The Cooper Cougars came up short in the first round of the Class 5A playoffs for the fifth year in a row.

Cooper lost to Amarillo Palo Duro in Lamesa, 50-42.

Cooper led in the first quarter of the bi-district championship, but the Dons led at the end of every quarter on Tuesday night.

Palo Duro took a 31-26 lead into halftime. The Cougars got as close as two points in the second half but never managed to take the lead.

Cooper was led in scoring by Jordan Willis. As a matter of fact, the junior led all scorers with 19 points in the game.

The Cougars finish the 2022-23 season with an 18-13 record.