The East Jefferson Rivals varsity boys basketball team faced the Cascade Christian Cougars Thursday, losing 61-50 in a tight Nisqually League matchup.

The EJ boys gave it their all, coming back from a 21-10 deficit to tie the game, but it wasn’t quite enough to take down the Cougars.

“It’s a tough loss,” said Rivals Head Coach Emanuel Abbott following the matchup. “We have to hit shots. If we don’t hit our shots, then this is what’s going to happen.”

Following the tipoff, the Cougars quickly preyed upon the slow-starting EJ offense, netting 21 points.

The Rivals answered with point guard Brody Moore earning five, senior Austen Hammer hitting a three-pointer, and a bucket from junior Stuart Dow, but Cascade Christian maintained a 21-10 lead going into the second period.

Picking up the pace, EJ’s Ace Johnson answered with stout defense, eight points, and a couple steals to put the home team right back in the mix. Top scorer Keidan Guzman raided the Cougars’ basket to add eight of his own, and by the time halftime rolled around, EJ secured a 34-34 tie.

Both squads traded baskets in the third period and the score remained tight at 44-41, but Cascade Christian built a slim lead with only eight minutes to go.

Guzman fired back with a couple buckets and three points from free throws, but the Cougars simply couldn’t be caught. The opponents tacked 17 more points to go ahead, winning 61-50 over the Rivals.

Guzman led EJ in scoring with 18 points. Moore netted 10 points in the matchup, Johnson earned eight, Hammer scored six from two three-pointers, and Dow gained five points on the night.

While the loss severely hurts the boys’ chances of securing a playoff spot, the EJ head coach remained positive for a late-season comeback.

“We have seven games left, so the season is not over by any means,” Abbott said. “Every game we play from here on out is a playoff game for us. We have to think of it that way so we make sure our mentality is the right mindset going forward.”

Regardless of the loss, Abbott praised the growth he’s seen from the squad this year.

“We’re starting to grasp some things and get a little better, which is a plus,” Abbott said. “The intensity level was up there pretty well, so I liked that.”

“There’s definitely been a lot of improvement from the last couple of years that I’ve been here,” he added.

Going forward, the head coach’s focus will be on dominating the paint and rebounding on both ends of the court.

“I think we have size on most teams, so we have to own the boards. If we don’t own the boards, we have no shot,” Abbott said. “We’ve got 6-foot-7, 6-foot-5, and 6-foot-3 guys, and some other guys off the bench and we should be owning every rebound coming off that rim, but it’s not happening at this point.”

The Rivals’ record currently stands at 6-8 (3-7 conference), and the team is one spot out of the Nisqually League playoffs at the No. 7 seed. EJ trails Cascade Christian, who currently holds the final playoff spot with a 6-10 record in the Nisqually League.

The boys were scheduled to play Life Christian Academy at home in Port Townsend High School Tuesday as they look to secure a win over the 7-8 (7-3 conference) Eagles.