Men's Basketball | 3/8/2026 12:17:00 AM

Box Score Sophomore forward Manasseh Stackhouse scored 27 points and grabbed 13 rebounds and the Cloud County Community College men's basketball team recorded an 86-66 victory over Garden City Community College in the opening round of the 2026 NJCAA Region 6 Division I Men's Basketball Tournament on Saturday, March 7.

The T-Birds (18-13), who previously defeated Garden City twice during the regular season, have advanced to the tournament quarterfinals for the fourth consecutive season. Cloud County next will face top-seed Barton Community College on Tuesday, March 10 at Fleske Fieldhouse in Great Bend, Kansas. The two teams split their regular season contests, with Cloud County posting a 98-94 overtime win at Barton on January 26, 2026.

The first-half was a tight, back-and-forth game with both Cloud County and Garden City shooting over 50.0 percent from the floor through the first 20 minutes of play. Garden City held a slim 26-25 advantage with just under seven minutes remaining in the first-half before the T-Birds went on a quick 9-3 run to seize control of the game. Cloud County controlled the glass in the opening half, outrebounding the Broncbusters 18-13 while the T-Birds knocked down 9-of-10 attempts from the foul line.

Cloud County was up 42-34 at halftime and never trailed again. Defensively, the T-Birds limited Garden City to 30.5 percent shooting from the field, including 28.6 percent shooting from behind the arc in the second-half, outscoring the Broncbusters 44-32 over the final 20 minutes of action.

The T-Birds collected seven steals and six blocked shots in the win, and finished the game outrebounding Garden City by a 40-24 margin.

Stackhouse delivered one of his most complete efforts of the season, finishing with a season-high 27 points off 11-of-17 shooting, including a 5-of-8 performance from behind the arc. Stackhouse also pulled down 13 rebounds, including nine of the defensive end, for his eighth double-double of the season. Stackhouse added a season-high four blocked shots and three steals.

Sophomore forward Elidjah Savane joined Stackhouse in double-figures with 13 points, six rebounds and three assists. Savane converted on 7-of-9 shots from the free-throw line.

Sophomore guard DJ Holloway added 11 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals.

Freshman guard Kaidan Chatham and freshman forward D'ontez Walker each contributed nine points apiece. Sophomore guard Kuel Akot finished with eight points and six rebounds, while sophomore guard Syncere Burnette had five points and a team-high six assists. Sophomore wing Samuel Akot scored four points.

Cloud County finished the contest shooting 27-of-50 (54.0 percent) from the field and 8-of-20 (40.0 percent) from three-point range. The T-Birds also converted 24-of-28 (85.7 percent) from the free-throw line. Cloud County tallied 16 assists in the win.

Cloud County will return to action on March 10 when the T-Birds travel to Great Bend, Kansas to face the Barton Cougars. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 pm.