Kicking off 2026 in the win column after dropping six of their last seven games, the Cloud County Community College women’s basketball team defeated Pratt 81-67.
Both teams battled early in the first quarter, with five lead changes in just the first two minutes of the game. An 8-0 Pratt run gave them a five-point lead, 16-11, which Cloud immediately tied back up at 16-all. The fight to control of the lead ended at the conclusion of the first quarter, with the game tied 23-23.
The T-Birds started the second quarter on a 10-2 run that gave them an eight-point lead with 5:31 remaining in the second quarter. Cloud only surrendered five points in the second half of the quarter as the T-Birds pushed the lead into double figures, and a layup by Amanda Makela at the very end made it a 42-30 game entering halftime.
The third quarter continued the trend of the first half, with Cloud scoring six straight points to push its lead to 18. Pratt finally regained their footing with a 16-4 run that bumped the lead down to six, 52-46. The T-birds started to regain their footing as well by matching the Beavers’ attack to end the quarter, but two Pratt free throws to end the third quarter made it a 60-55 Cloud lead with one quarter to play.
Pratt continued to grapple for the momentum, with a 6-2 spurt to start the fourth quarter that made it a one-point T-Bird lead, 62-61, but Cloud was able to fully take control of the game, with a 10-2 run to take a 73-65 lead. Outside of two free throws, Pratt was held off the scoreboard by the T-Birds for the final six minutes of the game, as Cloud was victorious 81-67.
Leila Washington led in scoring with 28 points, 11 rebounds, two steals and a block.
Camiah Muldrow had 18 points, three rebounds, five assists and a steal.
Jelena Jankovic had nine points and three assists.
Makela had eight points, three rebounds, two assists and a steal.
Shea Wurtz had eight points, six rebounds and three steals.
