A second half start of 13 unanswered points was not enough to lift the Pike Liberal Arts Patriots to a win over Crenshaw Christian on Friday night in Troy.

After falling behind 12-0 in the first half, the Patriots scored on back-to-back second half possessions to take a 13-12 lead. The Cougars answered with 15 straight points to pick up the 27-13 win.

The loss drops the Patriots to 1-1 on the season.

The Cougars had two possessions that stretched over 10 plays in the opening half, both resulting in touchdowns giving Crenshaw a 12-0 lead at halftime.

They took the opening drive of the game 71 yards for the first score of the game. The drive lasted 11 plays and it ended with a Tristan Jordan 1-yard touchdown run giving the Cougars a 6-0 lead with 5:41 remaining in the opening half.

The Cougars had 30 first-half plays compared to 12 by the Patriots on two possessions. After a three-and-out by the Patriots second drive the Cougars embarked on a 12-play drive that resulted in a 5-yard touchdown run. After a failed two-point conversion attempt, the Cougars stretched their lead to 12-0 with 1:35 remaining in the half.

Chip Faircloth took a handoff on the opening play of the second half 73 yards for a touchdown. After a made extra point, the Patriots found themselves trailing by five at 12-7.

The Cougars fumbled away the ensuing kickoff, giving the Patriots possession at the Crenshaw 25. On the sixth play of the drive, quarterback Drew Nelson scampered in for a seven-yard touchdown. The extra point was blocked, but the Patriots held a 13-12 lead with 8:12 remaining in the third quarter.

Crenshaw picked up the slack on their next drive. They continued with their strong rushing attack and scored on a 23-yard touchdown run, capping an eight-play 80-yard drive. They took over the lead at 20-13 with 3:47 remaining in the third.

The score remained the same heading into the fourth. Crenshaw ultimately put the game out of reach with a 36-yard touchdown pass, giving the Cougars a two-possession lead with 6:00 left in the contest.

The Patriots will remain at home next Friday night. They will host Freeport in a rematch of last season’s game that saw the Patriot pull out a 41-28 win.