ARKANSAS CITY, Kansas -- In a see saw affair that saw 20 lead changes, the NOC Mavericks outlasted Cowley 77-72 in Arkansas City Wednesday night.
The Mavs (2-0) were led by Jalen Johnson with 29 points while Elijah Pickens had 16.
"I thought we toughed out a great game," said coach Brad Witherspoon. "That was a tough environment to go into and I thought our guys handled it well. Jalen Johnson was our spark plug in the second half. I was proud of the way we handled the ups and downs of the game"
In a game which neither team held more than a six-point lead, NOC trailed the Tigers 68-66 with just over 2:00 remaining when Johnson made one free throw cutting the lead to 68-67 and then hit a 3-pointer to give NOC a 70-68 lead with 1:19 left.
Kodee Holloway then followed that with another 3-pointer to give NOC a 74-68 lead. Cowley then cut the lead to 74-70 but Pickens hit three free throws to build the lead to 76-70. After Cowley cut the lead to 76-72, Johnson made one final free throw giving NOC the 77-72 win.
Johnson was 10 of 16 from the floor and 5 of 10 from 3-point range.
Fede Federiko and Cam Malray led the Mavs on the boards with six each while Elijah Pickens had four assists. Pickens and Johnson had four steals each.
The Mavs shot 51% from the floor while Cowley shot 43%. The Mavs were 38% from 3-point range while the Tigers shot 48% from behind the arc. NOC was out rebounded 26-25 by the Tigers.
The Mavs struggled from the line at 52% while the Tigers shot 86%.
Wednesday's win was the fifth straight Maverick win over Cowley.
Mavs 77, Cowley 72
1 2—Total
Mavs 29 48-- 77
Cowley 31 41 - 72
Mavs—J. Johnson 29, E. Pickens 16, F. Federiko 9, K. Holloway 8, S. Grisby 6, D. Jones 6, C. Malray 3.
