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Pratt pounds out 66-54 win over Busters
Published 2/19/2009 in Sports : GCCC
By MIKE KESSINGER
PRATT — There's just something about playing Garden City Community College that puts Brett Crittenden at the top of his game.
"I just like to get those guys," said Crittenden, a Pratt Community College starting guard and 2007 Greeley County High School graduate. "(Garden City) recruited me and I don't know, I just like to play strong against them."
Make no mistake the Broncbusters were well aware of Crittenden, who scored 15 in Pratt's four-point win in Garden City on Jan. 21. On Wednesday, he again was more than willing to have a double-digit scoring night against Garden City. And he did so for the second time this season as Pratt beat the Busters 66-54. Crittenden finished with a team-high 16 points, including eight of the Beavers first 10 points of the game.
"The game plan was to get off to a quick start again," Crittenden said. "That's what we did both places. That really helped."
Garden City, on the other hand, never found any kind of momentum and from the start found themselves chasing Pratt.
"I guess we don't play very well after wins," GCCC head coach Kris Baumann said referring to the Broncbusters coming out slow after beating Colby on Saturday 84-61. "I guess they have us pegged right. I didn't really think we could play a whole lot worse than the first time we did at home (against Pratt) and we managed to tonight. I'll be honest, we stunk up the joint."
Garden City (17-10 7-6) never once led their Jayhawk Conference Western Division counterpart, and once the Beavers' Julious Hearn scored the first points of the game on a layup 55 seconds in, the Busters never tied the score. Crittenden followed Hearn's layup with a 3-pointer. Garden City was able to get to within 7-5, but Crittenden hit another 3-pointer, and the Busters never had a significant answer.
"I'm tired of watching this brand of basketball we're playing," Baumann said. "It's kind of getting embarrassing."
Pratt (17-10, 7-6), which is now tied with the Busters in the conference standings, but has the advantage of a tie-breaker against GCCC, led 25-11 after Tyrone Gordon completed a traditional three-point play with a free throw.
The Busters were able to muster a run and pull within 27-23 on a Reggie Davis short jumper. Pratt had the final say before the break, though, as Gordon hit a running jumper in the paint with two seconds left.
"We took a huge hit tonight," Baumann said. "Pratt moved up and tied with us and they beat us in a tie-breaker, so I don't know if that puts us fourth, fifth. But it's a loss and now we're fighting for our lives."
The Beavers constructed an 11-point lead at the 16:41 mark of the second half. The Busters never had an answer.
Garden City also had to deal with being banged up. Sophomore forward Trevor Ottley and freshman point guard Bobby Wesley both had to be looked at by the trainer.
Ottley had hurt ribs, and Wesley took an accidental elbow above his left eye that required it to be bandaged because of a cut.
The closest Garden City came to the Beavers after halftime was 50-44 when Martell Jackson hit a pair of free throws with 8:55 left. With 2:48 to play Pratt had extended the lead to 17.
"Down the stretch rebounding was really big for us, because (Garden City) is really athletic," Crittenden said. "We took care of the ball in the second half. We had nine turnovers in the first half and that really kind of hurt and we limited those in the second half."
Garden City was led by Richard Thomas with 21 points. Thomas Manzano was the only other Buster to score in double figures with 13.
Along with Crittenden, Michael Tyler scored 14, Gordon had 11 and Hearn added 10 for the Beavers.
Next for the Busters is a 7:30 p.m. tip-off against Cloud County at Perryman Athletic Complex on Saturday.
Pratt 66, GCCC 54
GCCC (17-10, 7-6) -- Anderson 1-3 0-0 2, Wesley 0-1 0-0 0, Manzano 6-11 0-0 13, Stephens 0-3 0-0 0, Davis 3-5 2-6 8, Williams 1-4 0-0 2, Thomas 6-14 9-10 21, Ottley 0-2 3-4 3, Burley 0-1 0-0 0, Jackson 1-2 3-4 5. Totals -- 18-46 17-24 54.
PRATT (17-10, 7-6) -- Eiland 3-10 0-2 9, Gordon 4-8 2-4 11, Hearn 3-7 4-8 10, Kelley 0-1 0-0 0, Brown 0-2 0-0 0, Gooch 0-0 0-0 0, Tyler 5-13 4-4 14, Lollar 0-1 0-0 0, Baldwin 2-3 -24 6, Crittenden 5-7 3-4 16, Cesmat 0-0 0-0 0. Totals -- 22-52 15-26 66.
Halftime -- Pratt, 29-23. 3-Point goals -- GCCC 1-20 (Manzano 1-5, Thomas 0-8, Williams 0-3, Anderson 0-2 Stephens 0-2, ); Pratt 7-21 (Eiland 3-9, Crittenden 3-5, Gordon 1-1, Tyler 0-4, Kelley 0-1, Lollar 0-1). Rebounds -- GCCC 31 (Ottley 6); Pratt 38 (Tyler 11). Assists -- GCCC 3 (Three with 1); Pratt 12 (Gordon, Hearn 4). Steals -- GCCC 11 (Manzano 5); Pratt 11 (Tyler 5). Turnovers -- GCCC 16, Pratt 16. Total fouls -- GCCC 22, Pratt 18.
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