Web posted
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Lady Tigers clobber Neosho Co.
|
Photo by David Wolman
click image to enlarge
|
By DAVID WOLMAN
Traveler Sports Editor
sports@arkcity.net
In the last 30 seconds of Wednesday's game, Cowley College coach Todd Clark walked down the bench, and one-by-one, gave a congratulatory handshake to each one of his players.
The Lady Tigers didn't win a conference or national championship, but Clark wanted to make sure they were individually appreciated for their efforts.
Clark said that when he glanced at the scoreboard, he thought that his team might be able to limit Neosho County to single digits in the first half.
"I had no anticipation that it was going to be two (points)," he said.
That's right, Cowley limited Neosho County to a Brandi Robertson layup in the first half before settling for an easy 61-25 win over the Lady Panthers.
Clark said that he recalled a couple of occasion where his teams previously limited opponents to single digits in the first half.
"I remember vividly there were two or three games where we held teams to eight points," Clark said.
But not two.
Credit Cowley's press and zone defenses for wearing down a Neosho County squad carrying only seven players into Tuesday's game.
Cowley forced Neosho County into committing 28 turnovers, including 16 in the first half.
By the time Robertson got the Lady Panthers on the board with 13:06 remaining in the half, Cowley had already scored the first 10 points of the game.
And Neosho County (2-19, 0-9 Jayhawk East), which dropped its 10th- straight game and remained winless in the Jayhawk Conference Eastern Division, went cold again. Cowley held the Lady Panthers off the scoreboard for a span of 15:44 after Roberton's basket.
Neosho County had numerous chances to break out of its offensive sooner, but none of its shots fell in.
Robertson, who had to be helped off the floor after suffering an apparent ankle injury in the waning seconds of the first half, appeared to get Neosho County of its offensive funk, but a short bank-shot bounced in and out of the rim just moments before her injury.
In the meantime, Cowley had already established a 30-2 halftime lead.
After Noelle Jackson gave the Lady Tigers their first 20-point lead, 22-2, on a jumper, Whitney Williams hit a turnaround bank shot on their next possession.
Williams finished with nine points, while Jackson had four for Cowley. Neasha Haynes was the only player to reach double figures, finishing with a game-high 10 points.
Every Cowley player scored in the game.
With the Lady Tigers in control, Clark gave all of his reserves added playing time. Clark played his starters for a few minutes in the second half before allowing them to enjoy the rest of the game from the bench.
"They need rest," he said. "I knew Gabbie (Curtis) had a foot injury at Fort Scott (last Saturday). It was good to give her a breather."
Carshena Anderson finally ended Neosho County's scoring drought, making a conventional three-point play with 17:22 remaining.
But it only cut Cowley's lead to 35-5. The Lady Panthers, who shot a dismal 16.7 percent from the field (9 of 54), didn't reach double digits (45-11 Cowley lead) until Quinetta Hadley recorded a putback with 11:08 remaining.
Hadley finished with four points and eight rebounds. Kelcy Shackelford led Neosho County with eight points. Fila Smith added six points and eight rebounds.
Despite 12 careless turnovers in the second half by Cowley, which finished with 20, it continued to find its groove on the offensive end. Courtney Goodrum had a solid game off the bench, including two layups in the final three minutes.
"She's got really good speed," Clark said of Goodrum, who finished with eight points and three steals. "She can do a variety of things."
Box score:
Neosho County: Shackelford 3-6 2-3 8; Smith 2-18 1-2 6; Anderson 2-10 1-1 5; Hadley 1-6 2-4 4; Robertson 1-3 0-0 2; Totals 9-54 4-7 25.
Cowley: Haynes 3-7 4-5 10; Williams 4-8 1-1 9; Yankova 4-9 0-0 8; Goodrum 3-5 2-2 8; Robinson 3-5 0-0 6; Spencer 1-3 4-6 6; Cherry 2-4 0-0 4; Jackson 2-3 0-0; Wright 1-2 0-1 2; Slane 1-6 0-0 2; Draganic 0-1 2-4 2. Totals 24-53 13-19 61.
Halftime -- Cowley 30, Neosho County 2. Three's -- Neosho County 3-14 (Shackelford 2, Smith 1); Cowley 0-8. Rebounds -- Neosho County 27 (Smith 8, Hadley 8); Cowley 34 (Robinson 5). Assists -- Neosho County: 3 (Anderson 1, Holloway 1, Smith 1); Cowley: 11 (Yankova 3, Cherry 3).
Above: Cowley College freshman Amy Slane launches a three-point attempt Wednesday evening at W.S. Scott Auditorium. Cowley limited Neosho County to two first-half points en route to a 61-25 win.
|
