Scoring Wednesday night's first four points, the nation's 2nd ranked Barton Community College men's basketball team never looked back in leading by as many as thirty-seven points in cruising to an 86-55 victory hosting Seward County Community College.
Following the Saints' first of just four three-pointers in the game, Barton scored the next eight to gain separation before stringing a 12-0 run in opening up an eventual nineteen point first half lead.
Cooper Jackson keyed an electric start of second half action for the Cougars, converting a steal for a dunk, dropping a trey on the next possession, then coming up with another theft sending a pass off the window finding Lajae Jones for a highlight reel rim rattler.
The 9-0 start out of the locker room was interrupted by a Saint bucket but the highlight reel got cranked back up as Myles Thompson was next to feed Jones for alley-oop dunk with Ring Malith burying a triple, knocked down another jumper, then Fawaz Surakat muscling inside completing an 18-2 stretch burying the Saints 60-25 with fourteen minutes left in rolling to its third straight win of the series.
Victors of fifteen straight for the most since the 1999-00 season, Barton improves to 18-1 and just one game atop the league standings at 23-1 overall while Seward County slides to 4-14 in conference and 6-18 on the season.
Headed back to the conference road, Barton's next focus is a Saturday trip to Coffeyville Community College for a 4:00 p.m. tip before having a week off for a much needed break from competition.
Barton shot 50% on the night as ten Cougars contributed to the scoring with five reaching double figures led by Malith's 15 points on 5-of-11 shooting including 3-of-7 behind the arc.
Rejecting five Saints' shots from the defensive end, Jones' offensive production of 11 points and 12 rebounds posted the sophomore transfer's 9th double-double of the year.
Jackson's three steals and 2-of-3 arc shooting led to a 10 point night with Thompson adding 9 points.
Point guard Mozae Downing-Rivers, whose elbow jumper began Barton's 9-0 run after the halftime break, added 5 points and 5 rebounds with 5 assists to climb past Cliff Moss (1980-82) into 5th all-time on the program career distribution list.
The Cougars received 36 points coming off its bench, Brent Moss and Christian Bowen-Webb with 10 points each with Keandre Kindell contributing 8 points.
Helping Barton to a plus-17 rebound edge and a twenty-two point advantage in the paint, Surakat and Aleng Bol had four points each and combined 11 rebounds including four on the offensive glass.
Barton held the Saints to an opponent low 28.6% shooting from the field and 16% arc shooting in not allowing Seward County to 57 points for the third straight meeting.
Mathias M'Madi led with 17 points on 5-of-15 shooting with Dave Olaniyi's 4-of-11 for 12 points off the bench the lone Saints to reach double figures.
SERIES NOTES
- Barton has won the last three meetings and 7-of-the-last-9 in Great Bend
- Barton leads the series 39-17 at the Barton Gym
- Barton leads the overall series 68-47
Record Book Watch
Cooper Jackson
- 178 career steals *2nd most – 141 behind Eric Bush's 319 (1999-01)
Mozae Downing-Rivers
- 308 career assists *5th most – Passed Cliff Moss' 304 (1980-82) - 7 behind Algie Key's 315 (2011-13)