Lady Tigers have season come to an end with 84-64 loss at top-seeded Hutchinson

The No. 8-seeded Cowley College women's basketball team hung with top-seeded Hutchinson Community College for a half before the Lady Blue Dragons pulled away for an 84-64 win in the quarterfinals of the Region VI Tournament played Wednesday in Hutchinson. With the loss, Cowley finishes the season with a record of 15-9.

Hutchinson (19-4) advances to face fourth-seed Independence Community College in the semifinals of the Region VI Tournament played Friday at noon at Friends University in Wichita, KS.

Trailing 23-15 at the end of the first quarter, Cowley would use a 9-2 run to open the second quarter to pull within 25-24. However, the Lady Tigers could not get over the hump and grab the lead as they went into halftime down 43-34.

The Lady Blue Dragons made 5-of-7 three-point attempts in the third quarter and held Cowley to 4-of-14 shooting in the quarter as their lead grew to 65-46 entering the final quarter of play.

Hutchinson's lead would grow to 79-49 before Cowley closed the game on a 15-5 run.

"Hutchinson is a bad matchup for us," Cowley head coach Todd Clark said. "I thought we had multiple chances to make it a game, but we were not very efficient offensively."

After shooting 61 percent from the floor in the opening half, Cowley shot only 27 percent in the second half.

Meanwhile, Hutchinson was on fire from beyond the three-point line, making 18-of-36 three-point attempts. Take away Kayhla Adams 0-for-10 shooting from long range and the Lady Blue Dragons made 18-of-26 attempts from beyond the arc.

To're Alford went 8-of-10 from three-point range and led Hutchinson with 26 points.

Playing her final game in a Lady Tiger uniform, sophomore Seanna Boltz finished with 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting. Boltz finishes as Cowley's all-time leader in three-pointers made with 202 and also ranks 15^th on the school's all-time scoring list with 781 points.

"Seanna had a really good career here," Clark said.

Freshman Baylee Fincher, a building block for next season, finished with nine points, seven rebounds, six assists, and four steals. While, fellow freshman Martyna Kowalska added nine points and averaged 12 points and 7.2 rebounds on the season.

Cowley will say goodbye to sophomores Seanna Boltz, Jayden Marlnee, Milena Fromming, Kalyne Daniels, Shontrice Austin, Teagan Brouwer, and Torri Vang.

"Each of the sophomores got better while they were here and each contributed to the team," Clark said.

Cowley endured a two-month delay to the start of the season, saw fan restrictions, and was faced with numerous challenges due to the uncertainty of Covid-19.

"I want to thank the community for their support and thank the players for their hard work throughout the season," Clark said. "We need to recruit and get a little better. It is all about having good players."

Box score:

Cowley (64): Baylee Fincher 3-11 3-4 9, Jayden Marlnee 2-3 0-4 4, Seanna Boltz 7-12 0-0 18, Shamara Henderson 1-2 0-0 2, Martyna Kowalska 2-9 5-6 9, Milena Fromming 2-5 0-0 6, Kalyne Daniels 3-5 3-4 9, Shontrice Austin 1-2 0-0 2, Teagan Brouwer 0-5 5-8 5. Totals: 21-54 16-26 64.

Hutchinson (84): Kayhla Adams 1-13 1-2 3, Kate Ogle 2-4 0-0 5, Lojong Gore 3-8 0-0 7, Ishante Suttington 5-8 0-0 12, To're Alford 9-12 0-0 26, Cherelle Newsom 2-4 0-0 6, Kalyn Ervin 5-8 0-0 14, Lani Morris 1-2 0-0 2, Nafatoumata Haidara 3-4 3-6 9. Totals: 31-63 4-8 84.

Three-pointers: Cowley 6-16 (Boltz 4-9, Fromming 2-3, Fincher 0-3, Daniels 0-1), Hutchinson 18-36 (Alford 8-10, Ervin 4-5, Suttington 2-4, Newsom 2-3, Gore 1-2, Ogle 1-2, Adams 0-10). Rebounds: Cowley 37 (Brouwer, Fincher 7), Hutchinson 32 (Ogle 9). Assists: Cowley 11 (Fincher 6), Hutchinson 27 (Adams 15). Turnovers: Cowley 13, Hutchinson 11. Total fouls: Cowley 10, Hutchinson 17. Fouled out: none. Technicals: none.