Cold shooting dooms Cougars in road conference loss
Never able to find its rhythm nor able to convert opportunities, the No. 9 Barton Community College men’s basketball team fell 66-47 to Garden City Community College Wednesday in Garden City. The loss drops Barton to 2-1 in conference play and 15-2 overall while Garden City improves to 1-2 and 9-8. The Cougars will conclude their four-game seven-day stretch Saturday as Butler Community College comes to the Barton Gym for a 7:30 p.m. contest. Butler, who received votes in this week’s NJCAA poll, lost at home Wednesday night 81-67 to No. 2 ranked Hutchinson to fall to 1-1 and 13-3.
Both teams struggled in the game's first twenty minutes shooting a combined thirty-three percent on eighteen-of-fifty-four. Four points coming from Algie Key and two from Turon Parker gave Barton its largest lead of the game at 19-13 with 5:23 to play in the first half. Key, who was selected as the KJCCC Verizon Wireless Player of the Week, produced most of the Cougar offense in the first half scoring nine points as Barton led 23-22 at intermission.
Barton increased its lead to five on a Key layup followed by two free throws from Parker but Garden went on a 12-2 run to take a 37-30 lead with 14:22 to play. Barton cut it to three twice midway through the half but was outscored 24-8 in the games last ten minutes to suffer its fourth lowest output in the modern era of Barton men's basketball.
The Cougars had two player reach double figures as Algie Key scored nineteen while Andell Cumberbatch just missed his third double-double in a row finishing with ten points and nine rebounds. Despite an off-shooting night for Turon Parker, the sophomore from Ohio led the Cougars in assists dishing out five of Barton's nine total.
Frank Agholor led the Busters with twenty-two with teammate Chris Hall finishing close behind with twenty. Joe Ebondo led in rebounding with eleven.