Barton scorches the net; blows out Garden City

By Mike Pilosof

Photos by Adam Shrimplin

Garden City, KS-If you just looked at Saturday's box score, you'd think Garden City did everything right offensively. They shot 55 percent and hit 13 3's. Tahlik Chavez set a school record with nine triples, and the Broncbusters dished out 21 assists.

Unfortunately, Barton was still better, and in the end, the Cougars put on one of the most impressive offensive displays the Perryman Athletic Complex has ever seen.

Keandre Bowles scored 27 points, his team shot a blistering 77 percent from the field, and the Cougars ran away from Garden City 129-101 at Conestoga Arena.

"We've played two of the best teams in this league back-to-back," Broncbusters' Coach Patrick Nee said afterwards. "But Barton is the real deal."

The Cougars hit 18 of their first 21 shots, finished 27-of-38 (71 percent) in the first half, and were 7-of-12 from 3 over the first 20 minutes. Incredibly, they topped that mark in the second period, shooting a ridiculous 85 percent (23-of-27).

"Some of that was our defense, but most if was their high-level offense," Nee said. "They're really good. I thought we played pretty well, but our defense just wasn't good for the most part."

The Broncbusters dropped their fifth straight game and their 12^th in their last 13 contests.

"I like what we did offensively," Nee said. "We got the ball inside. Now, it's just a matter of our bigger guys finishing around the rim."

How good was Barton? There was a stretch in the first half where the Cougars hit 12 straight shots. In fact, they didn't miss for more than nine minutes, using an 11-2 run to build a 50-34 advantage with 5:36 to go in the half. They pushed that to 17 a few minutes later when Maverick Gildyard completed a three-point play before connecting on a nifty runner from left of the lane, putting Barton up 59-42 with 3:24 to play.

"When you watch really good teams like Barton, they all have defined roles," Nee said. "They all know what they're supposed to do."

And on a night where everything was falling for the Cougars, Bowles tested his luck right before the first-half horn, banking in a 35-foot heave that gave Barton a 64-50 lead at the break.

It only got worse from there.

The Cougars ripped off a 9-2 run to begin the second half, pushing the lead to 20 after Diovonte Caldwell hit two free throws to make it 74-54. Bowles added a couple of freebies, and Justin Harmon dropped a dime to Anthony Atkinson-Enneking, who flushed home a two-handed jam to put the road squad up by 19.

"Teams are hurting us in the high post," Nee said. "They'll throw the ball into the high post; then drive right around Mikey (Frazier)."

Barton continued the onslaught, and Martin Vogts, who was one of the most sought-after small-school high-school players in Kansas two years ago, drained a 3 to put the Cougars over the century mark for the seventh time this season, giving Barton a 101-78 advantage. That lead grew to as many as 30 in the final minute.

"We have to play harder, and we have to be tougher; then maybe the ball will bounce our way," Nee said. "You have to give more effort."

Gildyard finished with 23 points for Barton, who won their fourth straight game. Jaheim Holden dished a game-high 12 assists, and Desean Munson tallied 18 points before being ejected with four minutes to go.

Chavez was out of this world, pouring in a career-high 31 points on 9-of-12 from downtown for Garden City. Traylynn Spencer had 26 points and seven boards, and Frazier chipped in 22 points in 19 minutes off the bench.

Next up: Garden City vs. Seward-Wednesday, Feb. 5-8 p.m. tip on 99.9 FM; westernkansasnews.com/kwkr and KWKR mobile app