Tigers continue win-streak with 77-71 victory over Pratt
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Pratt Community College (9-9, 4-8) | 32 | 39 | 71 |
|
Cowley County Community College (9-7, 5-5) | 33 | 44 | 77 |
Led by a balanced attack which featured four scoring in double figures, the Cowley College men's basketball team won its third game in a row with a 77-71 home win over Pratt on Saturday.
The Tigers fell behind early and trailed 18-10 following a basket by Pratt's Nasan Ayala with 11:05 left in the first half. However, Cowley would rally to take a 33-32 halftime lead thanks to eight first-half points by sophomore Raishaun Brown.
"I thought we were pretty sluggish to start the game off," Cowley head coach Donnie Jackson said. "Our bench did a great job of getting us back in the game. Chris (Spenkuch), KJ (Spiller), and Mooch (Emmanuel Austin) really brought us a lot of energy."
Cowley would again trail by seven (53-46) midway through the second half before an alley-oop dunk by sophomore Clarence King capped a 9-0 run to give the Tigers a 55-53 lead. The run would extend to 20-4 as Cowley led 66-57 following a basket by Mekhi Cameron with 2:30 remaining. Cowley would go on to make 9-of-10 free-throws over the final two minutes as they held on for the six-point win.
"I give the guys credit for responding down the stretch," Jackson said.
King led Cowley with 18 points and seven rebounds, while Brown finished with 16 points and three steals. Cowley is now 9-7 overall and 5-5 in the Jayhawk Conference.
Pratt was led by Tommy Thomas' 15 points. The Beavers, losers of four games in a row, is now 9-9 overall and 4-8 in the conference.
Cowley will play at Coffeyville Monday at 7:30 p.m. The Red Ravens, also winners of three games in a row, is 8-8 overall and 5-5 in conference play.
"Coffeyville got a couple guys back at semester and is at full strength now," Jackson said. "We will really need to lock in for an entire 40 minutes if we want any chance to compete to win on the road."
