The crowd was electric, and the rivalry matchup did not disappoint. Ultimately, it was the Coffeyville Red Ravens who came out on top, winning by a final score of 63-54 on Wednesday.
With Nellis Hall nearly packed to the brim, the Ravens needed time to adjust to the noise level. The Pirates jumped out to a 15-6 lead over the first 10 minutes, but Coffeyville proved it’d be their night with a massive, drawn-out 17-2 run that led to a halftime lead of 25-22.
The second half proved that Coffeyville truly had the edge for the night. With Love Bettis picking up steam, and the crowd seemingly beginning to influence the Pirates, the lead grew and grew until reaching its apex of 18 points. Things got slightly interesting near the end of the ballgame, as Coffeyville gave into Indy’s full-court press a bit, but the lead was too large for any serious comeback effort.
Bettis again crossed the 20-point line, finishing with 22. Deng Mayar had 13 points, and AJ McBride had 10. The Red Ravens held Independence to a season low 54 points, and a shooting percentage of just 25.5%. The win is also significant for head coach Jay Herkelman, who picked up his 700th win as a head coach. He is the all-time winningest coach in Jayhawk Conference history.
Coffeyville is now 13-11 on the season, 10-8 in conference play. They’ll be back in action on Valentine’s Day, taking on the Cloud County Thunderbirds. Coffeyville won the first matchup back in January, but needed triple overtime to do so.
