Grizzlies fend off CCCC, 75-70

Squaring off against the top team in the Jayhawk Conference East Division, the Cloud County Community College Thunderbirds led 21st-ranked Butler Community College by 11 points midway through the third quarter.
Butler would rally to go up by five points in the fourth quarter, and knocked down four free throws in the final 13 seconds of the game to secure a 75-70 conference victory Monday night in Bryant Gymnasium.
It was the second loss in two days for Cloud County, which has now dropped three straight in falling to 7-12 overall and 2-7 in conference play.
“We battled and gave ourselves a chance to be in the ball game, but we had some players foul out late and had some breakdown both offensively and defensively that ultimately were the difference in the game,” Cloud County coach Brett Erkenbrack said, “We haven't been able to continually make plays for 40 minutes, and when our margin of error is as narrow as it is, we have to be able to get five or six players to play well in the same game and not just one or two.”
Trailing 20-15 after one quarter of play, Cloud County used a big second period to surge into the lead.
The T-Birds were down 24-18 in the second stanza when Jasmina Jones hit consecutive three-point baskets to tie the game at 24-24.
Jones came off the bench to score a season high 26 points. She was 7 of 16 from three-point range and had five rebounds.
“We had a great performance from Jasmina Jones off the bench, but unfortunately, we didn't get much to go with it, as we weren't able to get the production we typically do from our starters,” Erkenbrack said.
With the game tied at 26-26, the T-Birds scored 10 straight points to go up 36-26.
Cloud County led 41-32 at halftime.
The T-Birds pushed the lead to 11 points in the third quarter, and were up 52-41 when Jones scored with 4:57 remaining.
Butler, 13-5 overall and 6-2 in the conference, trimmed the deficit to just two points, 59-57, when Jaelynn McLaurian made two free throws with 10 seconds to play in third period.
A three-point basket by Carissa Beck 14 seconds into the final quarter gave the Grizzlies their first lead since the second period, 60-59.
There would be four lead changes and two ties over the next four minutes.
A three-point play by RaVon Nero put Butler on top to stay, 68-65.
Cloud County got as close as two points, 70-68.
It was a 71-68 game when Tamara Nard made two free throws to give the Grizzlies a 73-68 cushion with 13 seconds to play.
LaKya Leslie scored for Cloud County five seconds later to make it 73-70.
Jones fouled Camille Downs with seven seconds to play.
Downs knocked down two free throws to lock up the win for Butler.
Haven Hamilton scored nine points and pulled down seven rebounds for Cloud County.
Jacy Dalinghaus finished with eight points and six rebounds, and Leslie added seven points and eight rebounds.
Nero led four Butler players in double figures with 22 points.
Downs scored 16. Nard tossed in 13 and Beck chipped in 12.
Cloud County will play a third game in five days at Coffeyville on Wednesday night.