No. 13 Cougars drop 85-82 double-overtime road conference game at Garden City

After having a chance to tie for the conference lead, the No. 13 ranked Barton Community College Cougars find themselves fighting for a home playoff game just a week later as they dropped a double overtime 85-82 thriller to Garden City Community College Saturday night in Garden City.  The Cougars, who led by nine with 4:03 to play in regulation, slip to 7-4 in conference play and 21-4 overall.  Barton remains in second place but find themselves one loss away from dropping from the top four as the West Division tightens up for the important home playoff game.  Garden City, who improves to 6-5 in conference and 18-5 overall, moves into a tie for fifth place but just a game out of a tie for second.  Barton will be at home Wednesday as they take on Butler Community College at 8:00 p.m. 

Highlights 
After scoring only twenty points and having seventeen turnovers in the first half, the Cougars found themselves facing a 31-20 halftime deficit.   Garden City would stretch the lead to fifteen in the first two minutes of the second half before the Cougars made their comeback.   Due in part to three treys by Turon Parker, the Cougars outscored the Busters by twenty-one points in the next fourteen minutes to take a 65-56 lead with four minutes to play.

Enter Garden's Chancy Williams as he scored nine of the Busters eleven points which included two three-pointers and a steal to tie the game at 67 to force overtime.

In overtime Garden grabbed a quick three point advantage but Barton's Dwayne Brunson powered inside drawing a foul tying the game for the seventh time.   Garden seemingly had the victory late in overtime as Williams connected on two free throws to give the Busters a four point lead with fourteen seconds remaining.   Following a missed Brunson three-pointer, Julian Rose stick back rebound drew the Cougars back to within two with 5.2 seconds remaining.  Forcing an errant Garden City inbound pass, the Cougars got the inbound pass to the red hot Parker whose step back sixteen foot jumper with one second left forced the second overtime.

The Cougars held a short lived two-point lead in the second overtime session but Garden countered with a four point run and led by two with forty-three seconds remaining.  The Cougars then had three shots at the tie and eventually turned the ball over forcing to having to foul Garden's Geron Johnson.   After missing the first free throw, Johnson sunk the second to give Garden a three-point lead with five seconds left.  Barton was unable to get a shot off from the inbounds and Garden upset the #13 ranked Cougars 85-82.

Scoring 
Turon Parker led four Cougars in double-digit scoring with a career high twenty points including 4-of-9 from long distance.  Carl Wallace scored eighteen points to go along with five assists and three steals.  Algie Key recorded a double-double with seventeen points and twelve points while Darius Hill scored eleven.  Dwayne Brunson, who was held to six points before fouling out, grabbed eleven rebounds to go along with four blocks.

Garden City's Chancy Williams led all scorers with thirty-two points as five Broncbusters scored in double figures.  Silas Mills scored thirteen while Carl Porter scored twelve to go along with thirteen rebounds.   Geron Johnson and Jarwand Rheubottom rounded out the double- digit scoring with twelve and ten points respectively.