It was cat vs. cat as the Nakusp Cougars boys basketball teams took on their rivals, the Mount Sentinel Wildcats on Feb. 3.

Things began well for the Cougars, with the team scoring twice within 30 seconds.

The continuous squeaking of sneakers could be heard as players ran across the floor.

Though they made a good effort, the Wildcats managed to tie up the game with a score of 10-10. By the end of the first period,the score was 20-12, with the Wildcats in the lead.

By the end of the second period, the score was 36-26 and by the third period, things were starting to look up for the Cougarswho managed to bring the score up to 36-31.

Watching the game, it was clear that both teams were really strong, and worked well together. The addition of the rivalry addedsomething a little extra to the game.

“We really like competition between each other’s teams, it’s a great way to experience basketball,” said Cameron Olson, one ofthe players for the Cougars. “It keeps us on task.”

On task they were. The game was really tight with never less than a six point difference between the teams.

Despite their best efforts, the Wildcats won with a score of 59-50.

The Cougars were undaunted by the loss.

“We play a lot of games against each other,” said Jay Gardener, coach of the Nakusp Cougars. “They got the better of us today.”

Gardener said even though they were missing one member, the team played really well.

“We’ve been trying to gel and get better team chemistry rolling. It was a good effort by the boys. I’m really proud of the effort.”

The Cougars have a home tournament on the this coming weekend, and the zone playoffs for the Kootenays will be held on Feb.27.