Barton Community College men's basketball team walked a tightrope Wednesday night at Fleske Fieldhouse, trading punches for 40 minutes before surviving a frantic final sequence to slip past Fort Hays Tech Northwest, 78–76.
Neither team found much separation all evening. Barton built an eight-point edge midway through the opening half behind physical possessions, second-chance opportunities, and steady interior scoring, only to see Northwest surge ahead by four late in the frame. Majok Chuol and Aris Rodriguez set the early tone with paint finishes and trips to the line, Jayden Ramirez provided a lift off the bench, and Sebastian Muchitsch's 10 first-half points, capped by an and-one before the buzzer, sent the Cougars into the locker room with a narrow 38–37 lead.
The second half followed the same script, featuring multiple lead changes and seven tied scores as both teams leaned heavily on the free throw line. Barton appeared to gain breathing room late when Rodriguez continued to attack the rim and Brian Sullivan Jr. threw down a momentum-swinging dunk off a steal with 1:15 remaining, pushing the Cougars in front 73–66. Northwest responded at the stripe, but Barton answered again, with Ramirez knocking down two free throws and Rodriguez adding two more with 23 seconds left to restore a seven-point cushion.
The final minute turned chaotic. Northwest drilled a three-pointer with 15 seconds left to trim the deficit to four, then after Barton split a pair at the line, the Tigers buried another triple with five seconds remaining to make it 78–76. On the ensuing inbounds, Barton was whistled for an offensive foul with four seconds left, giving Northwest one last opportunity. The Tigers launched a potential game-winner from deep at the horn, but Blake Rucker elevated to block the shot at the buzzer, sealing the victory and halting Barton's two-game skid in the season series.
The result lifts Barton into a tie for second place at 12–7 in Jayhawk Conference play and 17–8 overall, drawing votes in the latest national poll. Fort Hays Tech Northwest falls to 8–10 in league action and 13–11 on the season. The Cougars continue their stretch run Saturday with a 4:00 p.m. tip at Garden City Community College before heading to Butler Community College next Wednesday.
Barton went 27-of-67 (40.3%) from the floor and 3-of-15 (20.0%) from beyond the arc, but made its work count at the line, converting 21-of-27 (77.8%) free throws. Northwest shot 22-of-59 (37.3%) overall, hitting 10-of-32 from three-point range while going 22-of-27 (81.5%) at the stripe.
Despite being outrebounded by six, the Cougars controlled the interior, owning a plus-28 advantage in points in the paint along with a plus-7 edge in second-chance points and points off turnovers.
Rodriguez led Barton with 21 points on 8-of-14 shooting. Ramirez added 14 points in 16 minutes, going 4-of-7 from the floor and 5-of-6 at the line. Muchitsch finished with 12 points and eight rebounds, Chuol chipped in eight points, and Jon Byrd contributed five points, seven rebounds, and four assists. Noah Williams added 10 points, four rebounds, and four steals.
Fort Hays Tech Northwest was paced by three 19-point scorers in Marquintez Dixon, Kuet Gatwech, and Matija Otasevic. Gatwech hit 4-of-5 from beyond the arc and added a career-high five blocks, while Dixon pulled down eight rebounds and Otasevic grabbed nine.