The Barton Community College men's basketball team watched a commanding second-half cushion slip away Monday night at Fleske Fieldhouse, as Cloud County Community College erased a 22-point deficit and rallied to a 98–94 overtime victory in Jayhawk Conference action.
Barton led 44–32 at the break and maintained control deep into the second half, stretching the margin to 22 points at 66–44 with 8:26 remaining. As the Cougars received extended minutes from their bench, Cloud County's upped their pressure helping flip the flow, as Barton's miscues turned into points at the other end.
Cloud County surged back behind a flurry of stops, extra possessions, and timely perimeter shooting, capitalizing on eight turnovers in the final 7:15 to climb back into the game and eventually force overtime. Even after Barton flowed its starting five back onto the floor holding a 10-point lead with 3:34 remaining, the Cougars later saw a six-point advantage evaporate in the final minute. Consecutive turnovers led directly to back-to-back Cloud County three-pointers, the last tying the game with 20 seconds remaining but Aris Rodriguez' three-point attempt with three seconds left missed its mark forcing overtime.
In the extra session, Barton briefly gained the lead at the 3:39 mark on Jon Byrd's three-point play, but Cloud County answered and stayed in front down the stretch, sealing the win at the foul line to snap a seven-game losing streak in the series.
The loss drops Barton to 12–8 overall and 7–7 in conference play, while Cloud County improves to 11–9 on the season and 6–8 in the Jayhawk. The Cougars return to action Wednesday with a 7:30 p.m. road trip to Colby Community College, followed by Saturday's 4:00 p.m. home matchup against nationally receiving-vote getter Coffeyville Community College.
Barton placed four players in double figures, led by Noah Williams' 18 points and eight rebounds. Sebastian Muchitsch added 17 points, knocking down a career-high four three-pointers while also grabbing eight rebounds and blocking three shots before fouling out early in the overtime period. Byrd finished with 16 points, Rodriguez chipped in 13, Jayden Ramirez scored seven, and Lazare Mbala provided a quick regulation spark with consecutive triples in limited action. Muchitsch, Byrd, and Rodriguez also dished out a team high three assists as Rodriguez additionally led with three steals.
Cloud County was led by DJ Holloway's 21 points before fouling out with 1:12 left in regulation while his team trailed by six. Season scoring leader Manasseh Stackhouse added 19 points, Kuel Akot contributed 14, and Elidjah Savane chipped in 10.
Despite Barton knocking down a season-high 12 three-pointers (12-of-32), the T-Birds made up most of the ground at the free-throw line for a 14-point swing, converting 34-of-45 attempts (75.6%). Cloud County also controlled the glass with a plus-15 rebounding edge, including 20 offensive rebounds that resulted in a 14-point advantage in second-chance points.