Web posted
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Cowley men rally from early deficit
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Photo by David Wolman
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By DAVID WOLMAN
Traveler Sports Editor
sports@arkcity.net
When Cowley College fell into an early 11-0 deficit, there was no sense of panic.
They just had to make a few defensive adjustments.
The Tigers let Allen County front court impose their will down low early, recording five short-range baskets for the early lead.
Cowley then got its act together, shutting down Allen County front court and turning them into a perimeter-shooting team.
The improved effort down low allowed No. 13 Cowley to chip away at Allen County's lead before turning it on in the second half to pull away with an 83-70 win at W.S. Scott Auditorium.
"After the first five minutes, we did a real good job of clogging up the basket," Cowley College coach Steve Eck said, "and that was the key."
Cowley had no answer for William Sloanes early, as the bulky 6-foot-7 sophomore recorded seven of Allen County's first 11 points, including two putbacks and a three-point play within the first 2 1/2 minutes.
Sloanes was held in check the rest of the way, finishing with 11 points and five rebounds.
Allen County built its lead to 24-12 on a basket by Uros Komadinic. The 6-foot-6 sophomore showed his range throughout the game, connecting on 8-of-12 field goals, including four three-pointers for a game-high 20 points.
Allen County unleashed a barrage from behind the arc, connecting on 11 of 30 three-pointers.
Eck was more than happy to limit Allen County (13-10, 6-5 Jayhawk East) to perimeter shots.
That allowed Cowley to slowly chip away at Allen County's lead, and Montrell McDonald was the catalyst.
McDonald is known for his quick first step, electrifying dunks and blocked shots. But on this night, McDonald dazzled the crowd his razor-sharp passing.
McDonald found Preston Brown down low for a wide-open layup, cutting Allen County's lead to 24-17 midway through the first half.
After connecting on a three-pointer less than a minute later, McDonald spotted Chris Rhymes down low for a layup, bringing Cowley to within 28-24.
While the Tigers didn't gain their first lead until early in the second half, McDonald's unselfishness was a big reason Cowley was able to claw its way back into the game. McDonald finished with six assists, in addition to nine points.
"Montrell scored only nine points, but as far as our team, he was a huge, huge part of it tonight," Eck said. "He wanted to score more points, but he can do a lot of other things for us."
McDonald also limited Allen County's duo of Tyray Petty and Perry Petty to 20 combined points.
Rhymes gave Cowley its first lead of the game, 40-39, on a layup after a steal directly under the basket on an inbounds play.
Allen County's three-point barrage allowed them to regain the lead until Preston Brown sank a free throw for a 49-48 lead.
Cowley (21-2, 10-1) then picked up the intensity on the defensive end, skying high to block shots, gain rebounds and collect steals.
Just in the second half alone, the Tigers had six blocked shots, 14 defensive rebounds and nine steals.
"We had more energy (than in the first half)," Eck said. "We got after it and started playing a lot better."
On one sequence just over midway through the second half, Reggie Cook batted the ball away from an Allen County player. Eric McKinney then picked up the loose ball and passed it to McDonald for an easy layup.
Less than two minutes later, Tim Miser lost control of the ball near Allen County's bench and Eric McKinney gathered the loose ball and ran down the sideline for an easy dunk and a 58-54 Tigers lead.
McKinney came off the bench to spearhead Cowley's efforts down low, finishing with 19 points and nine rebounds. He also had five steals.
Brown worked hard down low and recorded a putback after collecting two offensive rebounds for a 74-62 lead. He finished with 13 points and nine rebounds (six offensive). Jack Crowder III added 15 points, Rhymes 16 points and five assists.
McKinney capped off the game with a two-handed dunk off a nice pass from Mike Atwater.
"We played better as a team for the first time since the second half of the Coffeyville game," Eck said.
Box score:
Allen County: Komadinic 8-12 0-0 20; P. Petty 5-19 0-1 11; Sloanes 4-5 3-3 11; T. Petty 4-15 0-2 9; Miser 2-5 0-0 6; Handley 1-2 0-0 3; Hill 1-3 0-0 3; Putman 1-3 0-0 3; Braggs 0-0 2-2 2; Nelson 1-3 0-0 2. Totals 27-67 5-8 70.
Cowley: McKinney 7-8 5-8 19; Rhymes 6-11 4-6 16; Crowder III 7-12 1-2 15; Brown 6-15 1-2 13; McDonald 2-5 3-3 9; Cook 3-5 0-3 7; Butler 2-4 0-2 4. Totals 33-63 14-26 83.
Halftime -- Allen County 39, Cowley 36. Three's -- Allen County 11-30 (Komadinic 4, Miser 2, T. Petty, P. Petty, Handley, Hill, Putman); Cowley 3-10 (McDonald 2, Cook). Rebounds -- Allen County 29 (T. Petty 10); Cowley 36 (McKinney 9, Brown 9). Assists -- Allen County: 15 (P. Petty 7); Cowley: 18 (McDonald 6). Technicals: none.
Above: Cowley College sophomore Chris Rhymes, center, drives his way through Allen County's defense, knocking down Tim Meiser, left, Wednesday night at W.S. Scott Auditorium.
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