Tigers demolish short-handed Pirates 123-81

The No. 8-ranked Cowley College men's basketball team scored an eye-popping 77 first-half points en route to a 123-81 win at a short-handed Independence Community College squad on Tuesday.

The Pirates were playing with only six players as several players were suspended from playing in Tuesday's contest following an altercation at the end of its game at Garden City on February 5.

On Tuesday, Cowley raced out to a 31-5 lead and shot 69.4 percent from the floor (34-of-49) while building a 77-34 halftime advantage. The 77 points were one point off the school record for points in a half as the Tigers scored 78 points in one half en route to a school record 143 points scored in a win at Cloud County on February 10, 2020.

Sophomore Shamarrie Hugie scored 16 of his game-high 22 points in the first half and was one of eight Tigers to score in double figures. Avante Nichols added 13 points and 10 rebounds on 6-of-6 shooting from the floor.

Sophomore point guard Marcus Zeigler chipped in with 16 points, six assists, and five steals as Cowley forced the Pirates into 26 turnovers.

"The sophomores did a great job of setting the tone," Cowley head coach Donnie Jackson said. "We did a great job of sharing the ball."

Chris Dockery and Chiante Tramble led Independence with 22 points apiece. The Pirates are now 11-13 overall and 7-11 in the Jayhawk Conference. Cowley, winners of four games in a row, improves to 22-3 overall and 17-2 in the conference.

The Tigers hold a three-game lead over second-place Coffeyville, whom they will host on Saturday at 3 p.m. The Red Ravens are 17-6 overall and 13-4 in the conference.

"Now, we must shift our focus to Coffeyville," Jackson said. "This is a key conference game. We will be expecting their absolute best, and we will need to find a way to protect our home court."

Box score:

Cowley (123): Shamarrie Hugie 8-11 5-6 22, Marcus Zeigler 6-10 0-0 16, Dallas Whitney 5-8 1-4 11, Kyden Thompson 5-8 0-0 10, Marcus Whitlock Jr. 6-10 0-0 15, Emarquis Jones 3-7 0-0 6, Avante Nichols 6-6 0-0 13, Winston Allen 5-10 0-0 10, CJ Majors 5-12 0-1 10, Teagan Charles 1-2 0-0 2, Austin Fortune 1-2 0-0 2, Xavier Alexander 2-4 0-0 6. Totals: 53-90 6-11 123.

Indy (81): Chris Dockery 5-12 10-16 22, Chiante Tramble 8-19 4-5 22, Jahmari Hamilton-Brown 5-9 1-2 13, Jeremiah Dallas-Martin 4-7 1-2 10, Tyland Holdman 4-9 3-4 14, Chase Robinson 0-2 0-0 0. Totals: 26-58 19-29 81.

Three-pointers: Cowley 11-27 (Zeigler 4-8, Whitlock 3-6, Alexander 2-2, Nichols 1-1, Hugie 1-2, Majors 0-4, Allen 0-1, Jones 0-1, Whitney 0-1, Thompson 0-1), Indy 10-22 (Holdman 3-3, Tramble 2-7, Dockery 2-5, Hamilton-Brown 2-5, Dallas-Martin 1-1, Robinson 0-1). Rebounds: Cowley 49 (Nichols 10), Indy 29 (Dockery 7). Assists: Cowley 33 (Zeigler, Thompson 33), Indy 11 (Dockery 7). Turnovers: Cowley 16, Indy 26. Total fouls: Cowley 20, Indy 7. Fouled out: none. Technicals: Tramble, Indy team.