(Festus, MO) The Kingston Cougars are headed to the Class 3 State Quarterfinal for the first time in program history after Tuesday night’s road victory over the Jefferson Blue Jays 54-42.
Jefferson began the game with a 7-0 run and looked to be in control, before the Cougars bounced back with unrelenting force. Cody Yates and Mason Nelson propelled Kingston to a 22-0 rally from the midway point of the opening quarter, continuing two minutes into the second.
Nelson led the attack hitting four straight 3-pointers during the first half.
Kingston Cougars head coach Paul Hamilton called a timeout amidst the Blue Jays 7-0 spurt to calm his group down.
Nelson spoke with KFMO Sports after the game about what was said during the timeout called by Coach Hamilton.
Yates says the timeout helped the team settle in to the big game.
Yates led all scorers with 27 points, while Nelson contributed 19 in the Sectional victory. The duo had 20 of the 22 points during Kingston’s first half rally.
Paul Hamilton says Nelson’s ability from the arc over the last two weeks has been outstanding.
Jefferson didn’t go away easy as Nate Breeze broke through for a 3-pointer, followed by an energetic dunk to cap a 10-2 stretch for the Jays, who fell short despite outscoring Kingston in the second half 24-21.
Breeze led Blue Jays shooters with 18 points, while Cooper Frisk finished with 12 total points and was just 4-for-15 from the field. Kaleb Weiler, who averaged 15.9 points per game, finished off his senior season with an eight point performance in the season ending defeat.
Kingston will face the top team in Class 3, New Madrid, on Saturday in the Class 3 Quarterfinal. The Cougars are 19-9. Jefferson’s 17-game winning streak gets snapped as their season ends with a record of 22-6.