Box Score CONCORDIA, Kan. -- Though the offense sputtered a bit, the Dodge City Community College men's basketball team's defense locked up Cloud County as the Conquistadors ended the regular season with a 63-48 victory Monday on the road.
The 48 points is the second-lowest total DC3
(22-8 overall, 13-6 KJCCC)Â has allowed this season with only its season-opening 96-39 win over On Point Academy being lower.
The Conqs held Cloud County (9-21, 2-17) to just four points in the opening 16 minutes of the game, to 18 points in the first half and to 29.6 percent shooting from the field in the game (16-for-54). Add that to forcing 24 Thunderbird turnovers and it was stellar night on the defensive end.
"The thing we did was we played hard for 40 minutes and really guarded," DC3 coach
Kyle Campbell said. "That was our best defensive performance of the season."
While the defense was strong, offensively the Conqs struggled shooting the ball from the field (39.3 percent - 24-for-61), from 3-point range (22.2 percent - 6-for-27) and from the free-throw line (50 percent - 9-for-18).
"We really struggled," Campbell said. "There were times where I really did wonder how we were going to score."
But a strong effort from
Josh Boutte with 24 points on 10-for-13 shooting to go along with 14 rebounds, two blocks and two steals helped the Conqs lead from wire-to-wire.
Lorenzo Dillard finished with 12 points, seven rebounds, three steals and two assists for DC3 while
James Newton had 10 points, four steals and three assists.
Aamahne Santos paced Cloud County with 22 points while Devonte Dixon added 10.
DC3 will host the No. 13 seed Cowley College 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Dodge City Civic Center in the first round of the Region VI Tournament. The Conqs lost on the road to Cowley on Jan. 2, 81-78 in overtime. Since then DC3 has won 12 of its last 15 games.
"Now everybody is 0-0," Campbell said. "I'm hoping we can get a good turnout Wednesday night because these guys have worked really hard. We have a chance to make a run in this region."
