Tigers torch the nets in 102-73 win over NOC-Tonkawa

The victory improves Cowley's record to 4-0, while NOC-Tonkawa falls to 3-1.

Leading 22-15 eight minutes into Tuesday's contest, Cowley would go on a 25-7 run that was capped by a three-pointer by Roman Miller as the Tigers' lead grew to 47-22.

Cowley shot a blistering 72.2 percent (21-of-29) in the opening half as they went into halftime with a 55-33 lead.

The Tigers would continue to pour it on in the second half, leading by as many as 36 points (100-64) in the win.

"We really shared the ball and did not settle for bad shots," Cowley head coach Donnie Jackson said.

This was the 33^rd game Jackson has coached in the Cowley and NOC-Tonkawa rivalry, having spent eight seasons as head coach of the Mavericks before returning to Cowley.

"Anytime you play a rival school, you want to give your best effort, and the crowd was a huge factor," Jackson said. "I appreciate the crowd support and seeing all of those Tiger fans in W.S. Scott Auditorium. I enjoyed my eight years at NOC, but it is also good to beat them."

Along with shooting 38-of-58 from the floor, Cowley went 10-of-22 from three-point range and 16-of-19 from the free-throw line.

Freshman point guard Marcus Smith led the Tigers with 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting.

"Marcus is very hard to keep in front of and can single-handedly change the game with his speed," Jackson said.

Kyden Thompson, Xavier Vickerstaff, and Chase Robinson added 14 points apiece. Thompson added eight assists, and Cowley finished with 23 as a team.

"Kyden was responsible for a minimum of 30 points with his eight assists," Jackson said. "He is so impactful because he takes the right shots and makes the right play."

Caison Cole led the Mavericks with 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting from three-point range. NOC-Tonkawa shot only 35.1 percent in the loss. The Mavericks benefited from 29 fouls called on the Tigers by going 28-of-36 from the foul line.

Cowley will remain home to face the Southwestern College JV on Thursday at 7:30 p.m.

"We need to clean up the turnovers and the fouls, and I hope to give some guys reps to show what they can do and build trust with me going into conference play," Jackson said.

Box score:

NOC-Tonkawa (73): MJ Miller 1-7 4-5 6, Caison Cole 4-11 0-0 12, Ryan Rodriguez 2-6 6-8 10, Jaydon Awe 3-5 0-0 6, Dorian Johnson 4-5 0-1 8, Leo Johnson 0-0 0-2 0, Xon Williams 2-8 6-7 10, James Murray 0-1 5-6 5, DJ Howell 2-7 7-7 12, Jordan Reed 1-4 0-0 2, Michael Checkley 1-2 0-0 2, Ebi Bortey 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 20-57 28-36 73.

Cowley (102): Marcus Smith 8-10 0-1 18, Leslie Owens 1-3 6-6 8, Kyden Thompson 5-7 2-2 14, Xavier Vickerstaff 2-6 2-3 8, CJ Majors 4-6 4-4 14, LJ Britt 1-1 0-0 2, Chase Robinson 7-10 0-0 14, Jaxson Jones 0-0 0-0 0, Aven Mboule 2-4 0-0 4, Jordan Smith 3-3 0-1 6, Roman Miller 4-6 2-2 11, Khai Brown 1-2 0-0 3. Totals: 38-58 16-19 102.

Three-pointers: NOC 5-17 (Cole 4-9, Howell 1-3, Reed 0-2, Williams 0-1, Miller 0-1, Rodriguez 0-1), Cowley 10-22 (Vickerstaff 2-6, Thompson 2-4, Smith 2-3, Majors 2-2, Miller 1-3, Brown 1-2, Mboule 0-1). Rebounds: NOC 24 (Checkley 5), Cowley 35 (Majors 6). Assists: NOC 6 (Miller, Awe 2), Cowley 23 (Thompson 8). Turnovers: NOC 19, Cowley 20. Total fouls: NOC 18, Cowley 29. Fouled out: Britt. Technicals: NOC bench, Britt.