Barton picks up road win at Dodge; moves into 3rd place tie in West

Barton picks up road win at Dodge; moves into 3rd place tie in West
The Barton County Community College men's basketball team has just one game left on the slate for the season. And with no post season in the future for the Cougars, Barton is doing all it can to finish as high as possible in the Jayhawk West. Right now the Cougars have their eye on 3rd place, exactly where they sit after picking up a 43-41 road win in Dodge City at the Civic Center Wednesday night. Barton moves to 8-7 in the West and in a tie for 3rd place with Cloud County with one game to play. The Cougars are 13-16 overall. Dodge City fell to 13-15 overall and 5-10 in West play. Barton wraps up the season with a trip to Liberal to take on Seward County Saturday.

Highlights
The contest was a defensive struggle throughout as neither team was able to put up 50 points in the contest. It is the 2nd lowest scoring game in Barton County history, but, ironically enough, it isn't the lowest point total Barton has won with. In the lowest scoring contest in school history, Barton knocked off Colby by a 40-39 score in Colby back in 1974.

Barton jumped out to a 7-0 in the opening four minutes of the contest and held the lead until Dodge City took an 18-17 lead to finish off a 6-0 with 2 minutes left in the opening half. Barton would eventually take a 21-20 lead to the locker room.

The teams traded baskets in the early stages of the 2nd half with Barton taking 26-25 with 16:02 to play on an Adam Hrycaniuk basket. Dodge re-grabbed the advantage just 30 seconds later on an Anthony Teague jumper. That is where the game stayed, Dodge leading 27-26, for the 5 minutes as neither team scored until Diogo Salazar hit 1-of-2 free throws with 10:59 to play to even the mark at 27-all. Salazar put in back-to-back buckets with 7:22 left to give Barton a 33-30 lead they would not relinquish the rest of the way.

The Cougars put together a 7-0 run late in the contest to match their biggest lead of the game at 7. Leading 36-35, Hrycaniuk started things with a basket off a pass from Aubrey Bruner following a Scott Elliott offensive rebound. Hrycaniuk was fouled on the play and added the ensuing free throw for a 39-35 lead with 4:54 to play. Salazar hit a short jumper to make it 41-35 just 30 seconds later. On Dodge's next possession, Teague was whistled for an offensive foul Dodge Coach Brian Hobrecht a technical foul. Hrycaniuk connected on both technical shots and Barton led 43-36 with 4:01 to play in the game. Those would be the final points Barton would score, but it was enough to hang for the win. Corey Lewis had a shot to tie the game late but missed for Dodge.

Hrycaniuk led Barton with 12 points in 24 minutes off the bench. Salazar added 10 points and 8 boards in a season-high 36 minutes. Salazar played all 20 minutes in the 2nd half due to an injury to Barton's leading scorer, Antanas Kavaliauskas. Kavaliauskas sprained his ankle in the 1st 5 minutes of the 2nd half and never returned. Bruner led Barton with 6 assists. Teague was the lone Conquistador in double figures with 10 points.

Stats
Full box scores and stats can be found at www.bartonccc.edu/sports

Next
Sat., March 3 – at Seward County, 8 pm (Jayhawk West contest at the Greenhouse in Liberal)

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Check out Barton County Basketball Online at www.bartonccc.edu/sports