GREAT BEND, Kan. (BartonSports.com) – When initial game play matched the outside temperature and icing conditions, unheralded players for the 17th ranked Barton Community College men’s basketball team sparked and led the Cougars for an 86-79 victory hosting Mineral Area College in opening up the 2025 slate of the schedule.
As Barton’s season leaders mustered a combined thirteen minutes of first half action and facing an eleven point deficit, insert career high performances from James Parlow, Jr.‘s 22 points and Lyna Brooks, Jr.‘s 20 points sparking the Cougars in the afternoon non-conference matchup at the Barton Gym.
Barton improves to 11-3 overall while Mineral Area falls to 10-4.
Both Barton squads return to conference action Wednesday hosting Fort Hays Tech Northwest, the women’s contest tipping off at 5:30 p.m. with the men to follow at approximately 7:30 p.m.
Brooks helped spark Barton’s first half comeback scoring 13 of his points in eleven minutes, dropping three of his four treys in the opening stanza in finishing 4-of-4 from long distance and a perfect four tosses from the stripe contributing to his 20 overall points.
Parlow was in the starting lineup for just the third time of the season, scoring seven in the first half before dropping two treys in second half play on the way to a game high 22 points and team leading 7 rebounds.
Playing just six minutes in the first twenty, Brent Moss climbed into double figures for the 11th time of the season pouring in 12 points in twelve minutes of second half action.
Aris Rodriguez and Sebastian Muchitsch each added 9 points, Rodriguez adding 3 steals with Muchitsch adding 6 rebounds and 2 blocks.
Fontaine Williams returned to the court from a three-game absence by scoring 7 while distributing a game high 4 assists and creating 4 steals.
The Cougars shot 55.1% from the field after missing six of their first seven shots, draining 10-19 from beyond the arc (52.6%), and sinking 73.3% form the stripe at 22-of-30.
For MAC, the Cardinals’ hot start leading to a 14-3 lead with 11:54 left in the first half, cooled off to just 29% opening stanza shooting helping Barton retake the lead and momentum for a 38-30 halftime advantage.
Draining 50% of their shots in the second half, the Cardinals finished at 39.3%, 5-of-19 (26.3%) from deep, and outrebounded Barton by eight including 17 offensive boards leading to 26-of-25 (74.3%) shooting.
Five Cardinals finished with a balanced double-digit scoring output. Joseph Scott’s 15 points and 9 rebounds led the effort, Preston Turner’s 14 points and Marcelous Phillips’ 14 points and 8 rebounds next in line, with Antoine Thomas’ 10 points closing out the double digit scoring.
RECAP
It took the Cougars over three minutes to answer the Cardinals’ first three-pointer of the afternoon, Barton managing just a Muchitsch 1-of-2 free throw line trip in the ensuing five minutes as MAC built out a 14-3 lead.
Brooks’ first triple with a transition dunk a minute later from Williams’ steal and dish pumped new life into the Cougars, adding two Muchitsch charity tosses, Brooks draining another triple before Rodriguez’ deep shot gave Barton their first lead at 18-16 with 7:27 left capping a 15-2 stretch.
A Cardinal tip-in would officially tie it for the last time on the ensuing possession, Williams’ jumper and Parlow’s old fashioned three-point play pushing Barton’s lead to five.
MAC hug around to draw within one just under four to play, taking brief leads in the next three minutes before Barton closed out the half on a 9-0 run highlighted by Brook’s third trey of first half action giving the Cougars an eight-point cushion to the break.
Parlow opened second scoring with his first of two triples with Barton enjoying a comfortable lead through the first ten minutes of the final half.
Six straight closed the margin to four, Eltramon Smith, Jr. knocking down a jumper to halt the streak momentarily as the Cardinals would string another four straight in cutting it to 64-62 with 8:28 remaining.
Parlow’s up and under layup late in the shot clock held off a potential tie then following a pair of Cardinal free throws, a pair of opposite side baseline triples by Moss and Parlow compiled six straight keeping the advantage to atleast two-possessions for the remaining 6:43.
