By TODD MOORE
Barton Sports Info
For the first time since 1999 and just the third time in program history, the top seeded Barton Community College men's basketball team advanced to the 2024 NJCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament semifinals with a dominating 87-73 victory over 8th seeded Northwest Florida State College in Wednesday afternoon's quarterfinal contest.
Extending the program's third longest winning streak to 25 straight, the Cougars improve to 34-1 on the year in advancing to Thursday's first semifinal game at 5:00 p.m. against 5th-seed Indian Hills Community College (29-5). The Warriors advance to the semifinals for the second straight year after taking down 13th seeded Odessa College 74-68 and sets up a rematch of the 2018 National Tournament when the Cougars knocked off the top seeded Indian Hills squad.
Trailing 10-7 following a 7-0 Raiders run just 5:45 into the contest, the Cougars answered the call scoring the next 12 over the ensuing three plus minutes to regain a lead they'd never surrender over the final 33:57.
Coming off the bench providing the spark with five points during the key 12-0 stretch, Keandre Kindell's lone trey knotted things for the final time at 10-apiece with additional buckets by Myles Thompson, Brent Moss and Cooper Jackson's And-1 pushing the Cougars out to a nine-point 19-10 lead.
Holding a plus-16 advantage in bench points, back-to-back Kindell and Moss buckets stretched Barton's lead to double-digits with the largest lead of the opening half coming 2:16 later on a pair of Jones tosses and another Kindell layup making it 40-25.
An 8-0 Raiders close out to end the opening stanza cut the Cougars lead to seven, 42-35 at the halftime break.
Finishing 3-of-13 from beyond the arc, Ring Malith's lone long-distance ringing increased the lead to double-digits for the remaining 17:15.
Six different Cougars amplified the lead to 18 stringing together a 9-1 run with 12:55 to play as one of seven Jackson thefts created a breakaway resulting in a Raiders flagrant-2 ejection for a 1-of-2 trip to the free throw line.
Leading by as many as 23 with 6:09 remaining following a pair of Malith buckets mixed between a Lajae Jones flush capping a 6-0 spurt, Barton would have to withstand a furious 17-5 Raiders rally that sliced the margin to 11 with 1:22 left. The Cougars, who finished 24-of-33 from the stripe, held off the charge converting five-of-six from the line for the 14-point victory.
Moss led seven Cougars scoring with six in double figures finishing with a career high 18 points and five rebounds. Malith added 15 points on 7-of-14 shooting while Mozae Downing-Rivers finished with 12 points and seven assists sharing distribution honors with Kindelll as Barton had 20 assists on its 30 made field goals finishing at 50% shooting for the second straight game.
Kindall led a trio with 11 points joined by Thompson and Jackson with Jones finishing just shy of a double-double with 9 points and team high 11 rebounds and three blocks.
A trio of Raiders finished in double-digits with Tavion Banks recording the lone double-double with 16 points and 15 rebounds off the bench helping NWFS to a plus-3 rebound advantage. Jamal Sumlin shared team high scoring honors with 16 and Rasheed Jones rounded out the double-figure scoring finishing with 13.
GAME NOTES
- The 2024 Tournament is Barton's fifth appearance in program history – the first since 2018
- Northwest Florida State was making their 14th tournament appearance and third straight
- Barton's 50% shooting was the 13th time over the 50% mark
- Northwest Florida State had its two-year run of making the semifinals snapped
- Barton was outrebounded for just the fifth time this season
Record Book Watch
Cooper Jackson
- 212 career steals *2nd most – 106 behind Eric Bush's 319 (1999-01)
Mozae Downing-Rivers
- 387 career assists *3rd most – 66 behind Gene Butler's 453 (1990-92)