SALINA — The performance was similar to the day before.
Barton Community College’s men’s basketball team put it on cruise control during a 97-74 victory over Northwest Technical College on Saturday afternoon at the Legends Classic at Kansas State University-Salina.
Something that was different from Friday’s 50-point win over KSU-Salina was the fact the Cougars led Northwest Tech only 42-36 at halftime.
Like Friday, Barton turned it into a blowout in the second half, improving to 7-0 on the season as it is halfway to its unbeaten start of last season, where the Cougars won their first 14 non-conference games.
“We were able to get out in transition again,” Barton head coach Craig Fletchall said. “We forced 23 turnovers and got easy baskets.”
The three most experienced returning players for the Cougars — guards Al Key, Turon Parker and Andell Cumberbatch — led the way as they lit up the first-year school out of Goodland.
Key hit 10 of 15 field goals for 25 points, Parker added 21 and Cumberbatch put in 19.
The athletic Key, a returning third-team NJCAA All-America selection, simply dominated the game, with Parker and Cumberbatch, who combined for seven 3-pointers, playing a solid supporting role.
“He looked like his old self,” Fletchall said of Key, who had offseason surgery on his shoulder and has slowly worked his way back to an optimum level.
Barton returns home on Tuesday night, playing host to the McPherson College junior varsity, starting at 7:30 at Kirkman Activity Center. It will be preceded by the Lady Cougars’ non-conference game with Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference Eastern Division foe Cowley, out of Arkansas City.

Barton clubs KSU-Salina
Before KSU-Salina knew what hit them, Barton built a big halftime lead that kept growing.
Jumping out to a 59-34 lead at the break, the Cougars planted a 50-spot on KSU-Salina before it was all said and done, registering a 124-74 victory on Friday afternoon.
“(KSU-Salina) didn’t have much depth,” Fletchall said of the rag-tag club opponent, incapable of putting up much of a fight. “I thought we got out in transition early, and it was a workmanlike effort.
“There’s no ‘I’ in the word ‘team.’ ”
The Cougars, who improved to 6-0, had six players in double figures. On the defensive end, Barton forced 26 turnovers, turning them into easy baskets during the runaway.
Cumberbatch, a sophomore wing shooter from East Orange, N.J., scored a career-high 29 points, connecting on 12 of 18 shots from the floor. He also led the Cougars in rebounding with seven.
Key scored 15 points, grabbed six rebounds, dished out five assists and made four steals. Power forward Dominique Wilson added 14 points, hitting 6 of 9 field goals, and Parker scored 13 points, had five assists and four steals.
Parker was 3-for-6 on 3-pointers and Cumberbatch knocked down 3 of 5, as the Cougars made 11 of 27 for 40 percent, their top percentage of the young season.
Shaka Thomas and Kevin Kuteyi each added 11 points, rounding out the double-digit scoring. Kuteyi had four steals and three assists.

                               — Mack McClure

JUCO BASKETBALL

MEN

Saturday

At Salina
Stiefel Gymnasium

Barton Community College 97,
Northwest Tech 74
NW TECH (3-6)
    Nicholas Riley 5-6 2-2 16, Jeffrey Burgos 7-9 0-2 14, Marcus Walden 3-7 6-7 12, Markees Walker 3-7 2-3 10, Kayman Garett 1-2 4-4 6, Juan Ortiz 1-2 3-6 5, Jakob Batycki 2-2 0-0 4, Lamar Britton 1-3 1-2 3, David Chewiwi 1-2 0-0 2, Talan Whitaker 1-7 0-1 2, Tomas Hernandez 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 25-48 18-27 74.
BARTON (7-0)
    Algie Key 10-15 4-9 25, Turon Parker 7-12 3-3 21, Andell Cumberbatch 8-12 0-1 19, Dominique Wilson 3-9 3-6 9, Raheem Johnson 3-9 1-2 7, Trey Unrau 2-3 0-0 6, John Goodson 2-3 2-4 6, Rapheal Stephens 2-3 0-0 4, Travell Robinson 0-1 0-0 0, Andy Wiechman 0-1 0-0 0, Shaka Thomas 0-2 0-0 0, Kevin Kuteyi 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 37-71 13-25 97.
    Halftime — Barton 42, Northwest Tech 36. Three-point goals — Northwest Technical College 6-15 (Riley 4-4. Walker 2-5, Ortiz 0-1, Britton 0-2; Chewiwi 0-1; Talan Whitaker 0-2); Barton 10-23 (Parker 4-8, Cumberbatch 3-4, Unrau 2-3, Key 1-3, Robinson 0-1, Wiechman 0-1, Thomas 0-1, Kuteyi 0-1, Goodson 0-1). Fouled out — None. Rebounds — Northwest Tech 35 (Britton 7, Burgos 7); Barton 35 (Johnson 7). Assists — Northwest Tech 10 (Riley 3); Barton 17 (Key 5). Steals — Barton 9 (Parker 4, Key 2). Total fouls — Barton 20, Northwest Tech 17.

FRIDAY

Barton Community College 124,
Kansas State-Salina 74
BARTON (6-0)
    Turon Parker 4-8 2-2 13, Andell Cumberbatch 12-18 2-2 29, Algie Key 6-8 3-5 15, Raheem Johnson 2-4 0-0 4, Rapheal Stephens 2-5 0-0 4, Shaka Thomas 5-9 0-0 11, Andy Wiechman 2-5 0-0 5, Trey Unrau 3-4 0-0 8, Travell Robinson 2-6 2-2 6, John Goodson 2-4 0-0 4, Kevin Kuteyi 5-11 0-0 11, Dominique Wilson 6-9 2-2 14. Totals 51-91 11-13 124.
KSU-SALINA (0-7)
    Jacob Boeschling 1-2 0-0 2, Bill Sams 5-10 7-9 21, Duncan Curtis 4-6 0-0 8, Brandon Boyd 3-6 0-1 7, DeMarien Smith 6-13 7-11, 21, Rod Emanuel 1-5 0-0 2, Logan Wright 0-2 0-0 0, Brandon Martino 1-3 0-0 2, Bryant Lovin 0-0 2-2 2, Haydon Parks 4-13 1-2 9. Totals 25-60 17-25 74.
    Halftime — Barton 59, KSU-Salina 34. Three-point goals — Barton 11-27 (Parker 3-6, Cumberbatch 3-5, Unrau 2-3, Thomas 1-3, Wicehman 1-1, Robinson 0-4, Kuteyi 1-4, Key 0-1); KSU-Salina 7-20 (Sams 4-7, Smith 2-7, Boyd 1-1, Wright 0-2, Emanuel 0-1, Martino 0-1, Parks 0-1). Rebounds — Barton 43 (Cumberbatch 7, Key 6, Johnson 6, Robinson 4, Goodson 4); KSU-Salina 37 (Smith 10, Parks 8). Assists — Barton 34 (Unrau 5, Key 5, Parker 5, Stephens 4); KSU-Salina 10 (Smith 4, Sams 3). Steals — Barton 21 (Key 4, Cumberbatch 4, Kuteyi 4); KSU-Salina 4 (Sams, Curtis, Smith, Parks). Turnovers — KSU-Salina 26, Barton 12. Blocks — Barton 3 (Wilson, Johnson, Stephens); KSU-Salina — None.