Saturday night at the Barton Gym was "one of those nights" as the Barton Community College women's basketball team had their modest two game win streak snapped with a 70-60 loss to Garden City Community College. The loss aided by other results around the conference keeps the Lady Cougars tied for fifth place at 9-6 and 12-7 on the year while Garden City slips closer to the three-team log jam at 8-7 and 11-8 overall with the season's series sweep. Barton will be on the road for its next two contests, beginning with a 5:30 p.m. tip on Wednesday at fellow fifth place Butler Community College (9-6, 12-6).
A combination of factors led to the Lady Cougars' demise, in good part to the matchup problems and defensive pressure from Garden City. With Barton playing without starting point guard Juliana Chagas due to injury, the Broncbusters capitalized with a season high fourteen steals against the Lady Cougars and forcing a season low offensive performance. Additionally, despite just shooting 36.5% in the game, Garden City grabbed eighteen offensive rebounds as Barton gave Garden City too many opportunities resulting in a twenty-six more shots on goal.
Despite the challenges, the Lady Cougars stayed in the game with backup guard Jeanna Dixon giving Barton its lone lead of the contest with two straight drives to the hole for a 54-52 lead with 6:28 remaining. Garden City responded with the next six points in the next minute then kept Barton outside of the two point margin until closing out with the final seven points holding the Lady Cougars scoreless in the final 2:41 for the ten point victory.
Taylor Regan continued her glass eating streak as the Otis-Bison High School product posted her second double-double and third on the season grabbing eighteen rebounds to go along with thirteen points. Having recorded a program third best sixteen defensive rebounds Wednesday night at Colby, Regan snarled fifteen on Saturday for a combined thirty-seven rebounds in the last two games.
Jaylin Stapleton reached double figures for the third straight game scoring sixteen points and a team leading six assists and three steals. Making her first collegiate start in place of Chagas, Dixon exceeded her career high by five in finishing with thirteen points while Micaela Jellison added eleven. Mallory Miller, who torched the Trojans on Wednesday with a school record ten three-pointers on a career high thirty-four point night, was held to just one long range launch on the scoreless night of fourteen minutes played.
Shakendra Tilley led three Broncbusters in double digits with fifteen points with Jada Washington posting her second consecutive six assist game against Barton in adding thirteen points. Talia Roberts gave Garden City twelve points off the bend with Kelcy McHenry giving the Broncbusters a three rebound edge in the contest with nine boards. McHenry led the theft count with five while Tilley came up with four.