Dodge City downs T-Birds, 75-66

DODGE CITY — A sluggish third quarter put the Cloud County Community College Thunderbirds in a hole they were unable to climb out of.
Leading 35-31, the Dodge City Community College Conquistadors outscored Cloud County 23-11 in the third period to open up a 58-42 advantage.
The T-Birds would fight back to within six points early in the final quarter before falling 75-66 to Dodge City in a Jayhawk matchup Saturday afternoon.
“We have had a history of digging ourselves a hole and then trying to fight back, and we couldn’t make it all of the way back,” Cloud County coach Brett Erkenbrack said. “We didn’t play terrible. We competed again. We tried hard.”
Cloud County, now 6-4 overall and 2-3 in the conference, and Dodge City spent the first quarter trading baskets.
There were six ties and three lead changes in the opening 10 minutes and the game was knotted at 17-17 when the first period ended.
A three-point basket by Layla-Ja Cameron and two free throws by Paris Santacaterina gave Dodge City a 22-17 cushion early in the second period.
Trailing 28-23, the T-Birds got five straight points by Bailey Burns to pull even at 28-28.
The game was tied at 29-29 when Maimouna Sissoko made two free throws to give Cloud County a 31-29 lead.
Sissoko scored 27 points and grabbed 18 rebounds for the T-Birds.
Dodge City, 10-1 overall and 4-1 in the Jayhawk Conference, scored the final six points of the first half to go up 35-31.
A three-point play by Cameron and five consecutive points by Kyriana Jones put the Conquistadors on top to stay, 43-31, three minutes into the second half.
Cloud County went 3:35 without scoring before Burns hit a three that made it a 43-34 game.
Burns was four of nine from three-point range and scored 17 points.
“I was happy to see Bailey Burns hit some threes,” Erkenbrack said.
It was a 47-38 game when Cameron connected on back-to-back threes and Tayah Morgan hit another to extend the Conquistadors’ lead to 56-38.
Cloud County, which connected on just five field goal attempts and turned the ball over seven times in the quarter, trailed 58-42 going into the fourth.
“It was all self-inflicted,” Erkenbrack said. “We missed a ton of layups and we had several turnovers that led directly to baskets for them.”
The T-Birds opened the final period with a three by Burns.
Josephine Igherighe hit a jumper. Destiny Smith made a three and Sissoko scored off an offensive rebound to get Cloud County within six points, 58-52, with 7:18 remaining in the game.
Dodge City upped the lead back to double digits at 64-54.
A three-point play by Sissoko pulled Cloud County within seven points, 64-57, with 5:25 on the clock.
The Conquistadors scored on consecutive possessions, and led 67-57.
Cloud County could get no closer than nine points over the final five minutes.
Smith scored 10 points for the T-Birds.
Igherighe added eight points and nine rebounds.
Parris Atkins led Dodge City with 17 points. Morgan and Cameron scored 14 each.
Cloud County hosts 14th-ranked Hutchinson Community College at 6 p.m. Wednesday.
The Blue Dragons are 10-0 overall and 4-0 in conference play.