Barton rolls to win over No. 1 ranked team on neutral floor
The Barton County Community College men's basketball team is trying to work its way back to prominence following a 2-year probation period. The Cougars took a large step toward retaining some of that swagger with an impressive 76-59 win over the preseason No. 1 ranked team in the NJCAA Saturday afternoon. The Cougars knocked off Midland (Texas) at the Sports Arena in Hutchinson as part of the Quarterback Classic. It was the only game of the Classic for the Cougars. Barton improved to 4-0 for the season with the win. Midland, a loser by a single point the night before to host Hutchinson, fell to 1-3 on the year and will no doubt lose that top ranking when the 1st regular season poll comes out Nov. 21. The Cougars are back at home this weekend as they host the Sterling JV and Brown Mackie as part of the Pepsi Classic at the Barton Gym.
Highlights
Barton took an early lead in the afternoon contest and never trailed the entire game. The Cougars scored the games 1st 8 points as Thiago Cordeiro scored on a layup and Ivan Evans and Matt Green both knocked down 3-pointers just 2 minutes into the game. The lead quickly grew to double figures and stayed there most of the opening half. Barton's 1st half lead was as big as 17 late in the half as Barton took a 34-22 lead into halftime.
The Chaparrals came out in the 2nd half with a pair of quick baskets to cut the lead to 34-26 with just less than 18 minutes to play. Barton led by a 37-28 count when the Cougars – mainly Omar Johnson – went on a run that essentially ended the contest. Johnson started with a 3-pointer with 16:22 to play, added a fast break layup a minute later then hit another three with 14:24 left to push the Barton led to 45-28. The Cougars weren't quite done yet. Cordeiro and Evans each scored over the next minute as Barton capped a 12-0 run over a 4-minute span to take a 49-28 lead with just 12:27 left in the contest. From that point on, the No. 1 ranked Chaparrals never got closer than final margin of 17 points. Barton led much of the final 10 minutes by more than 20, grabbing its biggest lead of the game at 56-30 with 8:37 to play as Wagner Bueno capped a 19-2 run for the Cougars.
Johnson had a huge game as the 5-7 point guard tallied 26 points on 4-of-6 3-point shooting and added 7 assists in 39 minutes of action. Johnson was 9-of-13 overall from the field. Cordeiro was the only other Cougar to reach double figures, netting 11 to go with a team-high 9 rebounds and 5 blocks. Jordan Brooks scored 21 and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead Midland.
Stats
Full stats can be found at www.bartonccc.edu/sports
Next
Fri, Nov 17 – v Sterling JV, 8 pm (Pepsi Classic at the Barton Gym)
Sat, Nov 18 – v Brown Mackie, 8 pm (Pepsi Classic at the Barton Gym)
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Check out Barton County Basketball Online at www.bartonccc.edu/sports