Only one game into the junior-college basketball season, the Barton Community College Cougars are already showing an aggressive side.
It's something Craig Fletchall, embarking on his eighth season as Barton's men's head coach, made a concerted effort in enhancing after they finished 26-7 last season despite not having a tough-guy mentality.
Against Fort Scott on Friday night in the season-opening Barton Highland Hotel & Pizza Hut Classic at Kirkman Activity Center, Cougars freshman post players Dominique Wilson and Raheem Johnson dominated Fort Scott in the paint and sophomore guards Andell Cumberbatch, Turon Parker and Al Key did the same on the perimeter.
The Cougars, who play Northwest Kansas Tech on Saturday night at 7:30 in the classic finale, built a 40-23 halftime lead en route to an easy 84-62 victory over the Greyhounds at Kirkman Activity Center.
Barton had five players in double figures, led by Cumberbatch with 17 points. Key scored 13 points, Wilson and Parker added 12 apiece and Johnson had 11, including a pair of rim-rattling dunks.
Johnson had a team-high eight rebounds and De'Ontae Hooks added seven boards. Cumberbatch had six steals, and Wilson converted 8 of 9 free throws.
Key, an NJCAA third-team All-America selection last season, had two early fouls and finished with only four first-half points after sitting the final 9:12 of the half. But the Jayhawk West Freshman of the Year last season heated up with nine second-half points as the Cougars' point production and balanced was apparent throughout.
Barton, which never trailed, converted 13 of 16 free throws (81.3 percent) to offset only 1-for-11 shooting 3-point shooting (9.1 percent) in building its 17-point halftime lead.
The Cougars missed 14 of 17 3s on the night.
Highland Hotel & Pizza Hut Classic
At Great Bend
Barton Community College
Friday
Barton 84, Fort Scott 62
FORT SCOTT (0-1)
Gary Floyd 2-7 0-0 5, James Fleming 4-6 1-2 9, Kevin House 3-4 4-7 10, Prince Samuels 2-9 1-2 6, Raymond Chase 6-8 1-2 13, Chekeil Wright 1-3 0-0 3, Tyler Adams 2-6 0-0 4, Austin Danner 4-6 0-0 10, Devin McBride 0-0 0-0 0, Jason Stoneking 0-0 0-0 0, Elijah Lamb 1-3 0-0 2, CJ Hall 0-4 0-0 0. Totals 25-56 7-13 62.
BARTON (1-0)
Turon Parker 5-10 0-0 12, Andell Cumberbatch 5-10 6-9 16, Algie Key 5-14 3-4 13, Raheem Johnson 5-10 1-2 11, Rapheal Stephens 3-5 1-3 7, Trey Unrau 0-3 1-2 1, Shaka Thomas 1-3 0-0 2, Andy Wiechman 1-1 0-0 2, De'Ontae Hooks 2-4 0-0 5, Travell Robinson 0-1 1-3 1, Dominique Wilson 3-6 8-9 14. Totals 30-67 21-32 84.
Halftime — Barton 40, Fort Scott 23. Three-point goals — Barton 3-17 (Parker 2-4, Hooks 1-3, Unrau 0-3, Thomas 0-2, Key 0-2, Cumberbatch 0-2, Robinson 0-1); Fort Scott 5-18 (Danner 2-3, Floyd 1-6, Samuels 1-2, Wright 1-1, Adams 0-4, Fleming 0-1, House 0-1).
