Tigers end RC’s title hopes in semis

Cowley County threw up 44 three-point shots on Friday in front of a large crowd in the Hutchinson Sports Arena. Unfortunately for Ranger College, 20 of them found their way into the net.

Backed by those threes, and a rapid-fire offense that put up 120 shots from the floor in 40 minutes, Cowley County ended the Rangers' impressive season with a 116-97 decision in the semifinals of the 2021 NJCAA Men's Division I National Basketball Championships in Hutchinson, Kansas. Ranger finished the week-long tournament with a 3-1 record.

Ranger, coming off an emotional overtime win over South Plains the night before, struggled to get going early against the Tigers. The Rangers hit on just 20 of their first 47 shots, including only 4 of 12 attempts from behind the three-point arc. To make matters worse, Ranger committed 11 turnovers which Cowley turned into 11 points in the initial 20 minutes of play.

Cowley County didn't have the same difficulty getting going. Aided by the RC turnovers, the Tigers went 12-for-27 from three-point range in the first half and raced to a 21-point lead with 5:46 to play in the opening half.

Ranger, thanks to the play of Niki Metskhvarishvili and Jorell Saterfield fought its way back in the final minutes. The Rangers outscored Cowley by a wide margin over the final 5:46 of the half and pulled to within 12, at 55-42.

Keisei Tominaga and Trey Tennyson both heated up in the early minutes of the second half and helped RC chip away at the Tigers' lead. The Rangers pulled to as close as seven at one point before Cowley County managed to heat up.

As a team, Cowley County enjoyed a sensational run in the tournament. En route to claiming the national runner-up honors, the Tigers became the highest-scoring team all-time at the tournament by averaging more than 110 points per game. Cowley County lost in the championship game to Jayhawk Conference rival Coffeyville.

Tominaga and Metskhvarishvili paced Ranger, which was making its second straight appearance in the NJCAA Final Four. Tominaga pumped in a team-high 26 points, while Metskhvarishvili poured in 22. Tennyson also reached double figures for RC, netting 16.

Saterfield and Peyton Roger-Schmidt also starred for the Rangers. Saterfield poured in eight points while grabbing a team-leading 12rebunds. Schmidt had six points and eight boards.

As a team, Ranger College finished its 2021 season with a 23-5 record.