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By DAVID WOLMAN
Traveler Sports Editor

If you talked to Cowley College coach Todd Clark last month and asked him if his team would compete for first place in the Jayhawk Conference Eastern Division, his answer would've been a definitive "no."

How time has changed.

The Lady Tigers set themselves up for tonight's showdown for first place with Labette with a dominating performance on Saturday afternoon.

Cowley shot a blistering 50.8 percent (30 of 59) from the field and its two leading scorers left Highland in the cold. Elena Yankova finished with 23 points and Curtis added 21 to lead the Lady Tigers to a 72-47 rout of Highland.

Cowley improved to 10-7 overall and 5-0 in the Jayhawk East, remaining tied with No. 22 Labette (15-2 overall) atop the conference.

Clark, whose team went 5-7 in the fall semester, said the difference for his team to start the conference portion of the schedule has been an increased effort across the board.

"The coaches are coaching better. The players are playing better," he said. "We're getting comfortable with each other."

Yankova sparked Cowley's effort on Saturday, scoring the first nine points of the game. And the Lady Tigers never let up, building a 39-20 halftime lead.

Yankova, who was left open for many of her points, finished 10 of 16 from the field. Curtis did her damage behind the arc, finishing 5 of 10 of three-pointers.

"(Our offense) made everything else easier," Clark said. "We're hoping to carry that over (into the rest of the season)."

Cowley led by as many as 25 points and forced 20 turnovers in the game.

Whitney Williams added 10 points and "Bebe" Holloway 8 for the Lady Tigers.