The Cowley Press
Feb. 24, 2005
Sports
Page 9
‘Basic girl’ leads Lady Tigers Turner and Tigers have commanding lead in Jayhawk East BY KEITH HENRY Staff Writer ome sports fans believe that most female athletes have no feminine side, even when they’re not competing. However, world-class sprinter Florence Griffith Joyner once said, “I don’t think being an athlete is unfeminine. I think it’s a kind of grace.” West Memphis, Ark., native Tamala Turner would agree with that statement. Turner is the Lady Tigers’ starting center and also one of the most dominant players in the country. She ranks in the top 10 for scoring and rebounds while leading the NJCAA’s 12th-ranked team to the top of the Jayhawk East standings. Turner’s accomplishments are impressive. She was a McDonald’s All American selection her senior year at West Memphis High, district and 5A player of the year, and led her team to an Arkansas state championship. She was recruited by top schools such Tamala Turner as Arkansas, Memphis, and some Big 12 Conference schools. Tamala (better known as TiTi) says, “I’m just a basic girl. Just because I’m always in basketball gear, that doesn’t mean I don’t like to do certain things.” Those certain things are definitely feminine. “Every time I get a chance to dress up and shop, trust me, I take full advantage of it,” Turner said. She also thinks about more than her sport. “Basketball doesn’t come first to me – God does. Basketball is just my ultimate high.”
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UPDATE The Lady Tigers were 12-0 in conference and 23-1 overall entering Wednesday night’s game at Highland. They held a two-game lead over Labette and a threegame lead over Coffeyville in the Jayhawk East standings. The Lady Tigers are set for a rematch at division rival Coffeyville Saturday. If the Lady Tigers finish first in the Jayhawk East, they will host the lowest seeded team from the West in the first round of the Region VI Tournament. They have two more home games against Allen County on March 2 and Independence on March 5. They are coming off of a 55 –40 home victory over Neosho. “We didn’t play very well on offense but we were excellent on defense,” freshman Lacey Rowe said.
Photo by Morgan Williams
Marina Caran feeds a pass to Sharee Hurt during the Lady Tiger’s game against Jayhawk East opponent Johnson County. Cowley defeated Johnson County 76-54 and then went on to beat Neosho County 55-40 and stay on top of the Jayhawk East standings.
Back in the hunt
Two big home victories have Tigers in the mix for conference crown BY STACIA WHITTECAR Staff Writer After suffering their first home loss of the season to Fort Scott in overtime, the Cowley men’s basketball team has responded with crucial home victories over Johnson
County and Neosho County, avenging two previous road losses. The game against Johnson saw the Tigers down 36-29 at halftime. However, Cowley drained eight three-pointers in the second half, including five from Julio Anthony who led the team with 21 points. The Tigers, who also played better defense in the second half and forced the Cavaliers into 24 turnovers for the game, got the victory 70-63. Against Neosho, Cowley was led by Damien Lolar who led all scorers with 26 points. Despite getting outrebounded 50-30, the Tigers went on for a 80-69 win. “They (wins over Johnson and Neosho) were pretty big to get us going again because we lost our confidence against Fort Scott,” freshman James Franklin said. “Big confidence against Neosho because they were conference leaders, so we still have a chance to tie or win conference.” The Tigers put themselves back in the hunt for the Jayhawk East title by beating Johnson and Neosho. Cowley was 17-9 overall and 9-5 in the Jayhawk Conference Photo by Morgan Williams
Marcus Watts defends against a Johnson County guard.
East Division entering Wednesday night’s game at Highland. Their next game at rival Coffeyville on Saturday will be tough as the Ravens will be looking for revenge after losing to Cowley by one point nearly a month ago. Entering Wednesday’s games, the Tigers were two games behind Coffeyville and Independence and one game behind Neosho in the Jayhawk East standings. “The race for the conference title is so close, so it is going to be a big game,” Franklin said. Freshman Julio Anthony added, “We play at their house, so we’re going to have to bring our game. We can’t slack off.” Even as the conference title race becomes closer, the Tigers have even bigger games to worry about as the Region VI tournament looms ahead. “I think this young team can compete anywhere, anyplace. It just comes down to inconsistency,” assistant coach Brian Jackson said. “If we can play for three or four games straight, we have as good a chance as anyone to win Region.” After Saturday’s game at Coffeyville, the Tigers finish the regular season by hosting Allen County on March 2 and Independence on March 5.
Photo by Morgan Williams
Damien Lolar goes in for the layup during Cowley’s win over Johnson County.