The Barton Community College men's basketball team led by all but one minute Friday night in the Best Western and Cougar Booster Classic cruising to a 69-54 win over Region VI foe Highland Community College.   Behind a 10-0 start to the second half, the Cougars lead nearly doubled in leading by over twenty points much of the second half in moving to 2-0 in spoiling the Scotties season opener.  Next up with be Saturday's 7:30 p.m. tip-off against another Region VI opponent, Hesston College, to wrap up the weekend's Classic.  The Larks dropped to 1-1 on the season falling in the afternoon game to the junior varsity squad from Washburn University.

Coming off a thirty-point effort on Wednesday, Ezekiel Charles once again led the Cougars with thirteen points and just missed a triple-double with nine rebounds and eight assists while also leading the team with four steals.  Anthony Smith came off the bench in scoring twelve while gathering five offensive rebounds.  Charles Norman contributed ten points while Malik Toppin grabbed six of his team high thirteen rebounds on the offensive glass to go along with six points and five block shots.  Malik Rhodes had a solid floor game dishing out six assists against zero turnovers in twenty-six minutes of action.

Jaquan Daniels nearly had a perfect night connecting on 9-of-10 from the field to lead the Scotties with a double-double twenty-four points and ten rebounds.

In the earlier men's contest, the Ichabod squad led by former Barton men's basketball assistant Matt Hundley, built a fifteen point halftime lead fending off the Larks of Hesston College 83-70.  Darren Spruill led four Ichabods in double-digits scoring eighteen points.  Eric Harms put up a double-double off the bench scoring fifteen and grabbing fifteen rebounds while Leonard McFadden II and Jacob Dickey each added fourteen.   

Leading the Larks was Brian Allen II coming off the bench for fifteen with Heath Agnew scoring eleven and grabbing eight rebounds while Cory Holt grabbed a team high nine boards.