Tigers drop triple overtime thriller at Butler

In a game that featured nine ties and nine lead changes, the Cowley College men's basketball team came up on the short end of an 82-76 triple overtime loss at Butler Community College Wednesday at the Power Plant in El Dorado, KS.

Trailing 30-24 at the end of the first half, Cowley regained the lead early in the second half and led 50-45 following a three-pointer by sophomore Mekhi Cameron with just under four minutes remaining.

Still in front 54-52, Butler's Isaac Ondekane was sent to the free-throw line for two shots. The post player from Congo, Africa, missed both free throws but Butler's Isaiah Williams grabbed the miss of the second shot and laid it back in to tie the game at 54-54.

Cowley was unable to get another shot off as the game was sent to overtime.

The Tigers again took the lead in the first overtime and led 62-60 after freshman Jeff Nwankwo made 1-of-2 free-throw attempts with nine seconds left. However, Butler's Rob Brown sent the game to a second overtime as his layup was deemed good with only 0.8 seconds showing on the clock.

Cowley would go on to lead by as many as four points (68-64) in the second overtime before Butler scored seven straight points to lead 71-68 with only five seconds remaining. This time, it was Cowley's turn for the dramatics as Cameron drained a three-pointer at the buzzer to send the game into triple overtime.

The good feelings did not last long as the Grizzlies scored the first eight points of the third OT and went on to the 82-76 win. 

"What a game. It's unfortunate that someone had to lose," Cowley head coach Donnie Jackson said. "Big play after big play was made on both sides. It was disappointing we were on the wrong side."

Cameron, who finished with 15 points, would go on to miss two front end of one-and-ones and make just 1-of-5 free-throw attempts in the third overtime. Butler went 23-of-39 from the foul line, while Cowley went just 10-of-16.

Nwankwo led Cowley with 22 points and 12 rebounds, while Xavier Washington added 15 points and 11 boards. Freshman Lam Kuany also played well, finishing with nine points and five rebounds in 14 minutes of action.

Brown led Butler with 22 points off the bench, while Tahjae Hill also came off the bench to score 17 points. The Grizzlies are now 21-7 overall and 15-7 in the Jayhawk Conference.

Cowley (15-13) remains one-game behind Cloud County for the final home playoff spot. The T-Birds (14-14) are 10-12 in the Jayhawk Conference, while the Tigers are 9-13. The teams will square off in a pivotal contest Saturday at 4 p.m. in Concordia, KS.

"The guys are still fighting," Jackson said. "Cloud is an absolute must win game if we want any chance for a home game. Every possession matters this time of year. We have to shake this one off and move on to Cloud. They are very good. We have to be locked in for 40 minutes."

The box score can be found at: https://kjccc.org/sports/mbkb/2022-23/boxscores/20230222_midk.xml?view=boxscore

Photo provided by Ed Bailey.