T-Birds scorch Pirates, 110-66

INDEPENDENCE — Five players scored in double figures as the hot-shooting Cloud County Community College Thunderbirds scorched the Independence Community College Pirates 110-66 in a Jayhawk Conference game Saturday afternoon.
Emmanuel Manyoun came off the bench to score a team-high 24 points for Cloud County. He also had nine rebounds.
Isaiah Sy hit 7 of 10 three-point attempts on his way to scoring 21 points for the Thunderbirds.
Cheikh Sow was seven of nine from the field and finished with 17 points and six rebounds.
Cav Carlgren, a sophomore from Concordia, knocked down four of five shots from three-point range in scoring a career-high 15 points.
Ja’Ron Briggs Jr. stuffed the stat sheet with 11 points, seven rebounds, 10 assists and three steals.
Cloud County shot 65 percent (37 of 57) from the field during the game including 56 percent (15 of 27) from three-point range.
“We got the same quality of looks we had the last couple of games, at least the Colby game, for sure. We kept talking to our team that if we can keep shooting those same shots and guys can have rhythm shooting their shots and creating the same looks, then we will start to make them. The difference between the Colby and Independence game is we made our layups and open shots. So that is the difference in playing in a tight game and the type of game we had,” Cloud County coach Devin Kastrup said.
The T-Birds, now 18-8 overall and 13-7 in the Jayhawk Conference, trailed Independence by two points on three occasions in the opening five minutes.
It was a 12-10 game when Manyoun scored five straight points to put Cloud County up 15-12.
Independence, which suffered a 24th consecutive loss to fall to 1-24 overall and 0-19 in conference play, got a three-point basket by Trey Stanback to tie the game at 15-15 with 13:03 to play in the first half.
Sow scored inside and Ian Lavalaye completed a three-point play to put Cloud County on top to stay, 20-15.
K’Shawn Latty hit a three, and the Pirates trailed just 20-18.
Five straight points by Manyoun and a bucket by Sow upped the T-Birds’ lead to 27-18.
Latty made a baseline jumper and Keah Paljor connected on a three as Independence got back within four points, 27-23.
Carlgren hit three threes and scored 10 points during a 16-6 spurt by Cloud County that made it a 43-29 game.
“When we add Cav Carlgren into the mix, and he has really come on the last couple of games, if he is shooting the way he is, that adds an element to space the floor for us for other guys to attack. And I think that gives us another dimension on the perimeter that we miss sometimes,” Kastrup said. “The best part of Cav is, when he is out there and guarding the ball and doing it on that end, he changes us on offense because he is so tough.”
Cory Curtis Jr. knocked down a jumper for Independence.
Cloud County, with Sy making two threes, scored 14 straight points to extends its lead to 57-31.
Curtis Jr. made a free throw in the final seconds of the half, but Independence trailed, 57-32.
Cloud County was 20 of 28 from the floor for 71 percent in the first 20 minutes.
The T-Birds made 8 of 14 three-point attempts for 57 percent.
Opening the second half with a 17-4 spurt, the T-Birds led 74-36.
Cloud County would lead by as many as 45 points on its way to the win.
“You still have to go on the road. You still have to go win a game against a quality opponent with quality players. It is a Jayhawk team, regardless,” Kastrup said of the win.
Curtis Jr. led Independence with 19 points.
Latty scored 15 points for the Pirates and Stanback added 14.
Cloud County has four games remaining in the regular season.
The T-Birds host Pratt Community College on Wednesday night.
Pratt is 8-17 overall and 5-14 in conference play.