It used to be a gimme game. But not any more. The Hesston College men’s basketball team is pretty good now days.
The Larks were the region representative to the DII national tournament just last season.
So the Barton men had to be ready Friday when Hesston paid a visit to the Barton Gym.
They were.
The Cougars played some of their best basketball of the year in a 86-69 win. Barton improved to 7-2 with the win. Hesston fell to 4-5. Three of loses were by four points while Barton and Hutchinson now own 17-point wins over the Larks.
“It was our best team effort of the season, “ Barton Coach Craig Fletchall said.  “Hesston is a good basketball team.  Don’t be fooled. They score about 90 points a game.”
The game was close for much of the opening half.  Barton opened an 8-point lead just six minutes in but Hesston stayed around.
Barton led 31-27 with six minutes left in the half when the Cougars began to pull away. Barton closed out the half on a 16-6 rum to take a 47-33 lead to intermission.
Hesston would get the lead down to seven on a couple occasions early in the second half but Barton played most of the final 20 minutes up by double digits.
Dequandre Dentmond had a big game for Barton with 19 points and 15 rebounds.  He was one of five Cougars to hit double figures.
Keith Mack added 18, Ezekiel Charles 14, Tyrone Acuff 12, and Derek Dornan 11.
The Cougars out rebounded the Larks 55-30.
“I was most pleased with our rebounding,” Coach Fletchall said.  “That is something we have been emphasizing.”
Ty Jordan led Hesston with the 19 and Grant Gullett added 18.
The Cougars will wrap up their non conference slate over the weekend at the Booster Club/Best Western Thanksgiving Classic at the Barton Gym.
Barton will Northwest Kansas Tech Friday and Brown Mackie Saturday.