The boys varsity basketball team is hoping that the third time is the charm.

 Cotter plays Plainview-Elgin-Millville this Thursday in a playoff game at 7:00 at the high school gym in Plainview in the first round of the section tournament.

In the teams’ first two meetings this year Cotter lost twice in closely contested  games. The first time Cotter made a second half comeback and led down the stretch before P-EM forced overtime when Nick Shanks hit three point shot at the regulation buzzer.  In the rematch the Bulldogs  beat the Ramblers by eight.

Coach Jewison says, “They earned both games.”

In preparation for the game the coaching staff has been breaking down film,  watching 10 hours of it to identify specific things to focus their  defense on.

Coach Jewson said Shanks dropped 35 points against them one game is one of the area’s best players,  so he is making sure the team has good pressure on him.

Cotter is  the number seven seed and Plainview was named the two seed in playoffs. Despite the previous losses against Plainview, Jewison eels they have a good chance winning on Thursday.

“We have played tough against them both times, I think if we shoot a little better we can do it, ”  said Jewison.

Senior point guard Garrett Crowley has also said, “We have played them tough all year. We have have shot badly on the line and from the field both games, so I believe that we are due to make some shots. What people don’t realize is that we can play with anyone when we play as a team.”