An 11-point lead in the second half was not enough for the Barton Community College men's basketball team Wednesday evening inside the Hutchinson Sports Arena as the 10th ranked Hutchinson Community College Blue Dragons spoiled the Cougars bid of an upset 95-89.
Leading by 11 early in the second half and up nine with 9:24 to play the Cougars were unable to withstand a 10-0 Blue Dragon run as Hutchinson grasped its' first lead since the 6:10 mark of the opening half. Barton would hold its' final lead at 82-81 with 5:43 to play and close to within a possession on five separate occasions till an intentional foul with 11-ticks left all but sealed it.
The loss slips the Cougars to 5-9 in league play and 11-9 on the season while the victory keeps Hutchinson in a tie for first-place in the KJCCC at 12-3 and 18-3 on the season. Barton will return home Saturday for Hall of Fame day in welcoming Independence Community College in a 4:00 p.m. tip inside the Barton Gym.
Seven different Cougars reached the scoring column with reigning KJCCC player of the week Cougar Downing leading four in double-figures with 23 points behind 8-of-17 shooting from the field and pulling in six rebounds. Evans Kipruto added 15 points off the bench Barton to a plus-one advantage in scoring off the bench while lugging down a team tying seven boards with Modibo Sanogo. Hannes Saar and Trey Bates III rounded out the double-digit scoring each adding 13 apiece with Bates III dishing out a team high five dimes.
Angelo Stuart paced the way for the Blue Dragons finishing with 20 points with Jacquez Yow adding 19 including tying for a team high seven rebounds. Kobe Campbell added 14 off the bench while Jayden Hall and Kamen Lennox rounded out the double-figure scoring for Hutchinson with 11 and 10 respectfully.
RECAP
Facing a 7-0 deficit out of the gates, the Cougars remained in reach trailing no more than five over the opening seven minutes. Downing's second straight bucket ignited an 8-0 Barton stretch with Bates III mixing in an and-1 handing Barton their first lead at 21-18 with 10:44 to play topped by a Saar jumper.
Battling back and forth over the next six minutes with five lead changes, the Cougars broke the 38-38 tie scoring six unanswered taking a 44-38 lead ensuing a Sanogo flush with 2:00 to play in the half. In spite of being outscored 5-3 over the final minute of the opening half, the Cougars maintained the lead heading into the locker rooms up 47-43.
Withstanding a 9-5 Blue Dragon stretch trimming Barton's lead to one, a quick 10-0 spurt in a span of 1:56 ballooned the Cougars advantage to its' biggest of 11 at 65-54 powered on a pair of Kipruto slams.
Fighting off any Hutchinson run, the Cougars sustained the lead over the next four minutes keeping the lead between five and nine until a 3:33 scoring drought to follow kept the door open for the fast tempo Blue Dragons. Barton's lead evaporated in a matter of 2:57 as a 10-0 Hutchinson stretch found the Cougars trailing for the first time since the 6:10 mark of the opening half.
Kipruto gave Barton its' final lead at 82-81 just 12-seconds later but a Kobe Campbell and-1 with 4:07 on the clock handed the Blue Dragons the lead for good. Keeping it within a one-possession contest over the final four minutes, the last bit of hope for the Cougars would squander as an intentional foul on the inbounds with 11-seconds left sent Hutchinson's Stuart to the stripe where he netted both succeeded by a Yow flush on the succeeding inbounds to close out the game.