Barton ends regular season with win; hosts Neosho County Wednesday
It is always nice to head into post season play with a win. Mission accomplished for the Barton County men's basketball team. Barton defeated Pratt Saturday night, winning 88-74, in the final regular season game for both teams. The Cougars finish 10-6 in the Jayhawk West, tied for third. They will take a 21-9 mark into the home contest against Neosho County in the first round of the Region VI tournament. Pratt finishes 15-15 and 7-9.
Highlights
The Cougars turned in of their more efficient offensive games of the season against the Beavers. Paced by the inside play of Robert Whaley, the Cougars connected on 64 percent of their shots and collected 25 assists on their 37 baskets.
Whaley paced Barton by hitting 12-of-14 shots from the floor and a perfect 6-of-6 effort from the free throw line to match his career-high of 30 points. He also added six rebounds, three assists and three steals. Elisha Fields also had good game for the Cougars, knocking 7-of-10 shots from the floor and hitting all three charity tosses for a season-high 17 points. Jason Carter and Rone Smith each added 12 points as Smith hit 6-of-7 shots from the floor.
Barton hit 37-of-58 from the floor and 12-of-13 from the free throw line. In the second half, Barton knocked down 19-of-28 shots from the floor. In fact, inside the 3-point line, the Cougars were 18-of-23 in the second half.
Barton built a 41-29 halftime lead but a late Beaver rally pulled Pratt to within a basket at one point before the Cougars sealed the win, then pulled away late in the game for the 14-point effort.
Pratt, which hit 5-of-9 treys in the second half and 57 percent from the floor in the half, was led by Sherwin Johnson and Mario Chavez with 16 points each. Mory Correa added 13.
Next Up
Barton County will host a first round playoff contest Wednesday night after earning the No. 4 seed in the West. The Cougars will play Neosho County, the No. 5 seed in the East, in Great Bend, starting at 7:30 p.m.
Stats
Game boxes and cumulative stats can be found at the following website.
Barton County Men's Basketball Online at http://www.barton.cc.ks.us/sports/MB_01-02/mbasketball_01-02.htm