Cougars KO Prexies

Charleroi’s Joey Caruso and Washington’s Marlon Norris battle for a loose ball during play Friday in the Cougars’ 55-51 win at Wash High.

By ADAM BREWER

MVI Sports

On Dec.13, Charleroi suffered a 58-47 loss to Washington in their Section 4-3A opener.

The setback could have turned the season in a bad direction for the Cougars. But it didn’t. Charleroi rallied around their seniors and have shown poise ever since.

They got their revenge Friday, handing the Prexies a 55-51 loss on their home floor and extending their winning streak to six games. 

Washington had won the previous 21 meetings against Charleroi.

“This team has a lot of heart,” Charleroi coach Bill Wiltz said. “We’ve been using the word resiliency a lot this season. That describes this team. They just have a never-say-die attitude. (There’s) absolutely no quit in these guys. I can’t say the last time we beat Washington, but we are sure going to enjoy this win tonight.”

The Cougars (11-4, 6-1) got a solid scoring effort, including a team-high 15 points from sophomore Will Wagner.

Legend Davis had nine of his 13 points in the first quarter, and was effective on both ends of the floor against the Prexies (9-4, 6-1).

“Washington is a tough matchup for anybody,” Davis said. “We kept with it and I thought our defense won us this game. We made some adjustments at half and I thought we communicated better on the floor. I got into some foul trouble, but I had to fight through it.”

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