Conner wasn’t going to let Cooper’s Andy Johnson beat them.
Others stepped up and took notice.
Primarily face-guarding and putting bodies all around Cooper’s star and 9th Region Player of the Year candidate, the Jaguars got balanced scoring in a 63-56 victory over the Cougars in Hebron.
Johnson eventually got his with a team-high 16 points, but the contributions from others including Jaidan and Roman Combs with a combined 29 points made the difference, Jaidan with 15, Roman with 14.
“We just had to stay confident,” Jaidan Combs said. “Attack the zone, get open shots for other people. Andy knew he’s not gonna have his 30 points, so he’s gonna contribute other ways. Everybody else just had to stay confident.”
Then there was Chris Rodriguez adding 10 points, too.
“Chris Rodriguez was the biggest key of the game,” Jaguars coach Tim Sullivan said. “He’s running around chasing Finn (Louden) and that’s hard enough in itself, but then he’s hitting big shots for us and he’s making three throws for us and he’s handling the ball and rebounding.”
The victory secured the No. 1 seed for the Jaguars for the 33rd District tournament, meaning they avoid the dreaded 2-3 matchup which now pits Conner and Ryle in a game where a potential 9th Region contender is going home before the region tournament even begins.
PHOTOS: Cooper-Conner 33rd District showdown (slideshow provided by Charles Bolton)
Tuesday’s victory showed just how dangerous the Jags are. When the opponent keys in on Johnson, others can make them pay.
The Combs’ brothers feasted on the boards, especially the offensive end.
“Me and Jaidan crash the boards every single play. That gives us a bunch of and-one’s, bunch of free throws,” Roman Combs said.
Conner not having their leading scorer and rebounder available in Landon Warner certainly didn’t do the Cougars any favors either. Warner was out due to an illness.
“We knew that they were bigger than us, they’re physical, they’re athletic. We knew that we would have to rebound, and we just didn’t rebound good enough,” Cougars coach Nathan Browning said.
For the majority, this one felt like who would make the big run was going to win it. No one led by more than seven in the first half, Cooper taking a 29-24 lead into the break.
Conner was able to get within one at 34-33 halfway through the third on a Finn Louden layup, but then came the run. It was a 10-2 Jags run to get them up 44-35 headed into the fourth.
“Humongous,” Sullivan said of the run. “I thought a lot of that was our defense and we really locked in. I thought that our toughness there was huge, their kids spent so much energy getting back and mentally we were really tough right there and that was a huge stretch for the game.”
Conner opened with the first five in the fourth, but Cooper kept them at arm’s length the rest of the way, even when things got interesting late as the Cougars cut the deficit from 10 to four in the final minute of play.
It was a little bit of a depleted Conner team without Warner, Landon Rankin recently injured and out for the season and Finn Louden playing through an illness.
Despite his illness, the Cougars were led by Louden’s 22 points, Chase Huff adding 15. No one else had more than six for Conner. Tuesday’s loss was their first in 2025, snapping an eight-game winning streak.
“We got guys that would rather die than lose,” Browning said. “That three-minute stretch in the third really hurt us. If we can erase that, then maybe it’s a different story tonight. Shortened rotation, couldn’t play as many guys as we have.”
The Cougars will look to get back on track Friday at Highlands.
Cooper has now won nine in a row, looking to make it 10 straight at Campbell County on Thursday.