gave the Blue Storm a chance to score. But the boys held them off and won the game 57-56. After the game Coach Hurst-Hiller said, “They were very athletic but they were not disciplined - that’s why we won the game because we are disciplined and athletic.”

As they boys headed to the Academy of the Pacific Rim on Wednesday, they were excited about possibly being 3-0 at the end of the night. However, they faced a pesky and aggressive team that they split games with last year. It was a low scoring game, and APR ended up on top, 32-28. Despite 11 points and 11 rebounds from Bayoan Garcia, and four other CCSC players figuring in with at least eight caroms, the Cougars dropped its first contest of the young season.

The next game will be in 2008 at MATCH at Jackson Mann in Brighton on Saturday, January 5 at 3 pm.