Extending the win streak to four in the first half of a four-game home stretch, the Cloud County Community College men’s basketball team defeated North Platte Community College and Kansas Wesleyan JV.
Versus North Platte, the T-Birds won 94-88.
After a Knight’s three-pointer to start the game, the T-Birds grabbed the momentum and started to build a lead. With 14:27 left in the first half, a D’ontez Walker layup gave the T-Birds a 10-point lead, 21-10, but North Platte was able to chip away at the lead over the next nine minutes before tying the game at 30 with 5:48 remaining. The two teams dueled the rest of the way before entering the locker room tied at 38-38.
The duel continued into the second half, with five lead changes in the first five minutes, but a 14-1 run by the Knights put them up 66-51. North Platte was able to hold the T-Birds off with at least a two-possession lead and got the lead up to 13, 83-70, with 4:43 remaining in the game.
With their backs against the wall and needing to make up ground, the T-Birds chipped away at the lead, starting with back-to-back threes from DJ Holloway and Syncere Burnette to get the lead back to single digits. In just under two minutes of game time, the ‘Birds erased the lead and tied the game at 87 with 2:47 left. Cloud closed the game with a 7-1 run, with a pair of dunks from Manasseh Stackhouse and Walker, with two free throws from Burnette and one by Walker to ice the 94-86 victory.
Al Brooks Jr. led in scoring with 28 points, 12 rebounds, three blocks and two steals.
Burnette had 18 points, six assists, two steals and four rebounds.
Walker had 16 points and led in rebounds with 13.
Versus Kansas Wesleyan JV, the T-Birds won 115-77.
The T-Birds got rolling early, with a 7-0 run to open the game before a Coyote layup got KWU on the board. Cloud kept building the momentum with a 12-2 run to take a 19-6 lead after five minutes of play. After nine minutes of play, KWU finally got into double figures; by that time Cloud led 32-11. Things started to improve for the Coyotes. Over the next five minutes, they made it a 39-26 T-Bird lead before Cloud pulled away again and entered halftime with a 59-35 lead.
The T-Birds continued to roll in the second half, opening with a 10-3 run to take a 31-point lead. The Cloud offense hummed along, attacking the basket and finding open looks from behind the arc as the T-Birds coasted the rest of the way for the 115-77 victory.
Al Brooks Jr. led in scoring with 22 points on 10-12 shooting, and added eight rebounds, three assists, three steals and a block.
Manasseh Stackhouse and Syncere Burnette each had 17 points, Stackhouse having seven rebounds and a block, with Burnette having four rebounds, three assists and a block.
Elidjah Savane had 15 points and six rebounds.
