Tigers avenge early season loss to Mavericks

Having lost at Northwest Kansas Tech in late November, the Cowley College men's basketball team avenged the defeat with an 85-68 win Saturday inside W.S. Scott Auditorium.

Tiger sophomore Mekhi Cameron scored Cowley's first 11 points and finished with a game-high 27 points on 7-of-10 shooting from three-point range as Cowley finished 12-of-27 from beyond the arc as a team and finished with 19 assists.

"I liked the way we shared the ball," Cowley head coach Donnie Jackson said.

Cowley led 30-8 midway through the first half following a dunk by freshman Corey Thomas and went into halftime with a 42-29 lead. During halftime, Cowley would recognize the 2023 Class of the Tiger Athletic Hall of Fame consisting of soccer player Amber (Hernandez) Carson, softball athlete Breayle (Tackett) Shelton, baseball player Aaron Sanderholm, Lady Tiger basketball player Elena Yankova, and the national champion 1991 Tiger men's tennis team.

Leading 64-53 in the second half, Cowley would use a 12-1 run to lead 76-54 as they went on to the 17-point win.

"We wanted to play with great energy and make it a special day for the hall of famers," Cowley head coach Donnie Jackson said. "It was good for us to protect our home court."

Freshman Jeff Nwankwo added nine points and nine rebounds as Cowley out-rebounded the Mavericks 40-21.

The victory improves Cowley's record to 13-9 overall and 7-9 in the Jayhawk Conference. NW Tech falls to 8-13 and 4-12 in conference play.

Making his second straight start at point guard, Damare Smith finished with eight points on 3-of-6 shooting.

"Damare is bringing really good energy to the team," Jackson said.

While sophomore Xavier Valley, coming off an injury in the offseason, scored in double figures for the second straight game.

 "I feel Xavier is starting to get his legs back and is playing with a little more confidence," Jackson said.

Keyishon Miller led the Mavericks with 20 points in the loss.

Cowley will now prepare for a challenging road test at Hutchinson Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. The Tigers defeated the Blue Dragons 111-95 back on November 30 and are only one game back of Hutchinson in the conference standings.

"Playing Hutchinson is always a big game for Cowley," Jackson said. "We have got to be ready for their press and be able to take their best shot. We will need to have two good days of practice leading up to the game."

Box score:

NW Tech (68): Taiden Conner 3-13 5-6 12, Tate Bessire 2-6 1-2 5, Keyishon Miller 6-12 5-9 20, Arthur Celestin 6-8 3-5 15, Youssouf Timera 1-4 1-2 3, Zaire Hayes 5-12 0-0 11, Daniel Moose 1-3 0-0 2. Totals: 24-58 15-24 68.

Cowley (85): Meki Cameron 9-12 2-2 27, Xavier Washington 3-7 3-3 9, Jeff Nwankwo 6-11 0-0 13, Damare Smith 3-6 0-0 8, Corey Thomas 2-3 1-2 5, Mooch Austin 2-3 0-0 5, Xavier Valley 4-11 1-2 10, Demetrius Rives 0-0 0-0 0, Cameron Jernigan 3-4 0-0 6, Trevion Alexander 0-0 0-0 0, Lam Kuany 1-3 0-0 2, Jackson Greene 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 33-60 7-9 85.

Three-pointers: NW Tech 5-21 (Milelr 3-5, Conner 1-8, Hayes 1-4, Bessire 0-2, Moose 0-2), Cowley 12-27 (Cameron 7-10, Smith 2-5, Nwankwo 1-4, Valley 1-4, Austin 1-2, Washington 0-1, Kuany 0-1). Rebounds: NW Tech 21 (Celestin 6), Cowley 40 (Nwankwo 9). Assists: NW Tech 6 (Hayes 3), Cowley 19 (Austin 6). Total fouls: NW Tech 11, Cowley 17. Fouled out: Timera. Technicals: Washington.