The Barton Community College women's basketball team had another potential victory slip through their hands Wednesday night as the Lady Cougars dropped a 64-58 conference battle with Garden City Community College. The Lady Cougars, who led by as many as eight in the second quarter, held a one point lead with 3:47 to play but went scoreless until the last few seconds while Garden City scored seven in the stretch adding two more to ice the game late. Barton falls to 2-5 and 10-8 on the season while the Lady Busters behind a school tying three-point record earned their fifth straight victory in the Barton Gym improving to 7-1 in Jayhawk play and 13-6 overall. Barton will head to Dodge City on Saturday for a 1:00 p.m. tip at the Civic Center taking on nationally receiving votes Dodge City Community College who comes off a 90-48 drubbing at No. 8 Hutchinson Community College.
Just as she did in Barton's previous game, Kilee Harris got Barton off to a great start hitting two quick three-pointers and three in the first eight minutes staking the Lady Cougars out to a 20-13 first quarter lead.
With Harris draining her fourth long ball in the second for Barton's largest lead of eight with 3:51 to play, Garden City's Kavita Akula was just as impressive knocking down her fourth trey leading the Lady Busters in the comeback including a 9-0 run giving Garden City a 32-31 halftime advantage.
An early three-point play by Jalisa Jones regained the Barton lead and nine points in the quarter from point guard Dominique Baker helped stake a five point 47-42 Barton lead to the game's final ten minutes.
After a 4-of-7 long ball display in the first half, Akula again brought Garden City back drilling three consecutive treys for a four point lead. Cut to one after a Jones layup, Regan Unruh gave the Lady Cougars it last lead with 3:47 to play converting the old fashioned three-point play.
Barton missed its share of opportunities to grow the lead but two turnovers left the door open as Dominique Maxwell drained a pair of charity throws and Jaymie Bernbeck grabbed a key offensive rebound with just under two minutes to play converting the short jumper putting the Lady Busters out by three.
A missed Barton trey and a Maxwell jumper dug the hole to five with just under a minute and another missed jumper and two missed free throw opportunities continued the Lady Cougar scoring drought until Harris finally put an end to the 3:42 streak sinking a pair of free throws with five seconds to play. It was little too late for Barton as Maxwell put the final touches on the Lady Busters' fifth straight Barton Gym win with two Maxwell free throws for the final six-point victory.
Harris recorded her fourth double-double of the season leading four Lady Cougars in scoring with sixteen points and ten rebounds. Three Lady Cougars followed with eleven points as Jones and Unruh were joined by Baker who also dished out five assists on the night. Megan Jirak finished with six points but led a 36-33 Barton rebound advantage with eleven reaching double-figure boards for the eleventh time this season.
Akula's twenty-four point night on 8-of-11 behind the arc tying a school record for made treys led just two Lady Busters in double digit scoring. Shayla Dobbins added sixteen points and three assists while DaRae Lewis led the Lady Busters with seven rebounds.