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The Tecumseh Savage round ballers hit the court last week a little shorthanded with eight players available in the opener at North Rock Creek. The Savages went toe to toe against the Cougars but came up a little short in a 66-59 loss.

The Savages trailed 18-12 after the first quarter and 30-23 at halftime. Tecumseh outpaced the Cougars in the third quarter 17-14 to cut the deficit to four points headed to the fourth quarter. The final period was up and down the floor with NRC outrunning the Savages 22-19 to secure the win.

The Savages were led by freshman Brady Overstreet with 21 points, including five three-pointers. Junior Jose Lugo came in with 16 points while sophomore Zerek Harjo poured in 11. Senior Payden Clutter tossed in six points while sophomore Amos Galloway had three points and freshman Jase Edwards added two.

The Cougars were led by Mitchell James with 19 points. Coming up with 13 each for NRC were Diego Garcia and Jace McRay.

On Friday night, the Savages went the road, this time with 10 players on the roster, to face Bethel. The boys from T-Town dug themselves a hole early and were forced to make a wild comeback attempt in the fourth quarter.

The Savages were down 15-7 after the opening period and trailed by the same deficit, 24-16, at the half. The Wildcats extended the lead in the third quarter by outscoring the Savages 20-15 to hold a 13-point advantage headed to the final stanza.

Tecumseh got hot in the fourth led by Lugo who tallied 12 of his 22 game high total in the quarter. The Savages outscored the Wildcats by double digits, 28-17, in the fourth but couldn't quite complete the comeback as they fell 61-59.

Following Lugo's 22 points, the Savages had two other players in double figures. Overstreet and Harjo each dropped 10 points in the loss. Davion Mays and Jake Trice each added six points to the total while Clutter tossed in five.

Leading the way for Bethel was John Gordon with 16 points, followed by Gage Porter with 12.

Next on the schedule for Tecumseh is the Bethel Tournament set to begin today (Thursday) and run through Saturday. Tuesday night the Savages are scheduled to play on the road at Harrah.