Tigers nab second seed at national tourney; Whitlock, Zeigler honored

Capturing only the fifth Region VI title in the history of the Cowley College men's basketball program with a 72-62 win over defending national champion Barton County on Saturday in Hays, KS, the Tiger basketball team parlayed that success into a No.-2 seed at the 24-team NJCAA Division I National Tournament to be held March 22-29 in Hutchinson, KS.

The Tigers will open play at the national tournament on Monday, March 24, at 2:30 p.m. when they face the winner of the game between No. 15-seed Triton College (28-5) and No. 18-seed Columbia State (27-4).

"I think earning the two-seed is a sign of respect for winning our Region tournament and conference from the committee," Cowley head coach Donnie Jackson said. "Everyone is good at nationals. You have to expect everyone to give their best, no matter who we match up with. Both teams we could face are exceptionally strong."

With his 23 points in the Region VI Championship game, Cowley freshman Marcus Whitlock Jr. was named the Most Valuable Player of the Region Tournament. Tiger sophomore Marcus Zeigler, who scored 45 points in Cowley's three region tournament wins, was named to the All-Tournament Team.

"I'm excited to see Marcus and MJ (Marcus Whitlock) representing our program on the all-tournament team," Jackson said. "Both played huge roles in securing the Region title. MJ put us on his back in the championship game, and Marcus was our most consistent player throughout the tournament. Both were very deserving."