(2/11/08) Cougars lose 44-41 to Howard and are knocked out of the 2008 AAC playoffs.

The good news is that TCS has now made it to the AAC playoffs three years in a row, the bad is that they have not been able to get past the first round yet. Coach Richie Briggs states; "since Brian and I got the opportunity to take over the varsity boy's basketball program our vision is to bring Cottage a championship. With a vision we understand it takes one step at a time, so making the playoffs is step one and we have done that. Finding a way to move on to the second round is step two. With our youth and their determination, maybe we will be able to do that next season. One thing is for sure our basketball team is so hungry for that to happen, their work ethic over the next eight months will be great so that they are prepared to take on this tough task next season."

TCS took a tough loss but for those who came out to witness the game, one would have observed that their effort and will to overcome major obstacles was truly amazing. "Sometimes you lose and are still champions and that is what our Cougars did last night," says Coach Briggs.

In the first half both teams battled each other for a 23-20 Howard advantage. The combination of Anthony Isaacs inside and Florian Mayrhofer outside was tough for the Hawks to handle, but Howard was able to match TCS with strong penetration from their point guard, #10-Brown. Isaacs scored 10 of his game high 16 points in this half thanks in large part to the Cougars patience on offense, feeding Isaacs the ball off reversal over and over. What hurt TCS from leading at the half was turning the ball over 13 times and giving up three offensive rebound put backs to #15-Soderstrom.

The second half was simple, decrease the number of turnovers and offensive rebounds, stop penetration, and continue to be poise on offense and TCS would prevail.

TCS responded well to the simple plan and for the exception of a Howard forced turnover lay up with just .5 seconds left in the third period, TCS corrected their mistakes and outscored Howard 11-6 to go onto the fourth frame even at 31 points a piece.

In the fourth quarter, TCS continued to follow their halftime corrections with just 7 turnovers for the entire second half. With this strong mental toughness, our Cougars continued to be patient on offense and with just three minutes left and Howard up by six points it paid off. TCS worked the ball around and found Jake Utley and Billy Tomcho open on the wings where their practice and confidence aided in bombing three outside shots. Tomcho hit a fifteen footer on the right baseline and Utley hit back to back jumpers; the first from three point range and the second was from seventeen feet out to get our Cougars back in the game with Howard having a 42-40 lead with just under a minute left. All our Cougars needed was a stop and they would have the opportunity to tie or take the lead, but the one Achilles heal that hurt them all game once again put a stop to their comeback. TCS plays solid defense and forced Howard to an outside shot, but than one of the Hawks fights for position and gets an offensive rebound put back to take a 44-40 lead with just .30 seconds to play. Our Cougars came down on offense and Scott Hendrickson is fouled where he hit one of two free throws to get within one possession, but on the defensive end TCS fouled a Hawk with just .6 seconds left. He missed the front end of the one and one and once again, a Howard Hawk picks up another offensive rebound throws up a shot and misses as the buzzer sounds for the 44-41 Cougar loss.

Game Notes:

Anthony Isaacs finished with his 10^th double-double of the season, scoring 16 points and pulling down 14 rebounds.

Co-Captain and senior Florian Mayrhofer added 7 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 steals in his final game as a Cougar.

Jake Utley added 7 points, 2 rebounds, and a steal.

Co-Captain Scott Hendrickson scored 5 points and grabbed 5 rebounds.

Billy Tomcho scored 6 points and had 2 rebounds.

Senior Luke Hanson added 3 assists in his final game as a Cougar.

Senior Daniel Kill snagged 5 rebounds and blocked a shot in his final game as a Cougar.

Congrats go out to our seniors above and to our other three seniors; ChrisLefor, Jordan Taylor, and Adam Weinberg. Their leadership was hopefully passed on to our younger Cougars.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to our sick Cougars who were unable to participate; Omari Anderson, Paul Johnson, Assistant Coach Brian Odom, and Adam Weinberg. Their roles were huge for our Cougars this season helping us win six of our last seven games before the loss last night.

We would like to thank our team moms; Cheryl Bittel, Shari Hendrickson, Beth Lefor for helping our guys out all season with snacks, communicating important information to all the players' parents, and assisting at the scorer's table with the clock and scorebook. We want to thank Jeff Taylor for keeping our scorebook for most all our games. We also thank all the families, friends, staff, and others for supporting our guys all season as well as assisting with snacks and drinks.

Very Proud Cougar Coaches,

Richie and Brian

(2/7/08) TCS wins 10th game of the season with a 54-33 performance over the Atlanta Area School. 

Our Cougars jumped out to a big lead and never looked back. Coach Richie Briggs states, "This win was fun to be a part of because every team member contributed on the floor. With fourteen players on a team it is very hard for some to get quality minutes in a game, but having one like this allows for that opportunity. Brian and I are also proud of the fact that each Cougar supported and congratulated each other whether they were on the floor or on the bench. It was great teamwork that will only aid in our confidence and performance at Homecoming and in our playoff game at Howard on Monday."

Game Notes:

Anthony Isaacs led all scorers with 14 points, as he pulled down 8 rebounds, and added 2 assists and 2 steals.

Jordan Webb continues to work his way into our Cougar system as he played his best game thus far. He scored 13 points and added 8 rebounds.

Daniel Kill recorded 8 rebounds, his high for the season.

Ten of our fourteen Cougars scored and all recorded some statistical area.

Thanks to all the family and friends who came out to support us last night. Our guys cannot wait for the sellout crowd at tomorrow's Homecoming game.

Proud Cougar Coaches,

Richie and Brian

(2/5/08) TCS takes a tough loss, 46-42 to conference foe Hidden Lake Academy.

Our Cougars made a strong effort, but fall short, 46-42 vs.Hidden Lake Academy in yesterday's varsity boy's basketball action

For the first two and a half months of the season our Cougars had a major weakness in that they would start games very sluggish causing for them to have to climb a big hill to just get back into the game much less win it. Since January 17^th at Brandon Hall, our Cougars have corrected that disease and now come out confident, patient, and with the enthusiasm needed to win. Yesterday was no different as TCS took it right at HLA. "Our guys moved the ball so well, HLA had to stop pressing because we were breaking it every time," says Coach Briggs. Defensively, TCS also came out with a game plan in which they executed very well.

By the end of the first quarter, our Cougars took a 15-10 advantage. The starting five worked the ball around so beautifully on offense, all but one starter scored. Anthony Isaacs made great pass after great pass collecting three assists, working the high/low with teammate Scott Hendrickson, who converted baskets on all three dimes from Isaacs. Florian Mayrhofer added four assists for the game, in which two of them came in this quarter with made jump shots from Jake Utley and Omari Anderson.

Our Cougars cooled off a little in the second frame, but they were able to take a 25-19 halftime lead.

HLA came out tough in the third period, making a big run going up 34-30 with just .10 seconds in the quarter. Thankfully Omari Anderson was able to knock down a three on the last possession to stop some of the bleeding, as TCS was now down 34-33.

The first couple minutes of the fourth period was a stalemate as both teams exchanged one basket, but than HLA was able to capitalize on a four minute mental block from our Cougars taking a 42-35 lead with just 2.10 left on the clock. After a timeout, our Cougars thought back to their five overtime win last week and told each other that they can do this. They can fight back with confidence, focus for two minutes, and win or lose know they did their best to finish. It started with a Hendrickson jumper. HLA came right back and got an offensive stick back for a 44-37 lead with just over a minute left. TCS comes down, moved the ball on offense like they did so well in the first half, and Florian found Omari open on the reversal. Anderson never second guessed the shot as he drained his fourth three pointer of the game to get within four points at 44-40. Than HLA brings it across half court, Anderson steals the ball and takes it forty-two feet for a fast break lay up getting TCS within a basket with just .20 seconds to go in the game (44-42). A TCS timeout was taken and the instruction was to play their very best defense trying to force another turnover, and only to foul on purpose if HLA tried to stall on offense to run the clock out. Once again, our Cougars listened and their aggressive defense forced the HLA point guard out of control causing one more much needed turnover, an offensive charge. With .12 seconds left, our Cougars had done it again. They had a vision and a will to win just like the previous four wins. They put themselves in a position to tie the game or to win it and be the first varsity basketball Cottage team in history to beat Hidden Lake.

After a timeout at mid court and the game plan for the final play, our Cougars made a most critical mistake. They turned it over on the side out, had to foul, HLA made both free throws, and the opportunity to achieve the goal they set for themselves for this day came up short as HLA won 46-42. "The good news is that we have two more practices and games this week to work on our mistakes. Come Monday in the playoffs, begins a new season. Our guys understand that today's game means nothing in regards to what we need to do on Monday. It was just an opportunity that came and went. Rather do it now than in the playoffs," says Coach Briggs.

Game Notes:

Omari Anderson scored a game high 20 points, had 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals. Omari's drive and will to win was fun to watch.

Scott Hendrickson scored 14 points, had 5 rebounds, and stole a ball. His focus and hard work was second to none.

Jordan Webb scored 4 points, had a rebound, an assist, 2 steals, and 2 block shots.

Anthony Isaacs pulled down 10 rebounds, had three assists, and 2 points.

Jake Utley added two points and a rebound.

Billy Tomcho had 2 rebounds, 3 assists, and one steal. His heart and determination was not overlooked.

Luke Hanson provided good bench help with 2 rebounds and sound defense.

Thanks to all the friends, staff, and family for the support in what might have been our very last home game at Waller Gym. We have two non-conference games to complete the season this Thursday in Atlanta at The Atlanta Area School for the Deaf and Saturday versus Fideles Christian at Homecoming. Our Cougars did make the AAC playoffs and will be playing Monday, February 11^th at Howard. Time will be announced soon.

Proud Cougar Coaches,

Richie and Brian

(1/31/08) Cougars set two Cottage records in a five OT win vs. the North GA Falcons, 87-82!!!!!

Last night The Cottage School varsity boy's basketball team traveled up to Canton, GA to take on a home school outfit called the North Georgia Falcons. With our confidence high coming off three straight wins, our Cougars mentality was to keep the good thing rolling and get another win. But what took place on January 31, 2008 at Buffington Elementary School was beyond any of our Cougar?s imagination. "I know I am only 32 years old, but this game of basketball is my love and passion. Not only have I played and watched games in my era, but I watch ESPN classic to witness some of the greatest games ever played. Maybe I am biased, but this game tops them all. Our Cougars mentality to persevere, trust, be determined and confident, and have a will to never give up last night was amazing. Brian and I are so very proud of our Cougars for their consistent focus and effort in such a historic win," says Coach Richie Briggs. Enough said, to the game:

IT TAKES 5 OVERTIMES BUT THE TCS COUGARS PREVAIL AND BEAT THE NORTH GEORGIA FALCONS 87-82!!!!!

Dah, nah, nahnt! Dah, nah, nahnt! TCSPN reporting: In battling fatigue and foul trouble, a small private high school in Roswell, GA called The Cottage School show the true meaning of the saying, "never give up!" Their varsity Cougar basketball team defeats the North Georgia Falcons, 87-82 in a TCS record five overtimes. Sophomore point guard, Omari Anderson scored a game and TCS record high, 38 points in the win.

What now proves to be ironic, the two teams ended the first half tied 18 a piece. With solid team defense and patient offensive execution, the Cougars came back from a first quarter deficit to even the score. The combination of Anderson penetrating the lane and Junior Anthony Isaacs dominating the paint, the two scored 14 of the 18 TCS first half points, and got the Cougars back in the game. However, Isaacs picked up a silly third foul just before the end of the first two frames, causing him to miss the entire third period. This is why each member of a team becomes so important.
Sophomores, Jake Utley and Billy Tomcho along with the offensive leadership from Omari took the role in scoring for TCS. With good patience on offense, both Tomcho and Utley nail a couple long outside shots to take a 28-26 Cougar lead into the fourth quarter.
Defensively our Cougars continued to smother the Falcon attack, which really helped TCS stay in the game in the final period because their inside threat, Isaacs picked up an early 4^th foul and had to sit for most of this quarter. Once again, Anderson stepped up big knocking down two long three point bombs and almost ending the game with a 60 foot heave from beyond half court that bounced off the back board on the front rim, up in the air and on its way down grazed the right side of the rim only to roll out as the buzzer sounded in a 40-40 tie the end of regulation.
What happens in the next 20 clock minutes of play is some what of a blur, but I will try my best to explain it to you accurately.
With co-captain, Scott Hendrickson and Isaacs and Tomcho all with four fouls a piece the Cougars knew they had to play smart, but not lose their defensive aggression. At the same time, having the three on the floor with Anderson was critical as this group was playing fantastic together. Their patience on offense was a thing of beauty as we kept pounding the ball inside to Isaacs and if he did not convert, they reversed the ball to the weak side and another Cougar would step up. After the first two overtimes, the four combined to score 18 points to tie it a 58 a piece. However, Isaacs picked up his fifth foul, fouling out which now took away our inside strength, but once again we adjusted and ran a four guard set where the rest of the Cougars stepped up when called upon.
In the third OT, down by two with 9 seconds left, Omari with the ball at the top of the key gets an on ball screen on his right, he fakes left and takes it strong to the basket to his right and kisses the ball off the glass to tie the game at 65 a piece. A fourth OT is needed.
In the fourth OT, the Falcons and Cougars exchanged a couple baskets to tie it a 69. Than the Falcons jumped out to a five point lead with just .51 seconds left and they had possession of the ball. The screaming Falcon fans and players were excited and relieved thinking the game was in their grasp and this marathon was about to last in a Falcon victory. After a timeout, our Cougars had other plans. Full court pressure forced a Falcon turnover which led to another Anderson bucket to cut the lead to three. Than on the defensive end the Falcons best player (#1-scored 35 points-20 in the overtimes alone) was fouled in the act of shooting. He made one of two free throws to give his team a 75-71 lead with .40 seconds to go. Our Cougars came down and executed on offense got Hendrickson the ball where he was fouled in the act of shooting. Scottie barriers the two free throws to cut the Falcon lead to two, 75-73. Than after a forced and quick shot by the Falcons, Anderson comes down with the rebound and sets up another dramatic end of a period. Once again, our Cougars worked the ball around, and got a good shot off the right side of the court. The ball hit off the backboard where two Falcons were in position to get the rebound, but than the ball grazed the front of the rim which messed up the timing of the Falcons jump and Cougar newcomer, Jordan Webb picked up the offensive rebound, kept the ball high and stuck it back in for a 75-75 tie with just two seconds left on the clock. The Falcons quickly threw the ball in to their second leading scorer (#21 who finished with 22 points), who was fouled by Jake Utley thinking we were down one. Oh-oh, my! The Falcons were in a double bonus which meant #21 had two chances to seal the deal. However, the pressure was too much as he missed both free throws! Cougars survive and we play on for a fifth OT!
In the 5^th overtime, Anderson scores a quick two and a free throw to take a three point Cougar advantage. The Falcons answer back to get within one at 78-77. Than Scott makes one of two free throws to go up 79-77, but than on the defensive end fouls out attempting to stop the Falcon attack. They hit both free throws to tie it at 79 a piece. Co-captain Florian Mayrhofer comes in to take his place and helped save the Cougars from going down two with a steal after a turnover on our end. Even more important as we did not score on the next possession. Than on the defensive end our Cougars force a turnover and Tomcho is fouled. Mind you, Billy has been playing with four fouls and without a breather since way back in the fourth quarter. He calmly steps to the line, knocks down two GI-NOR-MOUS free throws to go ahead two 81-79. Than after a Falcon missed three pointer; Webb pulls down the rebound looks up the floor to Anderson where he than barriers a dagger: a three point bomb to go ahead 84-79. However, the Falcons got the ball in quickly and #4 raced to the basket and scored to get the game to an 84-81 Cougar lead. No worries as Omari comes down and nails a sweet five foot one legged jumper off the backboard to go back up 86-81. On the defensive end, Webb picks up his fifth foul fouling out and the Falcons convert one of two free throws to get it to a four point game, 86-82. On the inbounds, Tomcho is fouled again where he gets another opportunity to seal it. Again, Billy steps to the line and though he just made one of two, that made it a five point game at 87-82 with just .12 seconds left. The Falcons shoot a deep three and the historic game ends with the 87-82 Cougar victory!

Games notes:
Omari Anderson scores 38 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, took two charges, and stole three balls.
Anthony Isaacs scores 22 points and pulls down his career high, 19 rebounds.
Billy Tomcho scores 11 points and only turned the ball over 2 times.
Scott Hendrickson scores 9 points and snagged 12 rebounds.
The entire Cougar team played with such great sportsmanship as well as the Falcons, and their positive encouragement was outstanding. 

Brian and I again cannot express how proud we are of our young student-athletes. They showed us more of the same character that has now pushed us to win four games in a row. Next Tuesday, we go for five as we take on HLA at Waller. Hope to see you all there. 

Proud Cougar Coaches,
Richie and Brian

Much thanks to many of you who came to support our Cougars in yesterday's action at Waller Park vs. the Howard Hawks. We understand many more would have loved to come but were unable so thank you for keeping us in your thoughts and wishing us well. To all the family, friends, student body, and staff: wow! What a game!

TCS is victorious in a 60-55 win over conference rival, The Howard School.

Being mentally tough consistently throughout a whole game has been a weakness that our Cougars have been working on all season. Many times our Cougars would stay strong for moments to a couple periods, but in this game not only was their mental focus tested but it stood tall in a game where the competitive drive was high, the physicality made you feel suffocated, and as a result many attitudes flared. "Our character and mental toughness was tested and they passed. Brian and I are so proud of their will to pay attention to detail, a will to refrain from retaliating to multiple dirty Howard plays, a will to do their best under such pressure and high intensity, and an overall will to be determined to win under any circumstance," says Coach Richie Briggs.

Our Cougars came out hot in the first quarter executing beautifully on offense and in breaking Howard's full court press. With sound man-to-man defense and rebounding, our Cougars started the game up 9-0 and finished the period with a 17-10 lead.

In the second period, our Cougars continued their strong play led by Cougar big man, Anthony Isaacs. Isaacs capitalized on good ball movement from his teammates and on one play pulled off a Kevin McHale-esc up and under move resulting in an "and 1" where Isaacs completed the play making the free throw as he scored 6 of his 14 points in that quarter. Teammate, Jake Utley nailed a big three and Omari Anderson put in two free throws after being intentionally thrown into the wall on a Howard hard foul. Cougars stayed mentally tough and take a 32-22 halftime advantage.

The third period became critical as Howard really began to push the tempo abandoning their offensive execution, just attacking the rim on every possession. This strategy along with their attempt to physically take control of the game caused our Cougars to lose some offensive possessions and put Utley and Isaacs in foul trouble. The turnovers Howard forced put more pressure on our defense, but because our Cougars stayed focused they were able to match the Hawks offensively, and as a result TCS was able to maintain a 10 point lead at 47-37. Anderson scored 7 of our 15 points that quarter as his determination showed that Howard's hard fouls only fueled his fire. With foul trouble we needed someone else to step up on the offensive end and that help came from our junior center, Kyle Washington, who capitalized on two well executed offensive Cougar plays scoring two GI-NOR-MOUS baskets.

The fourth frame was the largest test for our Cougars as it would prove that we were able to stay mentally tough when the stakes were the highest. Not only did Howard's physical pressure and determination make it tough enough, but having four Cougars sitting the bench for most of the period because of fouling out and injuries made staying focused even harder. What did our Cougars do? They did exactly what they have been trained to do because they believed in each other as a team to complete their goal for the game no matter what obstacle got in their way. Co-captain, Scott Hendrickson led the drive to prevail with 6 of his game high 18 points. He, along with the rest of his teammates also played strong defensively. On a few occasions when our Cougars where pressured and we turned it over, Scott and Omari both would find a way to get the ball back. Howard's effort was fantastic as they never quit, outscoring our Cougars 18-13 in the final frame, but that made it even better for our Cougars to show off their amazing will to win; as they did 60-55. Go Cougar Pride!

Game notes:

Scott Hendrickson had a breakout game recording his first double-double of his young career with 18 points and 10 rebounds.

Omari Anderson showed great toughness scoring 14 points, snagging 4 rebounds, dishing out 4 dimes (assists), and stole 5 balls.  

Anthony Isaacs showed great leadership on the court and on the bench after fouling out early in the fourth scoring 14 points, pulling down 5 rebounds, stealing 3 balls, and his team spirit was outstanding cheering is fellow Cougars on.

Jake Utley played one of his finest games as a Cougar scoring 5 points, rebounding 5 balls, and only had one turnover under all that tight pressure.

Billy Tomcho showed great maturity in such a game of physicality. He stayed focused, followed the game plan, and also only had one turnover to go with his 2 points, 2 rebounds, and a solo block shot of which he has been trying to get all season. Congrats, Billy!
Florian Mayrhofer also showed brut strength mentally and physically. He played great defense, had 5 rebounds, dished out 3 assists, stole 2 balls, and scored 2 points. His effort was fantastic. Florian is a warrior! 

Daniel Kill, Luke Hanson, and Chris Lefor also played pivotal minutes in our victory. Without their poise, positive attitude, and will to win our Cougars may not have come out on top.

Jordan Taylor, Paul Johnson, Adam Weinberg, Kyle Washington, and new to our Cougar program, supporting his teammates Jordan Webb; all participated in ways to help our Cougars win.

Our next home game is next Tuesday (2/5) versus conference foe Hidden Lake where we lost 38-32 in the previous meeting back in November. Hope to see you all come out again in what will be another exciting game.

Proud Cougar Coaches,

Richie and Brian

(1/23/08) TCS is victorious beating Kings Ridge Christian 52-41!

Last night, our Cougars of TCS defeated Kings Ridge Christian 52-41

In the first quarter both teams were figuring each other out as TCS took a 10-8 lead. Jake Utley started our scoring with a fundamental head fake, drive, pull-up jumper to tie it at two a piece. Defensively, TCS started out in man and had to stay in man for the games' entirety because Kings Ridge has multiple players who can shoot well from outside.

Our Cougars than controlled the second period. They rebounded, made defensive stops, were patient on offense looking to pound the ball inside, and broke the full court press Kings Ridge used for 6 straight minutes resulting in a double digit lead. However, in the last two minutes of the half, TCS lost focus and Kings Ridge was able to capitalize on their press, scoring three baskets in a row. Our Cougars took just a nine point lead at the break.

That momentum from Kings Ridge carried over to the third period as they made another run to actually tie the game at 31 a piece with just a minute left in the frame. With a strong basket inside from Anthony Isaacs, our Cougars took a 33-31 lead going into the final quarter. "Our team has not played this well in a while on both ends of the court, so I think what happened was they were playing on emotions, having fun, and forgot that a game is never won in just two quarters of play. I was a little worried, but they responded well, regrouped, and finished strong," says Coach Richie Briggs.

It started with back to back baskets from co-captain Florian Mayrhofer; a corner three pointer and an offensive rebound jumper, to start the fourth frame. Just as our Cougars pulled away for good, Kings Ridge made one more run with four minutes to play to again cut our double digit lead in half. Up by five (43-38) and Isaacs on our bench with four fouls, our Cougars needed to play smart on defense and not turn the ball over on offense. After another basket from Kings Ridge a very determined and focused individual came off our Cougar bench to step up at the most critical time in the game. With the score 43-40, Junior Paul Johnson is fouled and makes one of two free throws. Than on the next possession, Kings Ridge attempts a pass to the left wing and Paul reads it and bats it down the floor where he out ran it and scored a lay up to put a stop to the momentum of Kings Ridge and gave TCS a 46-40 advantage. After that basket and a timeout, our Cougars finished playing patient on offense converting no turnovers in the last three minutes, played solid defense, and came out with the 52-41 victory.

"I am so proud of how our Cougars were able to refocus and never lost confidence in winning this game tonight. I hope Paul's determination and focus tonight showed our guys how important each player is on our team and how vital it is to do your best in practice never knowing when you are called upon to be there for your team in the most critical time of need," says Coach Richie.

Game Notes:

Omari Anderson played strong scoring a game high of 14 points, while adding 5 steals, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 block shots, and he took a charge.

Anthony Isaacs dominated inside scoring 13 points and pulled down 15 rebounds; defensively he stole 5 balls and blocked 5 shots.

Florian Mayrhofer had a good second half scoring 7 points.

Our other captain, Scott Hendrickson, also stepped up in the final period scoring 5 of his 8 points. He also added 5 rebounds and 2 block shots.

Billy Tomcho, Jake Utley, Kyle Washington, and Daniel Kill also played with great effort and determination and not shown on the stat sheet, but were also a big asset in our win.

Thanks to all the parents, friends, and students who not only came to support our Cougars, but were also helpful in our transportation needs. Having one bus for three teams to play games made it a difficult, but with your help; everyone found a way to get there and home. Thank you.

Proud Cougar Coaches,

Richie and Brian