The top ranked Barton Community College men's basketball team never trailed Saturday evening at the Sports Arena in rolling to a double-digit 74-57 victory over 16th ranked Hutchinson Community College in the Region VI/Plains District Championship contest.
Grabbing their first Region title since 2001 and fourth overall, the Cougars' 23rd straight victory matches the fourth longest in the program's history, improving to 32-1 on the season to additionally match the program's best start in its 56th year of competition.
Hutchinson's three game win streak ends at 27-6 as the Blue Dragons await Sunday evening's Selection Show for a possible at-large bid for the National Tournament.
With its tournament ticket officially punched, Barton will also be tuned in for a possible No. 1 seed and find out who and when the Cougars will play on the return trip to Hutchinson for the March 24-30 NJCAA Division I Championships.
Following a 54% shooting first half, the Cougars cooled down to 40% in the second to finish at 47.6% but was just 4-of-18 from the arch and 55.6% (10-of-18) from the charity stripe.
Eight Cougars reached the scoring column led by the 24 points from Hutchinson native Myles Thompson with Lajae Jones adding 14 points as each just missed double-double performances in grabbing 9 rebounds each helping Barton to a plus-9 advantage on the glass.
Ring Malith contributed 10 points as Mozae Downing-Rivers added 9 points with a game high 5 assists and 4 steals.
The Blue Dragons were held to 36.7% shooting, joining Barton in a less than desired production from beyond the arc sinking just 3-of-29 (10.3%) and added 10-of-20 free throw shooting.
Hutchinson also had three in double figures, Valentino Simon leading with a double-double 13 points and 11 rebounds to go along with 3 blocks. Kamryn Thomas added 13 points with Kernan Bundy leading the bench production with 11 points.
RECAP
Scoring the opening bucket to grab the first lead, the contest was tied just two times with the final time coming at seven.
Led by Thompson's 8 straight points, the Cougars broke away on an 11-0 spurt for an 18-7 lead with 11:17 remaining.
The Blue Dragons cut the deficit back into single digits a number of times, the last coming at the 3:48 mark as Barton would close the half on a 10-2 stretch including Great Bend native Stefan Spray's tough inside bucket and Thompson's fade-away 16' foot jumper beating the horn for a 40-23 halftime edge.
Hutchinson popped its lone three-pointer of the second half on its opening possession out of the locker room but Barton fired back with a 15-0 run spread around six different Cougars contributing to the scoring for a 55-26 lead just four minutes in.
The lead hit the twenty-nine point difference two more times, the last with 14:42 as the Cougars went ice cold letting Hutchinson back in it.
Barton went scoreless for next two minutes, Hutchinson scoring eight straight with Malith's dunk from Cooper Jackson stopping the spurt with Downing-Rivers following thirty seconds later pushing the gap to 63-38 with 11:25 remaining.
The Cougars spurt would be short lived, not making another field goal for over eleven minutes as Hutchinson rattled off a 13-0 run and 19-5 stretch inching to within eleven at 68-57 with 2:15 left.
Thompson finishing off Malith's lob pass with 1:01 remaining ended the field goal drought with Downing-Rivers' steal seven seconds later setting up Jones' feed to Jackson for a two-hand jam all but sealed it on the fifteen point margin with 50 ticks left.
Malith's pair of free throws put the icing on the cake with 37 seconds left leaving the Blue Dragons scoreless in the final 2:15 and without a field goal since the 3:42 mark.
SERIES NOTES
- Barton's first six straight victories over Hutchinson in the series
- Barton's third victory over Hutchinson this season, all by double-digit margins
- Hutchinson held to its lowest output in the last 43 meetings dating back to just a 48 point output in 2005
- Hutchinson leads the series on a neutral floor 6-5
- Hutchinson leads the overall series 81-45
Record Book Watch
Cooper Jackson
- 201 career steals *2nd most – 118 behind Eric Bush's 319 (1999-01)
Mozae Downing-Rivers
- 372 career assists *3rd – 81 behind Gene Butler's 453 (1990-92)