ASHVILLE - It wasn’t as exciting and the stakes were not as high as when the last time Cherokee County and Ashville faced off, but there always seems to be a bit of drama when the two teams meet up.

The Warriors posted an overtime win over the Bulldogs in the Class 3A Northeast Regional Tournament semifinals last February, and last Thursday the Centre squad picked up its first win of the season at Ashville's expense with a 61-39 triumph.

Although CCHS led from whistle to buzzer, the hosts kept things interesting late in the first half.

A 5-0 run to start the second quarter gave the Warriors a 23-9 lead, but Ashville’s subsequent 10-3 stretch capped by Demarcus Jones’ traditional three-point play drew the Bulldogs within 26-19 with 2:10 left in the half.

CCHS answered right back, when Chai Cowser’s three-point basket on the next possession sparked a 10-1 stretch.

Chris Dupree’s trey with eight seconds left iced the run, giving the visitors a 36-23 halftime lead.

The Warriors essentially put the game away late in the third quarter, when consecutive treys from Zach Morgan, Cowser and Trace Bowers over a two-minute span made it a 20-point game.

Jones’ basket at 1:58 ended the Bulldog scoring drought, but Cowser’s lay-up at 32.5 and Coty Blanchard’s put-back at the buzzer provided CCHS with a 49-25 lead.

Ashville outscored CCHS 14-12 over the final eight minutes to add window dressing.

Cowser led the Warriors with 15 points, while Dupree had nine.

Jones scored 12 points for Ashville, followed by Barry Woods with 10.

“Our whole game plan was to get and protect the lead and keep the clock running,” said CCHS head coach Shane Reid. “We had a lot of possessions in the second half [during which] we had three or four shots. Sometimes we didn’t score, but we kept the clock running. Ashville’s a good running team, and we were able to run with them the whole game. It was a physical game, especially early on. You’re asking for trouble if you don’t keep your head straight in a road game. We kept our composure, and that turned out to be important.”

CCHS opened the game with a 9-3 run, and six points from Blanchard over the first quarter’s final 2:15 helped the Warriors take an 18-9 lead.

CCHS (61): Cowser 15, Bowers 9, Dupree 9, Blanchard 8, Wheeler 7, Wright 7, Morgan 6.

ASHVILLE (39): Jones 12, Woods 10, Rice 5, Cone 5, Ford 2, Colley 2, Teal 2, Fuller 1