The Barton Community College men's basketball team opened up the 2019 season Saturday night at the Barton Gym exploding for sixty-eight first half points as eight players scored in double figures cruising to a 127-85 victory over the reserve squad from McPherson College.
Jaheim Holden came off the bench to lead the Cougars' output scoring ten of his fifteen collegiate debut points in first half action. Sophomore Martin Vogts also added ten in first frame play, finishing with thirteen points knocking down 3-of-5 from beyond the arc.
Keandre Bowles was second on the points scored chart with fourteen while fellow freshman Desean Munson led the rebound effort with ten to go along with eleven points in posting his first collegiate double-double.
Diovonte Caldwell tallied thirteen points to go along with dishing out a team leading six dimes on the night with fellow sophomore Anthony Atkinson-Enneking and Holden dishing out five apiece as the squad had twenty-five assists on fifty-four baskets.
Other double-digit scorers were Justin Harmon with thirteen on 6-of-10 shooting and Demarcus Morris with eleven and just missing a double-double in corralling a team second-best eight rebounds. Demetrius Douglas and Breontae Hunt came up just shy of double-digits in finishing with nine and eight points respectively.
The Cougars outscored the Bulldogs 92-14 in the paint with a fifty-four point advantage coming off the bench. Shooting 66.7% in the contest's opening twenty-minutes, Barton cooled off to just under 58% from the floor for a season opening 62.1% shooting but just 6-of-19 (31.6%) from beyond the arc.
McPherson kept things interesting at times in the second half behind 43.5% shooting from beyond the arc led by Luis Rodriguez' five second frame long balls to card seven total in the game for twenty-three points. Fellow sharp shooter Josh Servantez knocked down 3-of-6 from deep to tie Rodriguez to team high point total. Despite the Bulldogs getting outrebounded by twenty-five, Karson Waters did his diligence on the glass grabbing twelve of the team's twenty-nine boards and added eleven points to complete the double-double effort.
Victors in four straight season openers, next up for the Cougars is another reserve squad as the Threshers of Bethel College come to the Barton Gym on Wednesday for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off with the women preceding the action with a 5:30 p.m. tip hosting Sterling College's reserve squad.