Tigers race past CCCC, 89-81
ARKANSAS CITY - The Cloud County Community College women's basketball team did plenty of things right, offensively, to be in position for a road win Monday evening against Cowley College.
Unfortunately for the T-Birds, they were unable to slow down a high-powered Tigers' offense on the defensive end of the floor, falling by the final of 89-81.
"We did a lot of good things, offensively. I thought we positioned ourselves very well. Emmiley and Scout each had good, productive ballgames. And the 17 turnovers really isn't a terrible number for us," said Cloud County head coach, Brett Erkenbrack. "But ultimately the game boiled down to Cowley's two guards (Kedranea Addison and Paige Granstaff). I thought they completely dominated the game on both ends. Cowley is a good ballclub and we did a lot of good things against them. We're getting better and are in a better spot than we were 10 days ago. We just didn't have it for 40 minutes (Monday)."
Addison nearly had a triple-double for Cowley (21-6 overall, 12-5 KJCCC) as she led all scorers with a game-high 33 points while posting 11 assists and eight rebounds. Granstaff completed the one-two punch with 19 points, nine rebounds and three steals.
Led by their guard tandem, the Tigers shot an even 50 percent (32-of-64) from the field Monday, never cracking the door open long enough for Cloud County (15-11 overall, 8-9 KJCCC) to make a sustained run back at them despite shooting a solid 41 percent (33-of-80).
Cloud County was within four of the Tigers nearing the end of the first half, but Cowley was able to build its advantage to 11 at 49-38 at the break by closing the second quarter on a 15-8 burst over the final 4:34.
The T-Birds outscored the Tigers, 43-40, over the final 20 minutes, but were unable to inch any closer than six points the rest of the way.
"That stretch really hurt us to close the first half and we didn't get off to a good start in the third quarter, either," Erkenbrack said. "To Cowley's credit, it made a bunch of winning-type plays. We made a lot of plays to keep us in it and give ourselves a chance but weren't able to get over the hump."
In addition to its great shooting from the field, Cowley was also able to hold Cloud County at bay at the free-throw line, finishing 17-of-23 (74 percent), while the T-Birds were just 4-of-7 (57 perecent).
Cloud County had four players finish in double-figures Monday, led by sophomore forward Scout Frame with 22 points and 13 rebounds.
Freshmen guards Emmiley Hendrixson and Chase Siedlik followed with 18 points and 13 points, respectively, while redshirt freshman forward Cassidy Haufler contributed 11 points and 11 rebounds.
The T-Birds also received five points apiece from sophomore forward Mikaela Meyers, freshman guard Chiara De Virgilio, and redshirt freshman Kamryn Collins, who added a team-high four assists and grabbed four rebounds in her 17 minutes.
The team will look to bounce back Wednesday when the T-Birds host Allen County Community College in what will be their fourth game in the last seven days. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. inside Arley Bryant Gymnasium.
"It's a quick turnaround, but it is at home and it's another one of those games we need to get," Erkenbrack said. "We're coming down to the very end, so we need all the wins we can get to finish this regular season out the right way and position ourselves well for the playoffs."