Dodge City men's basketball picks up third straight win in Jayhawk Conference action as they outduel Colby at home 86-79.
The Conquistadors, with the victory, improve to 7-3 on the season and 3-1 in KJCCC action, while beating the Trojans for the seventh time in the last nine meetings, with six of the seven wins being by single digits.
The game opened back-and-forth early, with both teams taking the lead but staying within 1-3 points of each other, until Colby put together a 7-0 run to take an 18-11 lead with 14:30 left in the first half. The Conqs countered with six-straight points to draw within one, but Colby would maintain the lead until the 11-minute mark when
Jayvion Nurse hit a shot to swing the Conqs in front 22-21. The lead once again went back and forth over the next four minutes when the Conqs put together an 8-0 run to take their largest lead of the night at 37-29 with just over five minutes left in the half. Conqs continued to keep Colby at arm's length and got a three-pointer just before halftime by
Derrick Rivers to lead by double digits at halftime, 49-37.
The second half opened with a 13-3 spurt over the first four minutes, changing the landscape of the game as Colby tied the contest up at 53-53. The game would remain tight with several ties and lead changes until the Conqs led 73-72 with just under five and a half minutes remaining. The Conqs scored 10-straight to establish a double-digit lead once again at 83-72 with 57 seconds remaining and went on to cap the game with some free throws to win 86-79.
Conqs had their second-best shooting performance of the season, shooting 53.1% (third time this season shooting 50% or better in a game) from the field and went 26-36 from the free throw line. Defensively, the Conqs held Colby to 38.5% shooting and 18 turnovers.
Rivers led the Conqs on the night, finishing with 24 points with four rebounds, and five assists.
Rickey Loftin II chipped in 17 points while
Brad Johnson added 10 points and a career-best seven rebounds, along with five assists. Nurse tallied double figures, finishing with 15 points.
The Conqs hit the road again to continue Jayhawk Conference play on Saturday, December 6th, as they will take on #10 Coffeyville at 4:00 pm.
