Kowalska’s big night lifts Cowley to playoff win

Getting 22 points and a career-high 21 rebounds from sophomore Martyna Kowalska in the final home game of her career, the fifth-seeded Cowley College women's basketball team held off a pesky 12^th-seeded Pratt Community College squad by a score of 63-54 in the First-Round of the Region VI Playoffs held Saturday in Arkansas City.

Facing Pratt for the second time in four days, the Lady Tigers trailed 11-10 after one quarter of play. The second quarter featured three ties and three lead changes before sophomore Milena Fromming buried a deep three-pointer at the halftime buzzer to put Cowley in front 26-23.

The 6-foot Kowalska then stole the show in the third quarter, finishing with 10 points and 11 rebounds in the quarter as Cowley opened a 39-34 lead.

"Martyna was unbelievable," Cowley head coach Todd Clark said.

A three-pointer by freshman Lexi Rose to open the fourth quarter keyed a 12-4 Lady Tiger run and Cowley led by as many as 14 points before closing out the nine-point win.

"Playing Pratt back-to-back was difficult. They came out with a lot of energy," Clark said.

Former Lady Tiger Karolina Juresiute led Pratt with 17 points on 5-of-10 shooting from three-point range as the Beavers finish the season with a record of 3-26.

Joining Kowalska in double figures was freshman Carson Dean, who finished with 13 points and seven assists. Dean would score 11 of her 13 points in the second half.

"Carson hit some big shots to keep us in the lead," Clark said.

The win improves Cowley's record to 19-11 overall. The Lady Tigers advance to the Quarterfinal of the Region VI playoffs where they will face fourth-seeded Barton Community College Tuesday at 6 p.m. in Great Bend, KS.

Barton is 18-12 on the season. The Cougars split a pair of games against the Lady Tigers during the regular season, losing 63-52 in Arkansas City before winning 81-61 in Great Bend.

"Barton shot lights out the last time we faced them, so we will need to guard better," Clark said. "We will also need to figure out how to attack them offensively."

Box score:

Pratt (54): Chariah Daniels 6-16 3-3 15, Ruth Sodipe 2-5 0-0 4, Cassie Onwugbufor 3-11 6-6 13, Christy Wiebe 1-8 0-0 2, Karolina Juresiute 6-11 0-0 17, Grace Hendrickson 0-2 0-0 0, Lianna Washington 1-4 0-0 3. Totals: 19-57 9-9 54.

Cowley (63): Milena Fromming 3-9 0-0 9, Baylee Fincher 2-8 2-2 6, Carson Dean 4-13 2-2 8, Shamahra Henderson 2-7 2-4 8, Martyna Kowalska 10-17 2-2 22, Jana Radovanovic 0-1 0-0 0, Lexi Rose 2-3 0-0 5. Totals: 23-58 8-10 63.

Three-pointers: Pratt 7-23 (Juresiute 5-10, Onwugbufor 1-3, Washington 1-3, Wiebe 0-5, Hendrickson 0-2), Cowley 9-25 (Fromming 3-9, Dean 3-6, Henderson 2-3, Rose 1-2, Fincher 0-5). Rebounds Pratt 27 (Daniels 11), Cowley 40 (Kowalska 21). Assists: Pratt 9 (Onwugbufor 6), Cowley 16 (Fincher 5). Turnovers: Pratt 9, Cowley 12. Total fouls: Pratt 15, Cowley 11. Fouled out: Onwugbufor. Technicals: none.