Blue Mountain boys used stifling defense to pull away from Pine Grove in the second half of their division game Friday night and come away with a 61-43 victory.
The Cougars trailed 18-16 early in the second quarter but their halfcourt trap defense led to several fastbreak points and a 32-28 halftime lead.
They never trailed again.
Hot shooting from outside via Deshawn Tyler and several strong drives to the basket by Trenton Gray paced the Cougars for the win.
Gray led with 19 points while Tyler hit for 17. The win moved the Cougars to 8-15 on the season, 3-7 in division.
The Panters were led by Jack Judson with 16 points. The loss put the Panthers at 6-17 on the season.
