Tigers shock No. 11-ranked Dodge City 79-74

Proving they can play with any team in the conference, the Cowley College men's basketball team knocked off conference-leading and 11^th-ranked Dodge City 79-74 Saturday in Dodge City, KS.

The Tigers did a good job of putting behind them a tough week that saw them lose their previous two games as they raced out to a 14-4 lead in Saturday's contest.

After Dodge City rallied to tie the game at 18-18, Cowley responded with a 14-2 run and went into halftime with a 46-33 advantage. Mekhi Cameron made 4-of-5 three-point attempts in the opening half as Cowley shot 55.2 percent from the floor.

"It helps making shots early; it allowed us to settle in," Cowley head coach Donnie Jackson said.

Cowley would lead by as many as 19 points (56-37) following a layup by Cameron Jernigan with 15:50 left to play and appeared to be in control when Mooch Austin's three-pointer gave the Tigers a 66-50 lead with 7:29 remaining.

However, a 16-3 run by the Conquistadors saw Dodge City pull within 69-66 with 3:26 left in the game. With the game on the line, Cameron and Jeff Nwankwo would combine for six straight points for the Tigers, and Cowley would hold on for the five-point win.

"That was a good bounce-back win for us," Jackson said. "We played with more effort and urgency. That has to become more consistent for us down the stretch. The guys showed really good resolve when Dodge tied the game up late. To answer with a 6-0 run gave us the confidence to finish the game."

DJ Jones and Chris Robinson combined to score 28 second-half points for the Conquistadors, but it was not enough.

"Dodge has really good guard play," Jackson said. "In the second half, they kept getting downhill on us, so we had to go to a zone defense a few possessions to try and slow them down."

Cameron finished 5-of-7 from beyond the arc and led Cowley with 23 points, while Nwankwo added 18 points and 10 rebounds. Demetrius Rives and Cameron Jernigan added eight points apiece as Cowley improves its record to 12-8 overall and 6-8 in the Jayhawk Conference.

Dodge City (14-5) remains a half-game in front of Coffeyville for first place in the Jayhawk Conference with a record of 10-3.

Cowley will return home to face Barton Community College Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. The Cougars, winners of three of its past four games, are 12-7 overall and 7-6 in the conference. Barton has four players averaging double figures and is led by Joseph Locandro, who averages 17.2 points and 9.3 rebounds per game.

"Barton has been playing really well," Jackson said. "They have a very balanced team, so we need to be better at home and protect our homecourt."

Box score:

Cowley (79): Damare Smith 2-7 0-0 5, Jeff Nwankwo 6-13 4-6 18, Mekhi Cameron 7-14 5-7 23, Demetrius Rives 3-4 0-0 8, Jackson Greene 0-0 0-0 0, Cameron Jernigan 3-4 2-3 8, Xavier Washington 2-8 2-2 6, Mooch Austin 2-6 0-0 5, Trevion Alexander 2-2 0-0 4, Corey Thomas 0-0 0-0 0, Lam Kuany 0-0 0-0 0, Xavier Valley 1-3 0-0 2. Totals: 28-61 13-18 79.

Dodge City (74): Jason Edwards 7-11 3-3 21, Shawn Warrior 0-4 2-2 2, DJ Jones 8-13 5-6 22, Jacobi Sebock 2-4 1-2 5, Cam Malray 1-5 0-0 2, Chris Robinson 5-11 5-10 16, Tuscan Onuoha 1-2 1-2 3, Jalan Davis 0-0 1-2 1, Avnoor Bhullar 0-5 0-0 0, Jayshon Jones 1-2 0-0 2. Totals: 25-57 18-27 74.

Three-pointers: Cowley 10-21 (Cameron 5-7, Nwankwo 2-4, Rives 2-3, Smith 1-4, Austin 1-1, Washington 0-1, Valley 0-1), Dodge City 6-24 (Edwards 4-7, Robinson 1-5, Jones 1-3, Bhullar 0-4, Warrior 0-2, Sebock 0-1, Malray 0-1, Jones 0-1). Rebounds: Cowley 33 (Nwankwo 10), Dodge City 37 (Warrior, Jones 6). Assists: Cowley 8 (four players with 2), Dodge City 9 (Robinson 5). Turnovers: Cowley 17, Dodge City 16. Total fouls: Cowley 20, Dodge City 16. Fouled out: Jernigan. Technicals: none.