The Barton Community College women's basketball team experienced highs and lows over the course of the weekend's Best Western Angus Inn and Cougar Booster Club Classic at the Barton Gym. After shooting a season low field goal percentage in a 87-75 loss to Otero Junior College, the Lady Cougars bounced back with an impressive 72-55 win over Independence Community College on Saturday. The 1-1 weekend moves Barton to 8-2 on the season heading into this weekend's action in Hutchinson for the HCC Classic. The Lady Cougars will play both Friday and Saturday at 1:30 p.m., first taking on fellow conference member Allen County Community College then wrapping up the Classic with the junior varsity squad from Central Methodist University.
Having defeated Otero on the Lady Wranglers' home floor 91-88 in overtime back on November 15, Barton never led in Friday's contest and was held to a season low shooting percentage in the snapping of a seven game win streak.
Phikala Anthony led four Lady Cougars in double-digits scoring nineteen and a team high three steals to with seven rebounds. Providing a spark off the bench, Indiah Cauley reached double figures for the third straight game going 8-of-8 from the charity stripe to finish with fourteen. Brandi Williams led a 48-40 Barton advantage on the boards with eight to go along with twelve points while Katrina Roenfeldt finished with ten. Dominique Baker led Barton in assists with five.
Otero also placed four players in double figures led by the all-around play of Celia Garcia-Paunero. The Spainard sophomore scored twenty-two points while also leading the Lady Wranglers with seven rebounds, four assists, three steals, and two blocks. Haley Martinez was close behind in most categories finishing with nineteen points, six rebounds three assists, and two steals. Macy Meyers and Elin Ekdahl rounded out the double-digit scoring with fifteen a piece.
Barton had a tough rebound game on Saturday versus Independence Community College who knocked off Butler Community College 79-74 in Friday's opening game of the Classic. Barton found themselves trailing the Lady Pirates 9-8 seven minutes into the game before Cierra Lampe's right baseline three-pointer got the Lady Cougars rolling. Barton capped off the sixteen point run with a Dominique Baker trey and Julia Dixon's muscled bucket in the paint as the Lady Cougars took control in the four minute span to lead 24-8.
Independence cut the lead to nine but a stout Barton defense holding the Lady Pirates without a field goal the last 7:05 of the half and getting consecutive treys by Kilee Harris and Indiah Cauley help leading the Lady Cougars 57% first half shooting to build a sixteen point lead into the break.
Lampe and Phikala Anthony led a balanced Barton attack in scoring with eleven points each as ten players added three or more points in the contest. Anthony lead a seventeen assist to twenty-seven field goal effort with five while five players tied for team high honors in rebounds with four each.
Gokce Cetin led the Lady Pirates with twenty-one with Briana Jackson-Brew contributing twelve and grabbing a team high seven rebounds.
All four teams in the Classic went 1-1 over the weekend. Region VI runner-up and pre-season No. 9 ranked Butler Community College rebounded from Friday's 79-74 loss to Independence to thrash Otero on Saturday 86-64.
Complete results of the Best Western Angus Inn and Cougar Booster Club Thanksgiving Classic
Photos of Barton in action over the weekend