A twelve-point swing in the final five minutes Saturday afternoon guided the Barton Community College men's basketball team to a season sweep over Dodge City Community College in a seventeen-point 96-79 road victory.
The victory keeps Barton in the thick of the conference race improving to a second best in the Jayhawk West at 12-4 and 20-5 overall notching their fourth straight 20-win season, while Dodge City suffers their fourth straight defeat in dropping to 1-15 and 9-16.
The Cougars will kick off a pivotal week with a trio of conference games, the first coming Monday evening in a marquee matchup hosting conference leading 22nd ranked Colby Community College for a 7:30 p.m. tip inside the Barton gym. Barton currently sitting a game back of the Trojans will be looking to avoid a season sweep, as 20th Colby claimed the first meeting 80-74 back on January 18th at the Community Building.
Barton grasped control early jumping out to a six point advantage after the first six minutes behind five straight scored by Jaheim Holden and a Mavrick Gildyard bunny underneath with 13:35 to play in the opening stanza
The Conquistadors rallied back scoring twelve of the next fourteen points gaining their second lead at 19-15 with 10:17 to play. Desean Munson put a halt to the Dodge City run just before the media break trimming the deficit to 19-17 with 9:54 to play. Out of the media break the Cougars assembled the next seven to regain the lead 24-19 propelling a Dodge City timeout resulting in five straight by Justin Harmon including a corner trifecta capped by Holden jumper.
Trading baskets over the next four minutes, Barton got some spark off the bench as Anthony Atkinson-Enneking knocked down his third field goal in a two minute span sparking a 6-0 run including a Keandre Bowles bucket and Gildyard flush guiding Barton to its largest lead of the opening half, 40-33 with 3:53 to play.
Following a scoring drought of 2:20, the Cougars grasped the two point advantage, 47-45 heading into the halftime break behind Harmon's And-1 and Holden's 4-for-4 stretch from the free throw line outscoring the Conquistadors 6-2 over the final 1:30.
In second half action the Cougars hovered around a two-possession contest over the opening seven minutes, until freshman guard Holden completed a 2-for-2 trip from the charity stripe followed by an Enneking bucket stretched Barton's lead to double-digits, 69-68 with 9:20 left.
The Conquistadors trimmed the Barton lead to a two-possession game one final time with 5:30 to play following a Keldrick Hayes triple. Succeeding Dodge City's lone triple of the second half after connecting on 7-of-14 tries in the opening stanza, the Cougar offense sealed the game getting into transition piecing together a 12-0 run and eventual 16-2 spurt over a four minute stretch. The Conquistadors would tally the final four points in the final forty-five seconds as Barton sailed to a final margin of 96-79.
Six Cougars reached double-digit figures led by Holden's career high game of 26 points, nine rebounds and four assists day. Harmon led all scorers off the bench adding sixteen. Gildyard recorded his second double-double on the season adding thirteen points and hauling down ten rebounds. Bowles, Vogts, and Atkinson each collected ten points.
Dodge City was led by Mason Senigaur's nineteen points and nine rebound day. Dejuan Horne led the Conquistadors with thirteen points off the bench. Others reaching double figures were Hayes with twelve and Kevin McGaskey's eleven point day.