Shooting guard Kevin Kuteyi gives the NJCAA No. 9-ranked Barton Community College men’s basketball team’s three-pronged guard attack — featuring Al Key, Turon Parker and Andell Cumberbatch — yet another dimension on the perimeter.
Kuteyi pumped 11 of his 13 points in the first half on Monday night, where the Cougars unveiled their new LT & Sheila Fleske Court in the Jayhawk West home opener, drubbing Dodge City 84-52 at Kirkman Activity Center.
Kuteyi fueled an early Barton tear, draining 3 of 5 3-pointers and finishing 4-for-6 from the field in the opening 20 minutes, as the Cougars doubled up Dodge by halftime, 48-24. They were never threatened from there.
“I’m just trying to be more aggressive,” Kuteyi said. “The coaches tell me to be more aggressive, taking good shots and looking to shoot. I was thinking about it too much, but now I’m getting more comfortable and they feed me the ball.”
Cumberbatch knocked down 7 of 8 field goals, including his only 3-point attempt, for a game-high 19 points and also grabbed 11 rebounds in recording a double-double. Parker hit 5 of 11 shots, including a pair of 3s, and finished with 13 points.
Key had eight points, six rebounds and a team-high five assists. Barton freshman post player Rapheal Stephens grabbed a team-best eight rebounds, as Barton had a decided advantage underneath the backboards, outrebounding the Conquistators 52-27.
The Cougars, who improved to 15-1 overall, including 2-0 in conference play, shot 61 percent from the floor in the opening half (19 for 31), getting clockwork ball rotation and hitting the high-percentage shot. They finished 10 for 23 from downtown (43.5 percent), and shot 49.3 percent overall (33 for 67).
Dodge City (8-8, 0-2) shot a chilly 30.4 percent from the floor (17 for 56). They were led by Keith Crockett and A.J. Downing with eight points apiece.
A freshman from Lanham, Md., Kuteyi spent the first semester adapting to playing in the junior-college ranks.
“In the first semester, it was a wakeup call, the physicalness of this level,” Barton head coach Craig Fletchall said of Kuteyi. “I think he maybe tried to do a little much off the dribble.
“We’ve got guys that can get in the lane. We need guys to knock down shots, and that’s why we brought Kevin and Trey (Unrau, who also had two 3s) into the fold.
“(Kuteyi) had a couple 3s against Seward the other night. He’s definitely worked his way into the mix. It’s a little different for our sophomore guards because we didn’t have that deep threat last season and I think our guards revel in the fact that we have a guy that can make plays out there. Al is getting a lot of attention on the drive, and it’s good to have a guy on the kick-out.”
The Conquistadors led 9-6 at the 15:33 mark in the first half before Barton reeled off a 19-5 run for a 25-14 lead at the 10-minute mark. Kuteyi had a pair of 3s, Parker added another and Cumberbatch had a three-point play during the decisive surge.
Leading by 24 points at the break, the Cougars went on a 12-8 run during the opening 6 1/2 minutes of the second half, capped by a Raheem Johnson jumper, a Parker 3 and a Key driving layup to build the margin to 60-32 with 13:37 left in the game.
JUNIOR COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Kansas Jayhawk Community College
Conference Western Division
MEN
Monday
At Great Bend
Kirkman Activity Center
LT & Sheila Fleske Court
Barton 84, Dodge City 52
DODGE CITY (8-8, 0-2)
A.J. Downing 2-4 4-4 9, Keith Crockett 1-7 7-7 9, Delvon Rencher 4-11 1-4 9, Vic Adams 3-13 0-0 8, Jacoby Green 3-8 0-0 6, Aaron Tate 1-4 3-4 5, Tyler Francis 2-3 0-0 4, Connor Carman 1-3 0-0 2, Isaiah Richardson 0-0 0-0 0, Greg Travis 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 17-56 15-19 52.
BARTON (15-1, 2-0)
Andell Cumberbatch 7-8 4-7 19, Turon Parker 5-11 1-1 13, Kevin Kuteyi 5-9 0-0 13, Algie Key 4-13 0-1 8, Raheem Johnson 4-6 0-0 8, Trey Unrau 2-5 0-0 6, Rapheal Stephens 3-5 0-0 6, Dominique Wilson 1-4 2-2 4, Shaka Thomas 1-3 1-2 4, Andy Wiechman 1-2 0-0 3, John Goodson 0-0 0-0 0, Travell Robinson 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 33-67 8-13 84.
Halftime — Barton 48, Dodge City 24. Three-point goals — Dodge City 3-21 (Adams 2-10, Downing 1-2, Rencher 0-1, Green 0-2, Carman 0-2, Travis 0-1, Crockett 0-3), Barton 10-23 (Kuteyi 3-7, Trey Unrau 2-5, Turon Parker 2-5, Shaka Thomas 1-2, Cumberbatch 1-1, Wiechman 1-1, Robinson 0-1, Algie Key 0-1). Rebounds — Barton 52 (Cumberbatch 11); Dodge City 27 (Delvon Rencher 6). Assists — Barton 17 (Key 5); Dodge City 6 (Crockett 4). Turnovers — Dodge City 10, Barton 10. Blocked shots — Barton 1 (Thomas); Dodge City 1 (Rencher). Total fouls — Barton 16, Dodge City 14. Fouled out — None.
