|
|
|
As the calendar flipped from 2011 to 2012, there was a definite excitement in the air surrounding the Dodge City Community College basketball programs, as the Lady Conqs had the most wins for a team in several years and the men's team was on the verge of a breakout season.
However, the new year has not been kind to the Conquistadors.
The men came out of the gate strong, taking down two top-10 programs in Hutchinson and Barton, but they have since hit a snag. After James Milton and Greg Lee left the team for unspecified reasons, that put an extra burden on the rest of the team with an already banged-up bench.
Then, different players were out with various injuries, which put an early damper on the fire that the team had started, as they went 15-2 to start things off.
As for the women, they were 8-6 going into the winter break. They piled up the most wins during the non-conference portion of the schedule and overall wins for a season in the last five years.
Since then, the Lady Conqs have gone 0-10 in Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference play as they continue to look for an identity on the offensive end of the floor.
During their game Wednesday night against Barton, the Lady Conqs ran into a sizzling-hot Cougars squad that shot 61.3 percent from the floor in the first half on their way to a commanding 43-19 lead. That seems to be the trend for any team facing off with the Conqs: No matter how they were shooting previously, they find their mojo early on.
One thing that did not help out head coach Lucas McDonald was the team was without two stalwarts in their game plan. Kalyn Williams and Sharice Papaleo were both out with injuries.
Seeking a win
Dodge City actually gained an early lead on the Lady Cougars, but cold shooting doomed the Conqs. Despite falling behind, Dodge continued to fight, outscoring the Cougars 36-33 in the second half — a positive as the team looked for conference win number one.
They were paced by three players in double digits, including Laquaris Harris (16) and Jamzin Villa and Je'nae Strong with 12 points each. Desiree Raines led the team in rebounding with seven, while adding six points and two steals.
It was a difficult night for the Lady Conqs, who traveled to Barton with only an eight-man roster, meaning they were shorthanded from the moment they tipped off with the Cougars.
Now, the Lady Conqs look to pick up that first conference win against a struggling Colby team that is 3-7 in the KJCCC and 7-17 overall. The last time the Conqs and Trojans met, Dodge City fell short despite Villa's 27 points.
The Lady Trojans aren't exactly a juggernaut on offense, averaging 57.8 points per game, but the Conqs will need to improve their own 53.5 average to get past Colby tonight.
As the calendar flipped from 2011 to 2012, there was a definite excitement in the air surrounding the Dodge City Community College basketball programs, as the Lady Conqs had the most wins for a team in several years and the men's team was on the verge of a breakout season.
However, the new year has not been kind to the Conquistadors.
The men came out of the gate strong, taking down two top-10 programs in Hutchinson and Barton, but they have since hit a snag. After James Milton and Greg Lee left the team for unspecified reasons, that put an extra burden on the rest of the team with an already banged-up bench.
Then, different players were out with various injuries, which put an early damper on the fire that the team had started, as they went 15-2 to start things off.
As for the women, they were 8-6 going into the winter break. They piled up the most wins during the non-conference portion of the schedule and overall wins for a season in the last five years.
Since then, the Lady Conqs have gone 0-10 in Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference play as they continue to look for an identity on the offensive end of the floor.
During their game Wednesday night against Barton, the Lady Conqs ran into a sizzling-hot Cougars squad that shot 61.3 percent from the floor in the first half on their way to a commanding 43-19 lead. That seems to be the trend for any team facing off with the Conqs: No matter how they were shooting previously, they find their mojo early on.
One thing that did not help out head coach Lucas McDonald was the team was without two stalwarts in their game plan. Kalyn Williams and Sharice Papaleo were both out with injuries.
Seeking a win
Dodge City actually gained an early lead on the Lady Cougars, but cold shooting doomed the Conqs. Despite falling behind, Dodge continued to fight, outscoring the Cougars 36-33 in the second half — a positive as the team looked for conference win number one.
They were paced by three players in double digits, including Laquaris Harris (16) and Jamzin Villa and Je'nae Strong with 12 points each. Desiree Raines led the team in rebounding with seven, while adding six points and two steals.
It was a difficult night for the Lady Conqs, who traveled to Barton with only an eight-man roster, meaning they were shorthanded from the moment they tipped off with the Cougars.
Now, the Lady Conqs look to pick up that first conference win against a struggling Colby team that is 3-7 in the KJCCC and 7-17 overall. The last time the Conqs and Trojans met, Dodge City fell short despite Villa's 27 points.
The Lady Trojans aren't exactly a juggernaut on offense, averaging 57.8 points per game, but the Conqs will need to improve their own 53.5 average to get past Colby tonight.
Leading men return
As mentioned before, the men have had their own troubles as of late. But they will receive a big boost against the Trojans tonight with the return of Tramel White, who leads the team in steals, and head coach Brady Trenkle. Both men were out for the past two contests after being ejected against Butler.
During their contest Wednesday night, the Conqs could never pull ahead of the Cougars, falling behind multiple times by double digits. Despite those deficits, the Conqs fought back time and time again, eventually working it to within a field goal in the final minutes.
After Barton missed one of two free throws to make the score 83-81, the Conqs had a chance to tie or win the game with the final shot. Clarence Willard missed a jumper with four seconds left, but Dodge grabbed the offensive rebound and found Tyshon Pickett. The sophomore went up for a contested layup, but could not get the shot to fall, as the Conqs fell by two.
They had four players score in double figures, including Pickett (22), R.J. McGhee (21), Willard (13) and Tony Phillips (12). Pickett had another double-double, finishing with 10 rebounds. Willard led the team in assists, dishing out eight.
It was the sixth consecutive conference loss for Dodge City, which will host Colby and their dynamic scoring trio of Carson Konrade, Vincent Dillard and Jamie Adams tonight.
The last time these two teams met was in Colby, when the Trojans escaped with a two-point win. During that game, neither team shot the ball extremely well, but the Conqs could not overcome a 10-for-18 effort from the free-throw line.
With the season winding down, it is now or never for both Conq programs with the regional playoffs looming in the horizon. There is still plenty of time to make up ground with the teams in front of them, and it all begins tonight with Colby coming to town.
The tip off for the women's contest is set for 5:30 p.m. inside United Wireless Arena, with the men's game scheduled to go immediately after at 7:30 p.m.
