Cowboys Fight Off NOC-Enid 79-73, Advance to Region II Title Game
NJCAA Region II is a tournament of advance and survive.
SHAWNEE –NJCAA Region II is a tournament of advance and survive.
Connors Cowboys did just that Friday night coming from behind to end Northern Oklahoma-Enid's season (16-12) with a 79-73 victory to march into Saturday's championship game for the second consecutive year.
Connors will play either Northern Oklahoma-Tonkawa or Northeastern A&M for Cowboy's head coach Bill Muse's ninth regional title and 10th trip to the NJCAA National Tournament in Hutchinson, Kan., March 19th-24th. Tip-off is 4 p.m. at Oklahoma Baptist University.
"We didn't attack their zone very well the first half," said Muse. "Last night Enid drained 16 threes, tonight they only had 3 (3-of-20 attempts). I think they were a little tired, but I think we did a good job of guarding them.
"And we made some key free throws (20-of-24) and that was a big difference. I thought our kids did a good job and I am extremely proud of them. We have one more, and I know we'll be ready, whomever we play," said. Muse.
The top-seeded and 13th-ranked Cowboys (28-3) trailing 71-70 with 2:23 remaining took the lead for good when Terrance Jones scored giving the Cowboys a 72-71 lead at the 1:50 mark.
But it was Ra'Shawn Langston; the Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference's Player of the Year put the dagger into the Mavericks with a 3-point shot at the 1:05 mark and a four-point Connors cushion, 75-71.
Enid scored to make it 75-73 before Connors' Zaph Bobb hit the front end of a one-and-one giving the Cowboys a 76-73 lead.
The Mavericks missed three opportunities to tie the game in a 20-second span, missing all 3-point attempts. Then with 19 seconds left the two clubs were hit with double technical fouls.
Langston, who was 6-of-8 at the free throw line, drained three attempts to ice the victory.
Langston, who played all 40 minutes of the game, led all scorers with 31 points and amazingly no turnovers.
"Ra'Shawn was outstanding," said Muse. "Too play 40 minutes without a turnover is just outstanding."
Langston, sophomore from Little Rock, took it all in stride, saying "We started slow on defense to start the game, but put it together the second half.
"I am real excited about reaching the finals again, and looking forward to a return trip to Hutch."
Bishop Coulter followed Langston in the scoring with 18, Terrance Jones 13 and Mason Jones 12. Connors shot 44 percent from the field (27-of-61) and 20-24 at the charity stripe.
The game was tied eight times with 10 lead exchanges.
Enid's scoring was led by Kennan Balance with 19 points followed by Tony Hall's 15 and Romio Harvey's 14.
Connors trailed for much of the first half and didn't get their first lead of the contest until the 2:20 mark 30-28 on a bucket by Mason Jones. NOC-Enid however led at the half 38-34.
CONNORS STATE 79, NOC-ENID 73
NOC-Enid 38 34--73
Connors State 34 45--79
NOC-Enid (16-12)—Balance 19, Hall 15, Harvey 14, Bryant 8, Haynes 6, Ramey 5, Dotson 4, Johnson 2.
aarvey 14,
Connors State (28-3)—Langston 31, Coulter 18, T. Jones 13, M. Jones 12, Bobb 3, Roy 2.