“There are no losers today.”

That’s the message Pike County Bulldog head coach Doug Holland shared with his players after a disappointing 61-38 loss to Madison Academy in the AHSAA Class 3A Semifinals on Thursday.

“I am very proud of our team,” Holland said. “Madison has an extraordinary team. I told my guys there are no losers today. We came along way this year.”

The Bulldogs (20-10) advanced to the final four in the state basketball playoffs in large part due to the offensive play of seniors Deshon Cowling, Jerrell Lawson and Kamari Jackson, who often combined for more than 50 points per game.

On Thursday, though, the Mustangs held the trio to just 21 points.

“We were really concerned about Cowling,” said Mustangs head coach Andy Blackston. “We watched a lot of film on him. Fortunately for us he got into foul trouble, and he didn’t play much in the first half.”

Cowling played just 2:00 minutes in the opening half.

“That hurt us a lot,” Holland said. “We count on him so much in our offense. He is a great leader. Jackson also had limited minutes due to his three fouls.”

The Mustangs took an early 16-8 lead heading into the second quarter and pulled away in the second with a 14-1 run, giving them a 38-15 lead at the half.

The Mustangs only scored three points in the quarter but their defense held the Bulldogs to just 11 points.

“They have some pretty good guys,” Holland said. “They are so long and they pushed us to one side of the court. They were really athletic and they were very sound.”

Pike County shot just 28 percent in the game compared to 43 percent for the Mustangs.

In the fourth quarter, with Pike County trailing by 20, the Bulldogs went on a 14-2 run to get back to within 13 points. The Mustangs answered with 10 straight points to break the game wide open for the final time.

“We came out in the third and I told them regardless if it is us or the other team, someone is going to make a run,” Holland said. “We did a good job fighting , but I thought we used so much energy trying to cut the deficit. They (Madison Academy) never got rattled, so I knew we were climbing up hill.”

The Mustangs were led offensively by Michigan State recruit Joshua Langford, who finished with a game high 14 points.

“He is one of the most complete players that I have seen in a while,” Holland said. “He is really poised and strong. He is a lot stronger than he looks. He does a really good job at getting everybody involved.”

The Bulldogs had just one player finish in double figures. Jahzarian Lampley led the way with 11 points, while Jackson finished with nine and Lawson finished with eight.