March 3, 2010

Tigers slip past Pratt 70-69, advance to play in Wichita

In a game that featured nine ties and seven lead changes, the Cowley College men’s basketball team managed to score one more point than its opponent as they slipped past Pratt Community College 70-69 in the first-round of the Region VI Tournament played Tuesday night at W.S. Scott Auditorium.

The final tie of the game would come at 66-66 when Pratt’s Trae Beck buried a three-pointer with 51 seconds remaining. Cowley would turn the ball over on its next possession and the Beavers’ John Rutherford missed a breakaway lay-up on the other end, giving the Tigers the ball back with 28.9 seconds left.
Cowley’s Canon Fields then raced the ball up court and found Dominick Cornelius open down low. Cornelius made the basket and was fouled, and converted the three-point play to put the Tigers ahead 69-66 with 21.2 seconds remaining.

Pratt’s Tyrone Gordon missed a short jumper on the Beavers’ next possession and Cowley’s Lance Russell was fouled after grabbing the rebound. Russell made 1-of-2 free throws to give the Tigers a four-point lead (70-66) with 12.7 seconds left.

However, Pratt would not go away easily as Beck was fouled by Fields while shooting a three-pointer. Beck would make all three free throws, cutting Cowley’s lead to 70-69 with 7.6 seconds showing on the clock.

On the ensuing inbounds play, Cowley’s Tyrus McGee, who finished with a game-high 26 points and made several big baskets for the Tigers, could not find anyone open and threw the ball over the head of Cowley’s Lance Russell and out of bounds.

Pratt would take over possession of the basketball under its own basket with a chance to win. Gordon’s inbounds pass was tipped by Cornelius and picked up by Pratt’s Taner Hayes, who missed a three-point attempt in the final seconds. Cowley would grab the rebound as time expired and the auditorium erupted in celebration.

The victory improves the Tigers’ record to 21-10 overall. Cowley advances to take on Seward County (23-8), the third seed out of the Jayhawk West, Saturday at 5 p.m. at Wichita State University’s Charles Koch Arena.

Playing with a much smaller lineup, Cowley out-rebounded Pratt 47-29. The Tigers grabbed 24 offensive rebounds, which led to 25 more shot attempts.

“It was maybe the best we have done all year on just keep playing and not let the negative or positive possessions affect our level of toughness,” Cowley head coach Tommy DeSalme said. “The guys kept fighting and the crowd gave us the energy we needed to have a chance to win it.”

Cowley trailed by two points at halftime (35-33) and faced its largest deficit at 58-51 with seven minutes remaining. McGee, who picked up his fourth foul with 11:06 remaining, rallied the Tigers by scoring five points in 21 seconds to cut the Beavers’ lead to 58-56. McGee would score 10 of the Tigers’ 12 points during 12-3 run, which put Cowley on top 63-61 with less than four minutes remaining.

“The best asset Tyrus has is he has a short memory, that is what all great players have,” DeSalme said. “He has made big shots for us all year when we have been down.”

Cornelius, who gave the Tigers its final lead of the game, scored all 12 of his points in the second half and played tremendous defense.

“He does so much that does not show up on the stat sheet,” DeSalme said. “He is so smart, tough, and is a great defensive player. He is just a real special kid.”

Freshman Jordan Lankster added 10 points, while Canon Fields made up for a poor shooting night (2-of-11) by recording nine assists and seven rebounds. Sophomore Caprest Rhone had a big night on the boards as he pulled down eight offensive rebounds and finished with six points, nine rebounds and four assists.

Pratt, which finishes the season with a record of 18-13, was led in scoring by Trent Thomas’ 21 points. The Beavers’ 6-foot-11 center, Illiwa Baldwin, added 18 points and nine rebounds before leaving the game with an ankle injury in the final four minutes of play.

Tyrone Gordon, who entered the game averaging 13.1 points and 6.4 assists, finished with only five points and three assists, while turning the ball over five times.

The Tigers will now prepare for a rematch against Seward County Saturday in Wichita at 5 p.m. The Saints defeated Cowley 83-67 back on Jan. 8 in the Jayhawk Shootout. Cowley led by 15 points early in the game before Seward rallied to win by 16.

The Saints lead the Jayhawk Conference in scoring at 82.9 points per game and have six players averaging double figures in points. Still, DeSalme wants to see a fast paced game.

“It will be a game of runs, both teams like to play fast,” DeSalme said. “I like to play a team that is similar in style to us in how fast they want the game to be played. We will have to shoot it well.”

With only eight teams advancing to the second-round of the tournament, DeSalme is happy his team will get the experience of playing in Wichita.

“It is a reward to get to go up there, it shows the kids why you work so hard,” DeSalme said. “It also helps set the tone for the program for next year.”

Box score:
Pratt (69): Illiwa Baldwin 7-11 4-7 18, Jay Valerius 0-2 0-0 0, Trae Beck 4-12 5-5 16, Tyrone Gordon 1-6 3-8 5, Trent Thomas 7-13 7-10 21, Marcus Smith 2-3 0-0 6, John Rutherford 0-4 0-0 0, Taner Hayes 1-1 1-2 3. Totals: 22-52 20-32 69.

Cowley (70): Lance Russell 1-4 1-2 3, Tyrus McGee 10-20 2-2 26, Dominick Cornelius 5-14 1-3 12, Michael Copeland 1-2 0-2 2, Jordan Lankster 4-7 2-4 10, Canon Fields 2-11 2-4 6, Caprest Rhone 3-10 0-4 6, AJ Barber 0-1 0-0 0, Brent Schuck 2-4 0-0 5, Julio Rosario 0-0 0-0 0, Joseph Wakefield 0-0 0-0 0, Kelton Marshall 0-4 0-0 0. Totals: 28-77 8-21 70.

Three-pointers: Pratt 5-13 (Baldwin 0-1, Beck 3-8, Thomas 0-1, Smith 2-2, Rutherford 0-1), Cowley 6-20 (Russell 0-2, McGee 4-7, Cornelius 1-4, Fields 0-5, Schuck 1-1, Marshall 0-1). Rebounds: Pratt 29 (Baldwin 9), Cowley 47 (Rhone 9). Assists: Pratt 12 (Gordon, Hayes 3), Cowley 19 (Fields 9). Turnovers: Pratt 17, Cowley 14. Total fouls: Pratt 22, Cowley 25. Fouled out: Valerius. Technicals: Pratt bench, McGee.