Brookhaven Academy fans crowded John R. Gray Gymnasium Saturdaynight to watch the Cougar teams play their regular season finale asthey hosted the Adams County Christian School Rebels for seniornight. A standing-room-only crowd saw emotions flow freely as LadyCougar seniors Kelli Byrd, Lauren Smith, Mallory Logan, KristianDavidson, and Alyson Pickett, along with Cougar seniors Cole Hodgesand Cameron Achord were honored in a pregame ceremony.

Both Cougar teams made sure the capacity crowd did not go homedisappointed as the Lady Cougars whipped ACCS 53-23, sparked byLogan’s 14 points.

Hodges scored 20 points, grabbed six rebounds, and dished outfive assists as the Cougars topped the Rebels 67-59.

The varsity girls game proved to be an emotional one asBrookhaven Coach Barry Gray found himself coaching against theperson the BA gym is named for– his father John R. Gray.

Brookhaven’s Gray made sure there was no suspicion about theoutcome of the game as the Lady Cougars jumped out to a quick 15-0lead and never looked back.

“Our girls’ program just isn’t at the point where they

can compete with a team like Brookhaven,” said John

Gray. “This game was emotional for me because I watchedBrookhaven’s seniors grow up and mature in the sport of basketball.Barry has done a great job with them. They’re an excellent team andI’m proud of them.”

Logan led the outburst of scoring in the first half as

she knocked down five of six shots from the floor. Four of thoseshots were from three point range.

Emily Langley added 10 points. Davidson scored nine and grabbedfour rebounds as the Lady Cougars improved to 28-1 on theseason.

“I was proud of Mallory tonight, she shot the ball

extremely well from the floor,” said Barry Gray. “It’s good forthese seniors to end the season on a positive note. They’re a finegroup of Christian young ladies and they’ve accomplished a lot. I’mvery proud of them all and what they’ve meant to this team.”

Few teams are unlikely to have accomplished the feats of theseseniors under Barry Gray. In the four years they’ve played on thevarsity level under Gray,

they’ve compiled a record of 147 victories compared to onlyseven defeats. They’ve won three straight AA State titles and oneOverall State title as they finished a perfect 43-0 last season. Inthat four year span, they’ve lost only once at home.

“We wanted to play well tonight and we did,” said guard KelliByrd. “It meant a lot to be playing our last home game in front ofMr. Gray. He means a lot to all of us. Now we just have to continueto play well in the tournaments.”

ACCS was led by Brittany Ganberi who scored 8 points.

In the varsity boys game, Jeremy Winborne and T-Boy Lynch eachscored 16 points in support of Hodges, as the Cougars held off theupset-minded Rebels. Winborne also had 11 rebounds and sevensteals. Lynch added 5 steals as the Cougars ended the regularseason 26-1 and recorded their 25th straight victory.

“I wasn’t happy with the way the boys played tonight,” saidBrookhaven coach Dale Watts. “But I’m very proud of them. They’remy boys and I’m proud of them.”

ACCS was able to stay with the Cougars through the

first half, as Brookhaven carried a slim 35-34 lead into theintermission. The Cougars came out on fire

in the third quarter to outscore the Rebels 24-10

going into the final frame.

“Fatigue had a lot to do with how poorly we played in the firsthalf,” added Watts. “We came out and shot the ball well in thethird quarter to give us a little cushion. But there are still somethings we can get

better at.”

Hodges, who already has one AA State title to his credit, saidthe win was big. “The victory was important. I’m glad we could geta win for all the people that came out tonight to support us. Wewanted to keep our win streak alive and end the regular season on apositive note before going into the tournaments.”

ACCS forward Casey Gould led all scorers with 26

points. Dustin Case followed with 22 points for the Rebels.

Brookhaven Academy’s teams begin postseason play this week inthe District 4-AA tournament at Bowling Green. Both teams areseeded number one.