HUTCHINSON — Finally getting back in the win column and snapping a five-game losing streak, the Cloud County women’s basketball team split their games last week.
Against #18-ranked Hutchinson, the T-Birds lost 77-67.
After a competitive start to the game, the T-Birds were down 10-7 halfway through the first quarter, before Hutch built their first lead of the game and led 16-7, before closing the quarter with a 19-16 lead, as the T-Birds ended on a 9-3 spurt.
The second quarter was firmly controlled by the Blue Dragons, as Hutchinson opened with a 7-3 spurt of their own, to take an eight-point lead two minutes into the second quarter. Cloud got the lead down to four, 28-24, with 4:56 remaining in the half, before Hutch limited Cloud to only five points in the final five minutes and led 38-29 at halftime.
Cloud’s offense started to pick up in the second half, but Hutchinson’s offense continued to hold the momentum, building a 14-point lead with 4:37 remaining and up to 15 with 2:03 remaining in the quarter. Cloud scored a tied game high 19 points in the quarter, but so did Hutchinson with 22 points as they led 60-48 entering the fourth.
The T-Birds took over the fourth quarter, knocking the lead down to one thanks to a 16-5 run, to make it a 65-64 game. Cloud kept the game close, but as the quarter wound down Hutchinson rebuilt the lead as the Cloud offense ran out of gas in the 77-67 loss.
Shea Wurtz led in scoring with 18 points, 11 rebounds and two steals.
Amanda Makela had 14 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Sofija Todorovic had 13 points, six rebounds and four assists.
Against #25-ranked Coffeyville, the T-Birds won 76-68.
The first four minutes saw a close fight to take the lead. Cloud was finally able to take and hold the lead, thanks to a Camiah Muldrow jumper, which started an 8-2 run that gave Cloud a 13-7 lead. The T-Birds closed the first quarter with a 16-11 lead.
Coffeyville scored two quick baskets to open the second quarter, but that got erased with an 11-2 run by the T-Birds, to take a 27-17 lead. The Red Ravens wouldn’t give up, eventually tying the game up 32-all with 36 seconds left in the half. Sofija Todorovic gave the T-Birds the lead back with a layup, but a Red Raven three-pointer put Cloud down one, 35-34, going into halftime.
The third quarter wouldn’t start too kindly for the T-Birds, as Coffeyville built a 47-39 lead early in the quarter. Cloud would start to chip away at the lead, then the Red Ravens would pull back away, and with 2:39 remaining Coffeyville took a game-high 10-point lead, 53-43. Cloud scored 10 points in the final 2:19 to enter the fourth down 58-53.
Offense for both teams would be very limited to start the fourth quarter, with only 12 total points of the 33 total points scored for both teams not coming from the free throw line. Cloud would tie the game at 62-all before taking the lead with 2:29 left, thanks to a pair of free throws for Muldrow and Todorovic. After Cloud took the lead, each team would only score one basket each, while exchanging free throws, with the T-Bird offense getting to the line three more times in the final 2:29 to hold on and win 76-68.
Muldrow led with 28 points (14-14 on free throws), eight rebounds and five assists.
Leila Washington had 16 points, seven assists and two blocks.
