Tigers blow 13-point second half lead in 81-77 loss at Seward

The Cowley College men's basketball team out-scored host Seward County 29-10 over the first seven minutes of the second half of Saturday's game in Liberal as they turned a six-point halftime deficit into a 63-50 lead. However, the Saints rallied to regain the lead in the game's final minute and held on for the 81-77 victory.

Cowley is now 1-3 overall and 1-1 in the Jayhawk Conference Eastern Division, while Seward improves its record to 1-1 on the season.

Tiger head coach Tommy DeSalme did not fault his team's effort in the loss.

"I thought we played at a really high level, we just missed some wide open shots and had the ball movement stop over the last nine or so minutes of play," DeSalme said.

Seward trailed from the 17:25 mark of the second half until Erik Pratt's basket with 1:01 remaining put the Saints in front 76-74. A missed shot by Tiger sophomore Clarence King on the other end forced Cowley to foul. Pratt would make a pair of free throws to stretch Seward's lead to 78-74.

Cowley would pull within 78-77 with 24 seconds left, but the Saints would go 3-of-4 from the free-throw line and the Tigers missed a pair of three-point attempts on its final two possessions as Seward escaped with the four-point win.

"We are getting better," DeSalme said. "Our pace of play is just not there yet. I hope the more games we play the better we get."

Dalen Ridgnal once again led Cowley with his fourth straight double-double, finishing with 21 points and 12 boards. Shemarri Allen added 11 points, while Moun'tae Edmundson chipped in 10 points on three-of-four shooting from three-point range.

Kevon Cooper led five Seward players in double figures as he finished with 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting. The Saints shot 50 percent from the floor in the win.

Cowley will look to bounce back when they host Barton County Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. The Cougars are 2-1 overall and 1-1 in the Jayhawk West following a 93-84 win over Allen Community College on Saturday.

"This is an awesome league from top to bottom, so you better be ready to play," DeSalme said. "It has been a weird series between us and Barton, to where both teams have played better on the road. We hope to put together a complete game on Saturday."

Box score:

Cowley (77): Mike'l Henderson 2-7 0-0 6, Shemarri Allen 3-7 5-7 11, Cevin Clark 1-6 2-2 5, Dalen Ridgnal 7-14 5-5 21, Jacquez Yow 1-3 5-6 7, Kobe Campbell 1-1 0-0 2, Clarence King 0-2 0-0 0, Moun'tae Edmundson 3-4 1-2 10, Raishaun Brown 2-5 2-3 7, Jayden McCray 0-1 0-0 0, Tarese Morse 1-1 2-2 4, Matthew Reeves 0-1 0-0 0, Josiah Harris 1-2 0-0 2, Biar Garang 1-1 0-0 2. Totals: 23-55 22-27 77.

Seward (81): Ahamadou Sillah 1-4 2-2 4, Erik Pratt 5-13 4-6 16, Samuel Henderson 3-4 9-13 16, Davonte Jennings 4-10 0-0 10, Kevon Cooper 8-13 4-4 20, Stephen Takyi 4-5 2-5 10, Ahmad Galimore 1-2 1-2 3, Christopher Johnson 0-0 0-0 0, Donyae Molett 0-1 2-4 2. Totals: 26-52 24-36 81.

Three-pointers: Cowley 9-28 (Edmundson 3-4, Ridgnal 2-6, Henderson 2-5, Clark 1-4, Brown 1-2, Allen 0-4, Yow 0-1, King 0-1, Reeves 0-1), Seward 5-11 (Jennings 2-5, Pratt 2-3, Henderson 1-1, Cooper 0-2). Rebounds: Cowley 30 (Ridgnal 12), Seward 39 (Cooper 7). Assists: Cowley 15 (Henderson 4), Seward 16 (Henderson, Jennings 6). Turnovers: Cowley 24, Seward 26. Total fouls: Cowley 30, Seward 22. Fouled out: Clark, Ridgnal. Technicals: Seward bench.