The 20th ranked Barton Community College men's basketball team relied on a late defensive stand Saturday afternoon inside the Fleske Fieldhouse, holding off Independence Community College 92-91.
After an early back-and-forth stretch, the Cougars created separation midway through the first half with a balanced scoring burst, building the margin to double digits before carrying a 48-38 lead into the locker room.
A whistle-heavy second half, featuring 58 combined free throw attempts, turned the final 20 minutes into a grind as Barton's double-digit lead quickly disappeared. Independence surged ahead early before the Cougars answered with an 8-0 run to regain control. The Pirates later tied the game at 91-91 with 36 seconds remaining, but Jayden Ramirez split a pair at the line with 21 seconds left, and Barton's forced contested corner three drew short to seal the one-point win.
The win pushes Barton's streak and salvages the season series split with Independence. The Cougars now sit alone in second place in the Jayhawk at 15-7 and 20-8 overall, holding a one game edge over third, while the Pirates drop to 12-9 in league play and 14-13 overall.
Barton closes out its two-game homestand Wednesday night in its regular season home finale on Sophomore Night, hosting Seward County Community College at 7:30 p.m. inside the Fleske Fieldhouse. The contest also marks the return of former Cougar assistant coach Austin Downing, now leading the Saints.
Noah Williams led a five-pack in double figures with 23 points and nine rebounds, going 10-of-11 at the free throw line. Brian Sullivan, Jr. poured in a career-high 22 points on 8-of-17 shooting, adding six rebounds in 28 minutes while helping the Cougars to a plus-29 bench advantage. Ramirez added 12 points, converting 8-of-10 at the stripe, including the go-ahead free throw with 21 seconds remaining. Sebastian Muchitsch chipped in 12 points and five rebounds, while Aris Rodriguez rounded out the double-figure scoring with 10 points and four rebounds in just 16 minutes of action.
Barton shot 47.5 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from beyond the arch while converting 33-of-39 at the free throw line. Despite being outrebounded 42-34, the Cougars controlled the paint 48-28 and forced 17 Pirate turnovers, turning those into a 22-10 advantage in points off miscues.
Independence shot 40.3 percent from the field and 22.2 percent (6-of-27) from three-point range while converting 31-of-37 at the free throw line. Trae Lewis led the Pirates with a game-high 30 points, while David Wilson added 21. Lonnie Bass Jr. recorded 18 points and a game high 18 rebounds, helping fuel Independence's plus-eight advantage on the glass.