WWW arkcity.net

By DAVID WOLMAN
Traveler Sports Editor
sports@arkcity.net

Cowley College coach Steve Eck knew that Neosho County would give the No. 14 Tigers a challenge Wednesday night.

He was right.

The Panthers, who finished 0-18 in the Jayhawk Conference Eastern Division last season, have been viewed as the most improved team in the conference.

They showed why, giving Cowley all it could handle.

But when it counted the most last night, the Tigers answered the call.

After Neosho County closed the gap to 10 points with just under four minutes remaining, Cowley responded with a 14-3 run to close out the game and earn an 83-62 win over the Panthers at W.S. Scott Auditorium.

"They're a team you don't want to take lightly," Eck said. "We didn't."

Neosho County, 5-4 in Jayhawk East play and 10-11 overall after last night's loss, brought in a new coach in Jeremy Coombs and what appears to be a new attitude this season.

Combine those elements, the Panthers find themselves in the middle of the pack in the Jayhawk East race.

Cowley (19-2, 8-1 Jayhawk East) never trailed last night, but couldn't put away a hard-working Panthers team until late.

Every time the Tigers put together a run, Neosho County answered with one of its own.

Early on, the game featured an up-tempo pace.

Cowley jumped out of the gates to a quick 9-2 lead on an Eric McKinney turnaround jumper.

But the Panthers were quick to respond, coming to within two points on a Damayrius Adside three-pointer. Adrian Sims then tied the game at 18-18 less than two minutes later on a three-pointer of his own.

Adside (19 points) and Sims (game-high 21 points) became a two-man wrecking crew for Neosho County, combing for 40 of Neosho County's 62 points.

"All year long, we've had a problem trying to figure out who the hot guy is," Eck said.

Cowley, at times, had trouble blocking out for loose rebounds. The Tigers finished with a 39-31 advantage, but Neosho County won the battle on the offensive boards (15-10).

After Adside brought the Panthers to within six points on a pair of free throws, the Tigers closed out the first half on a 9-3 run for a 42-29 lead. McKinney had a two-handed putback with 1:03 remaining.

McKinney nearly finished with a double-double, recording 11 points and eight rebounds.

He was one of five Tigers to finish in double figures. Jack Crowder had 17 points, Chris Rhymes and Montrell McDonald each had 13, and Reggie Cook 12.

After Neosho County again closed the gap to 10 points, Cowley appeared it was going to run away with the win.

The Tigers went on a 13-0 run to take a 65-42 lead with 9:38 remaining. McKinney scored the final five points of the spurt, with a reverse layup and conventional three-point play.

But the Panthers never quit.

Sims recorded a steal and passed the ball to Demetrius Martin for a layup to cut Cowley's lead to 69-57, forcing Eck to call a timeout.

"If you are up by 20 (points) and have the chance to put an opponent away, you need to," Eck said. "In the second half, I told the guys that all week that I need to find five guys to play defense. I'm trying to find a combination to win on defense."

And Cowley responded.

After a Mark Gomilla putback, the Tigers took control the rest of the way en route to their 19th win.

Jack Crowder III started the final surge with a dunk. On the ensuing possession, Rhymes converted a layup off a steal.

"Right there, the guys stepped up and took charge," Eck said.

The Tigers outshot Neosho County 51.6 percent to 35.4 percent in the game, respectively.

Cowley was also willing to sacrifice the body in the second half, taking the receiving end of two offensive fouls by Neosho County.

Adside lost his cool in the last couple of minutes, drawing two technical fouls. Rhymes was also issued a technical foul for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Box score:

Neosho County: Sims 8-16 0-0 21; Adside 6-19 4-6 19; Gomilla 3-8 2-2 8; Mills 2-10 2-3 6; May 2-6 0-2 4; Martin 2-4 0-2 4. Totals 23-65 8-15 62.

Cowley: Crowder III 6-9 5-7 17; Rhymes 6-12 1-3 13; McDonald 5-9 1-2 13; Cook 4-6 3-5 12; McKinney 5-13 1-1 11; Brown 2-5 2-4 7; Butler 2-3 0-0 6; Hammerschmidt 1-2 0-0 2; Miller 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 32-62 13-22 83.

Halftime -- Cowley 42, Neosho County 29. Three's -- Neosho County 8-17 (Sims 5, Adside 2); Cowley 6-11 (McDonald 2, Butler 2, Brown, Cook). Rebounds -- Neosho County 31 (Martin 8); Cowley 39 (McDonald 8, Rhymes 8, McKinney 8). Assists -- Neosho County 8 (Adside 4); Cowley 19 (Brown 4, McDonald 4, Atwater 4).