Not once did the Cougars allow Nantucket to pull ahead more than 6 points during Tuesday night’s basketball tournament game.

Unfortunately, 6 points was all that separated the Old Colony Vocational Technical High School boys team from a win. Nantucket beat the Cougars 70-64.

The Cougars played well against the No. 9 seed Nantucket Whalers in the first game of the Division 4 Eastern Massachusetts South Sectionals Boys Basketball Tournament.

Having earned the No. 8 seed, Old Colony appeared to have the edge. But a tenacious offensive effort from Nantucket kept the Whalers in the lead for most of the game.

In the final minutes, the Cougars appeared to be building momentum. A 3-point shot courtesy of Jarryde Melo put the score at 64-62 leaving the Cougars about a minute of game time to close the gap.

Old Colony had one last chance on an attempted steal with 19 seconds left. The ball sailed out of bounds and into Nantucket’s possession.

Jake Pringle, a captain, scored 19 points in the game. Junior Ted Romanelli also scored 19 points.

The Cougars ended the regular season with a 13-7 record. Last year the team also advanced to the tournament.