Cougars power up for eighteen point win at Butler

The Barton Community College men's basketball team powered up at the Plant blowing out Butler Community College 74-56.  Outscoring the Grizzlies 25-10 in the final ten plus minutes of the first half, the Cougars assumed command for their second straight win in El Dorado.   The second road victory of the young conference season improves the Cougars to 3-0 in the Jayhawk and 7-0 on the season while Butler drops to 1-2 and 4-2 on the year.  Barton's next opponent comes Tuesday as the Cougars head to Liberal to take on a Seward County Community College Saints team coming off a ten-point home loss on Saturday and looking to snap a three game slide.  Tip-off scheduled for 8:00 p.m. at the Greenhouse.

Trading points for the first seven minutes until a Butler trey took the lead to 11-8, John Barbee's blocked shot protecting the deficit led an Anthony Smith jumper in lane keying a 7-0 Cougar run.  Devonte Barker added an inside bucket then on the next offensive possession, came out of nowhere to slam in Malik Toppin's missed jumper.   Fouled on the play Barker would sink the free throw then dish out an assist for Malik Rhodes' transition layup after Ezekiel Charles came up with the steal.

From there the Cougars would own the final ten minutes of the half outscoring the Grizzlies 25-10.  Beginning with a transition dunk by Toppin set up by Smith's steal, Toppin would again ignite his bench mates following a block on the defensive end with a net punisher on the other end.  Tack on a Smith layup and a Rhodes 1-of-2 trip to the line and the Cougars 9-0 run quickly built an eleven point margin.  Barton would go on to outscore the Grizzlies 16-10 the remaining five minutes getting a Charles three pointer, two more dunks from Toppin coming on offensive rebounds, and seven points from Jahlil Rawley for a 40-23 halftime edge. 

Following a Butler free throw early in second half action, the Cougars widened the gap with six straight pushing the lead to twenty-two in the first three minutes.  A personal seven point run by Charles extended the lead to twenty-seven with 11:34 to play as the Cougars would answer any attempt to cut the deficit until the Grizzlies closed out the contest with a 7-0 run for the final eighteen point margin.

Charles eclipsed the twenty point mark for the third time of the season finishing with twenty-two points while grabbing nine rebounds.  Toppin recorded his third double-double performance in the last four games scoring twelve points and ten rebounds leading the Cougars to a 41-19 rebound advantage.   Rhodes added twelve points with Rawley scoring nine as the duo dished out two assists each to lead the team.

Coming off a career high eight three-pointers in a twenty-six point night leading Butler to a big victory over Seward County on Wednesday night, Will Adler again led the Grizzlies in scoring with fifteen points connecting on 3-of-7 from behind the arc.  Johnnathan Lindsey added twelve while Semaj Harvey dished out a game high four dimes.