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Cloud County suffers road loss

DODGE CITY — The Dodge City Conquistadors had an answer for everything the Cloud County Thunderbirds threw at them in the second half, and most often that answer was Tyshon Pickett.
Pickett, a 6-6 sophomore, scored 26 points, grabbed 14 rebounds and blocked three shots in leading Dodge City to a 79-69 Jayhawk Conference Western Division win over the T-Birds Saturday night.
Cloud County, trailing 35-28 at halftime, scored the first six points of the second half to get within one, 35-34, but Pickett answered with five straight points.
The T-Birds trailed just 42-40 when Pickett pumped in seven points during a 7-0 Dodge City spurt that made it a 49-42 game.
Cloud County would again get within a point, 51-50.
The Conquistadors scored 10 straight points, six by Pickett, to go up 61-50, and the T-Birds could not get closer than eight points after that.
“They were really physical. Their big man, Tyshon Pickett, was really good,” Cloud County coach Chad Eshbaugh said.
Cloud County was coming off a win over Seward County, the first place team in the Jayhawk West, but was unable to sustain that momentum.
The T-Birds, 19-7 overall, fall to 7-5 in the Conference, and are in fourth place.
“Road wins are so hard to get. I think we knew going in that Dodge City was going to be a handful,” Eshbaugh said.
Dodge City has won three straight games to improve to 18-9 overall and 6-7 in the West.
Shooting just 24 percent  from the field (7 of 29) Cloud County trailed nearly the entire first half.
The T-Birds were down just 24-23 when Gerrae Williams made two free throws with 3:47 to play in the half.
Cloud County would manage just five points after that, and Dodge City had a 35-28 halftime advantage.
“We could never really get into any kind of flow offensively, which makes it difficult,” Eshbaugh said.
Four straight points by Rodrick Robinson and two free throws by Richard Carter pulled Cloud County to within one, 35-34, early in the second half.
Pickett would score five consecutive points, and Dodge City put up seven unanswered, to go up 42-34.
The T-Birds chipped away at the deficit, and got within a point again, 49-48, on a follow by Carter.
Pickett scored for Dodge City, but Carter made two free throws, and it was a 51-50 game.
Consecutive baskets by Pickett, a dunk by RJ McGhee, a bucket by Tramel White and a follow by Pickett made it a 61-50 game.
Devon Branch completed a three-point play to pull Cloud County within eight points, 61-53, with 4:44 to play in the game.
It was 65-57 when Dodge City got three straight points by White and two free throws by Tony Phillips to take its biggest lead at 70-57 with 1:52 remaining.
Two free throws by Carter and a three by Williams just 10 seconds later got Cloud County within eight points, 70-62.
The T-Birds would get no closer.
“We shot the ball poorly, and we just didn’t do a good job of attacking them with purpose,” Eshbaugh said, “To their credit, they really guarded us well and made it very difficult for us.”
Carter, just 5 of 15 from the field, made 12 of 12 free throws in scoring 23 points for Cloud County.
Branch had 20 points and seven rebounds.
Williams added 10 points.
The T-Birds finished just 21 of 66 from the floor for 32 percent, and made 22 of 32 free throws.
White scored 15 points for Dodge City.
Phillips finished with 11 points and McGhee added 10.
Cloud County hosts Garden City  on Wednesday night.

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