By By Chandler Myers
Escambia Academy finished the regular season Monday night honoring five seniors for the accomplishments with the Cougars basketball team.
Following the honors, the Cougars were defeated 72-49 by the Fort Dale Eagles.
Cougars junior forward Keaton Maher led the team with 19 points.
The Cougars fell behind the Eagles due to the strong press defense they faced.
In the first quarter, the Eagles jumped out to a 14-4 lead.
In the second quarter the Cougars played stronger offense, but could not cut into the Eagles’ lead as they were outscored 18-13.
At halftime, the Cougars trailed 32-17.
In the second half, the Eagles continued to pull away from the Cougars.
In the third period, the Eagles again added to their lead as they outscored the Cougars 25-17.
The Cougars and Eagles played to a draw in the fourth quarter as they each scored 15 points with the Eagles picking up the win.
Cougars senior guard James White finished the game with eight points, while senior Michael Hipa finished his final home game with five points.
The Cougars now look towards the AISA regional tournament where they take on the Marengo Academy Longhorns Thursday at 10:30 a.m at the Marion Military Military Institute.