Garden City drops heartbreaker to Coffeyville

Garden City, KS-Brian Griffith drilled five 3-pointers including the go-ahead triple with 35 seconds to go, Justin Taylor and Daniel Ntambwe combined for 24 points, and Coffeyville beat Garden City, 81-78 Saturday night at Conestoga Arena.  

Abdul Kuta chipped in 16 points and eight rebounds for Coffeyville, which improved to 9-2 overall and 5-0 in the Jayhawk. The Red Ravens shot 50 percent from the field and were 9-of-22 (41 percent) from 3.  

Antonio Chol, who finished with 27 points and 11 rebounds, missed a game-tying 3 at the buzzer as Garden City dropped to 6-5 overall and 2-4 in conference play. Caleb Smith, who left briefly after an injury scare in the second half, had 16 points and six assists.  

There were 11 lead changes in the game including six in the final 6:57. Isaiah Dixon drained two free throws, and Boston Harker drove the baseline for a layup, giving Garden City a 70-67 advantage with 6:29 to play. But the Red Ravens countered with back-to-back finger rolls by Ntambwe that put Coffeyville back in front.  

Chol then followed with four free throws, two of which came off a flagrant foul on Ntambwe that gave the Broncbusters a 74-73 edge with 3:09 to go. But Griffith, who was 5-of-8 from beyond the arc, hit a 24-foot trey from straight on to put the visitors back on top. After Smith's layup on the other end tied it, Griffith, with the shot clock winding down, stepped into a 3-pointer from the top of the key over Sabino that touched nothing but net, putting the Red Ravens ahead for good. 

Still, the door was left open in the waning seconds when Jeremiah Kemboi missed the front end of a 1-and-1. That eventually led to a wide-open look for Chol from the left wing, which clanged off the back rim at the horn, giving the Red Ravens their sixth consecutive victory.  

Harker had 14 points and four assists for Garden City, and Dixon tallied 10 points and seven rebounds.  

The Broncbusters were on point to begin the game, using an 11-0 run early to build an 11-3 advantage. It was their largest lead of the game.  

Coffeyville though stabilized things, turning an eight-point deficit into a seven-point cushion after Griffith drained a step back triple from the top of the key to make it 32-25 with 3:40 to go in the first half.   

Garden City answered with a 14-7 run capped by a pair of Harker free throws in the final 30 seconds to tie the game at 39 at the intermission.