Edwards sinks game-winner in closing seconds to push Conq men past Butler, women outlast Grizzlies to complete sweep
Photo courtesy of Dodge City Athletics.
DODGE CITY–Jason Edwards knocked down a contested baseline jumper with less than four seconds remaining, pushing No. 14 Dodge City to a thrilling 69-68 win over No. 16 Butler, while the 11th-ranked Conq women withstood a fourth-quarter Grizzly push for a 72-52 victory in a doubleheader Wednesday at the Student Activity Center.
In the men’s game, after a low-scoring first half, both teams traded taking leads most of the second, the last minute of which came packed with action. The contest featured nine ties and 17 lead changes, and neither club led by more than seven points throughout the game.
Javon Grant made two free throws to give Butler a 64-62 lead with just over one minute to go before the most critical moments of the game.
Jason Edwards connected on an open 3-pointer from the corner with 58 seconds left to briefly put Dodge City in front 65-64.
After a Dodge City timeout, Isaiah Williams made a tough layup for the Grizzlies to give them the lead once again at 66-65 with 39 seconds remaining.
Then, Cam Malray put down an awkward leaner with 18 seconds to go, again putting Dodge up 67-66.
That was directly before Isaac Ondekane hit a short jumper for Butler, and they led 68-67 with just more than 10 seconds left.
Edwards brought the ball up the floor, took it to the baseline, and buried a game-winning 15-footer from the short corner. Javon Grant’s desperation heave was off the mark at the buzzer, and the Conqs emerged still leading the KJCCC by a half game over Coffeyville.
Edwards scored a game-high 25 points for Dodge City, five of which were tallied in the final minute of the game. Cam Malray added 13 and Shawn Warrior chipped in 10.
Dodge City forced 23 Butler turnovers, which was well over the Grizzlies’ season average of just 15 per game. That led to 18 Conq points.
The No. 14 Conquistadors improve to 18-6 (14-4 KJCCC) with the win and return to action Saturday when they travel to Hutchinson. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CT.
In the women’s game, the Conqs built a lead as large as 14 in the third quarter before Butler slowly chipped away thanks to creating 27 Conq turnovers. But Dodge forced 24 as well and converted those into 24 points.
The Conqs are one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the nation, averaging nine per game. They shot 10-for-27 Wednesday night.
Leah Mafua fouled out for Dodge City, but still registered a team-high 14 points. Jenna Rose Mafua and Jada Burton each added 11, while Shakara Anderson had 10 points off the bench.
Freddie Wallace had 24 points for the Grizzlies.
The win was wire-to-wire for Dodge City and marked their 15th consecutive victory.
The No. 11 Conquistadors improve to 22-2 (17-1 KJCCC) with the win and return to action Saturday when they travel to Hutchinson. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. CT.
