Despite a brave fight, the Coffeyville men could not complete its upset bid of undefeated, #4-ranked Hutchinson on Wednesday, dropping their fourth straight at 81-74.

 

Led by former Cowley coach Tommy DeSalme, Hutchinson upped the tempo and tried to force Coffeyville into preventable mistakes. However, a calm and collected Ravens squad actually held their own, trading leads and even forcing the Blue Dragons to make those same mistakes themselves. Coffeyville shot 60% from the floor in the first half, but a barrage of Hutchinson 3-pointers translated into a 3-point deficit at the half.

 

Out of the break, Coffeyville continued to fight, despite fouls starting to impede on their strategy. Hutchinson shot 37 free throws on Wednesday, making 20 of them. Coffeyville would retake the lead for the first time since the first half at 61-60, but the team finally seemed to run out of steam with about 9 minutes to go. The deficit expanded to as much as 12 as Hutchinson continued to attack the rim. Although they'd be able to get that back into single digits, there was simply not enough time remaining to put forth a serious comeback effort, as Coffeyville fell 81-74.

 

The Coffeyville men are 5-7 on the season and 2-4 in Jayhawk Conference play. Dayshawn Wiley led the way with 14, while Oluwatimisola ToluOgunkoya added 13 off of the bench.

 

Coffeyville is back in action for its final game of 2021 on Saturday, a Montgomery County showdown with rivals Independence.