The CAM Cougars boys basketball team started each half strong and beat Stanton 65-51 in at Class 1A District 14 Semifinal on Tuesday night in Anita. The Cougars opened up the game with a 10-3 lead and stayed in front the entire night. The Cougars got a near half-court three from Lane Spieker before the halftime buzzer to lead 37-27 at the break. CAM used that momentum to rip off an 11-0 run to start the second half and pull away from the Vikings. Stanton trimmed the lead down to 11 by the end of the third but never got any closer.

CAM Head Coach Nick Hodges said the Cougars executed well on both ends of the floor.

The Cougars got 16 points from Jacob Holste, 15 from Connor McKee, 14 from Ben Tibken, and 11 from Nathan Hensley. The score-book showed another great night of sharing the basketball for the Cougars, which Coach Hodges said is a big strength.

Jacob Holste said he enjoys playing on this team because of their unselfish nature.

The Cougars made Stanton star Tyler Peterson work for all of his 16 points on the night. Holste said slowing him down was a big focus on the defensive end.

The Vikings season finishes with a 19-4 record and they graduate a successful senior class that has been a part of 80 wins in their 4 seasons of play.

CAM improved to 19-4 and advance on to the 1A District 14 final on Thursday night. The Cougars will face Martensdale-St. Marys in that game which will be played at West Central Valley High School in Stuart. We’ll have coverage on KJAN with pregame at 6:45 p.m. and tip-off scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Martensdale advanced with a 63-48 win over Coon Rapids-Bayard on Tuesday.