Trojans slip past No. 13 Seward

Four Trojans scored in double figures as the Colby Community College men's basketball team topped No. 13 Seward County Community College Wednesday night at the Community Building, 77-72.

First place Seward saw their nine-game conference win streak come to an end and fall to 16-3 and 9-2 in the Jayhawk Conference.

The Trojans, now with a record of 12-8 overall and 7-4 in the conference, have won three straight. The last two victories came against opponents who were a combined 31-5 entering the competitions. According to Colby head coach Rusty Grafel, there is a common theme.

"We have been playing good and consistent basketball these last three games," he said. "It's great to see these guys continue to grow and buy into the identity of this team."  

Despite being outsized, the Trojans controlled the glass by a 47-39 margin. They also shot well above their season average from the line, going 26 of 33 (79%).      

Moses Bol posted five points and eight rebounds to go with five blocked shots, none more important than his rejection of Montrevion Flowers's driving attempt to tie the game with 19 seconds remaining. Rian Carter had a career-high 27 points. Javion May chipped in 13 points and Eddie Davis finished with 12.

"Moses had another great outing at home, and Caleb Jones-McCrary followed his lead when we needed him too," Grafel said. "Rian Carter had his best game as a Trojan, and once again we had multiple guys in double figures scoring."

Colby looked to be in command with a 72-65 lead with under two minutes left when May hit two free throws. Seward then came storming back to even the score on Reggie Miller's 3-pointer. The Trojans regained momentum after Craig Beaudion got two of his 10 points on a pair of free throws with 33 ticks on the clock. Carter would make three more from the line and the Trojan defense held Seward scoreless the rest of the way.

"Our defense has really fueled us in these wins, and finding ways to execute and score in transition when the opportunity arises," Grafel said. "The crowd was electric throughout the game which definitely helped us secure a win.  We always talk about separation and what we need to do in order to give ourselves a chance to win a championship. We keep climbing in the right direction and have another big test on Saturday in Hutchinson."

The contest with the No. 17 Blue Dragons (17-3, 8-3) begins at 7:30 p.m.