All streaks come to an end eventually and for the Barton Community College women's basketball team, Wednesday night at the Barton Gym was the game as the Cougars dropped a 65-57 loss to Garden City Community College.
Barton's eight game victorious march conclusion slips the Cougars to 12-4 on the year and 11-4 tied for 2nd in the West with Seward County. Garden City solidifies its fourth place standing at 8-7 and 9-7 on the year.
The Cougars hit the road for back-to-back days of conference action beginning 2:00 p.m. Sunday at Colby Community College then traveling south to Liberal on Monday for a 6:00 p.m. tip at Seward County Community College. Barton's next home game will be Wednesday in hosting Coffeyville Community College.
Vanessa Oduah's 14 points led the Cougars with Cora Anderson adding 11 points. Queen Ulabo hauled down a game high 13 rebounds with a season low six points.
Aerihna Afoa led all players with 17 points, knocking down 3-of-4 from behind the arc and a perfect eight charity tosses. Kealani Neves added 13 points off the bench.
RECAP
The Broncbusters outscored the Cougars 16-6 in the fourth quarter, draining a pair of three-pointers on 4-of-13 shooting and sinking 6-of-6 from the free throw line with just two turnovers. Barton meanwhile, missed all ten of their shots from the field including six beyond the arc, committed five turnovers, and scored the six points on eight trips to the line.
Each team had an eight point lead in the contest, Barton's coming in the first quarter following Tiffany Dortland and Oduah draining consecutive treys with Garden City widening their two-point lead in the final minute from the charity stripe for their final eight point largest lead.
The Cougars made four of their first five beyond the arc but with 4:47 remaining in the second frame, couldn't find the net for four minutes until Brennan Kirchhoff's three-pointer with twenty-two seconds stopped the drought. Oduah's off-balance from contact buzzer-beater doubled up the lead sending Barton to locker room up 35-31.
Garden City scored the first seven points of the third to take their first lead with Oduah's jumper stopping a two and a half scoreless drought with Anderson's pair of charity tosses tying it up at 40.
Lyndi Rumford's layup from Kirchhoff's pass through the lane put the Cougars up three with forty-seven seconds left in the third period in what would be Barton's final field goal of the evening.