Pirates Outmatched Against #5 Coffeyville 

January 23, 2019 

INDEPENDENCE, Kan. - With plenty to gain on the night, the stage was set for the Independence Pirates' showdown with the #5 Coffeyville Red Ravens in the first meeting of the season for the Montgomery County rivals. The Pirates were ready, but the power of the Red Ravens proved too much as Independence dropped the contest, 83-57.  

The Pirates had two players in double figures led by Tyler Williams with 14 points and Ricky Williams with 10 points. 

"We just didn't step up and capitalize on the opportunities that we had," coach Tony Turner said. "They trapped our guards and made them make poor decisions coming out of the trap, but it's just something that we have to work on." 

"Going forward to Saturday, Cloud is big, strong and full of great shooting, so we'll have our work cut out for us."   

In the first half, the Pirates drew first blood with a three-pointer by Ricky Edwards and added to the lead with a bucket from Anquaevious Pollard before a three by Tevin Brewer and floater by Marvin Johnson. Another three for Ricky Edwards who added another put Independence up by six, but a layup from Johnson had the score at 11-7 at the 16:23 mark. 

A layup for Casey Benton cut the lead down to two, but Pollard answered the call with a quick floater before a dunk by Keon Queen. A score for Mamady Djikine pushed the lead back to four, but a free throw from Anthony Jones and a three by Tony Hutson tied the game at 15-15. 

A layup by Jones put Coffeyville in the lead and he followed with a three to extend the lead to five before two shots by Quawn Marshall. A layup for Marshall pushed the lead out to nine, but it was shortly back to seven after a bucket from Jibril Harris at the 8:40 mark. 

A layup by Pollard cut the lead to five, but a floater from Brewer made the score 26-19. A free throw from Johnson made the lead eight before a bucket from Harris, but a trip to the line for Benton made it 29-21 Coffeyville at the 6:30 mark. 

Another trip to the line for Johnson pushed the lead to ten and he would hit a floater to make it 33-21 before a bucket from Jackson MIller. Free throws for Alex Torres brought the Pirates within twelve, but a layup by Miller made it 37-23 with 2:31 left in the half. 

Free throws by Djikine kept Independence within striking distance before a free throw from Miller and a floater by Torres made things interesting before a layup by Queen. A three-pointer by Da'juan Edwards cut the lead down to eleven and the Pirates trailed 40-29 at the half. 

The second half began with a pair of free throws from Miekkel Murray followed by a layup from Queen for a 14-point lead. Another score from Murray pushed the lead to sixteen and a dunk from Johnson had the score at 47-29 with 15:35 remaining. 

A pair of free throws for Johnson was answered by a three from Da'juan Edwards, but a layup from Benton pushed the lead back to nineteen. Coffeyville went on a 4-0 run before a pair of free throws from Tyler Williams, but a three from AJ Webster pushed the score to 57-34 before a three by Marshall with 11:48 remaining. 

 A 7-2 run had the Red Ravens leading by thirty-one, but a three-point play by Tyreece Berry cut it to twenty-nine before a layup from Benton. A score by Williams cut the lead to twenty-nine again, but a three by Brewer made the score 72-41 with 5:20 remaining. The Pirates outscore the Red Ravens 16-11 in the final minutes, but the damage was too much to overcome.  

Independence (12-8, 7-4) is back in action Saturday January 26 traveling to face the Cloud County Thunderbirds with tipoff set for 8 pm.