The Barton Community College men’s basketball team picked up a big road conference win Wednesday night 94-86 at Colby Community College. The Cougars got nineteen first half points from Khalil Gracey to erase an early five point deficit and utilized a late 8-0 run to lead 44-35 at the break. With Colby’s Bruce Watkins knocking down six treys, the Trojans pulled to within four with a minute remaining but a 6-of-8 effort at the charity stripe down the stretch for the Cougars sealed the win. Barton improves to 5-1 in Jayhawk Conference play and 17-3 overall while dropping Colby to 2-5 and 11-10. The Cougars next action will be Hall of Fame night on Saturday at the Barton Gym as Pratt Community College comes to town for a 7:30 p.m. conference matchup.
Barton had two players eclipsing career highs as four Cougars reached double-figures. Reigning Conference Player of the Week Jalin Barnes struck for more than twenty points for the third straight game finishing with a career high twenty-six and connected on 11-of-14 from the free throw line. The nineteen first half points helped Gracey also set a new scoring mark finishing with twenty-five points, twelve coming from behind the arc, as well as grabbing a career high eleven rebounds to post his first career double-double. Tyrone Acuff, coming off a career high twenty-five in his last outing, finished with eighteen points while Kenny Enoch finished with eleven.
As a team the Cougars shot 48% from the field including 12-of-23 from behind the arc marking the eighth time this season Barton has drained ten or more threes. The Cougars also made it count from the charity stripe swishing through 28-of-36 good for 78%.
“We played well and I’m proud of them,” said Barton Men’s Head Coach Craig Fletchall. “This is a tough place to play and being short a few guys, this is a good win.”
Saturday’s game will be preceded by an on-court recognition taking place immediate following the women’s game for three inductees into Barton Community College’s Sports Hall of Fame. The 2015 Class of Gene Butler, Jeff Christy, and Pete Manely will be inducted earlier in the day at a 3:00 p.m. ceremony in the Kirkman Activity Center located on the Barton Campus. Induction ceremony is free and open to the public with attendance also encouraged in honoring the inductees at the on-court recognition.
Butler and Christy are former players for the Cougars, Butler a member of the 1990-92 men’s basketball teams while Christy was on the 2002-04 baseball teams. Manely will carry the distinction into the Hall as the first student-athletic trainer to receive the honor.
