Cougars’ roller coaster ends with last second victory over Coffeyville

Appearing to be headed for a repeat collapse from two days prior, the Barton Community College men's basketball team rode the roller coaster Monday night at the Barton Gym getting a last second bucket escaping with a 79-77 victory over Coffeyville Community College.   As the teams combined for twenty-six three-pointers, it came down to a missed trey and offensive rebound put back in the waning seconds to be the difference.  The win improves the Cougars to 8-5 in the Jayhawk Conference and 16-8 on the season while sending the Ravens to its third straight loss falling to 5-8 in conference play and 12-12 on the season.   Next up for the Cougars will be a Wednesday road trip to Garden City Community College for a 5:30 p.m. tip at the Dennis Perryman Gymnasium.  

The Cougars got out of the gates well doubling up the Ravens in the first five minutes building the lead out to ten on Dequandre Dentmond's and-1 for a 24-14 lead midway through the half.  Following Jovan Barksdale's second trey of the first half cutting the difference to seven, Barton took over the next two-plus minutes going on a 9-0 run capped by Jordan Windholz' second trey of the half for the Cougars biggest lead of the night at sixteen with 7:52 left in the half.  Barton would go on to keep the Ravens at arm's length going to the locker room with a twelve point 39-27 lead.

A sign of what was ahead became apparent in the first three minutes as Derek Dorn and the Ravens Darrion Strong exchanged treys.  Going 9-of-15 behind the arc in second half action, the Ravens chipped away at the Barton lead including two three-pointers from Delano Spencer to close within four by the fourteen minute mark. 

The Barton lead remained at four until consecutive Strong and Barksdale treys led a 9-4 spurt putting the Cougars in a two point hole going into the 9:59 second half media timeout.  Free throws by Dentmond on the other side of the timeout followed by a pair from Dorn a possession later returned the two point advantage to the Cougars' favor.

A three-point shootout ensued for the next two minutes as the Ravens' Spencer and Jordan Taylor exchanged with Malik McMillan's two treys in route to the freshman's career night of fourteen points.  A 6-0 Coffeyville run opened a four point spread growing to five twice in the next three minutes until Windholz gave the Cougars new life knocking down a trey and completing the old fashioned four-point play having ended up on the floor in front of the Barton bench.  Forcing a Raven turnover on the next possession, Windholz electrified the crowd the next time down the floor burying another long ball completing his own 7-0 run and giving Barton at 74-72 lead with 3:13 to play.

As both teams went scoreless the next two minutes, Strong struck again putting the Ravens up by one with 1:14 to play.  Having teamed up on Windholz' last trey, the Ezekiel Charles to Windholz duo flipped roles on the ensuing Cougar possession as Windholz found Charles in front of the bench for a two-point Barton lead with fifty-one seconds remaining.

Spencer knotted things up seventeen seconds later swishing both free throws setting up the final thirty-three seconds tied at seventy-seven.   Working the game clock down to under ten seconds, the Cougars worked the ball around the perimeter as Windholz stepped free on the left wing sending the potential game winner towards the rim.  Catching back iron, Dentmond won the backside rebound battle muscling it away from Spencer and returning the ball to its home with three ticks on the clock.  Coffeyville's ensuing pass to midcourt was too high deflecting off the Raven's Jailen Gill into the hands of Windholz.

Sparking the Cougars coming off the bench, the guard duo of Windholz and McMillan put up career numbers with a combined thirty points and 8-of-14 long distance shooting.   Windholz set new career highs with 5-of-11 from behind the arc scoring sixteen points while McMillan also set career highs in made three pointers and points knocking down 3-of-3 and fourteen points.   Dentmond added thirteen points hauling down seven of his game high eleven rebounds on the offensive glass in recording his sixth double-double of the season.  Anthony Smith also had an active night on the offensive glass grabbing four of his seven rebounds contributing to the seventeen board Barton advantage while finishing up with twelve points.  Dorn led the Cougars dishing out six of the Cougars' eighteen assists.

Spencer led four Ravens in double-figures scoring a game high twenty-four points with fifteen coming from behind the arc.  Strong was also lights out from beyond the arc going 4-of-7 as the University of Oklahoma signee dropped twenty while joining Spencer dishing out a five assists each.  Jordan Taylor added thirteen grabbing a team high seven rebounds while Barksdale added ten coming off the bench.