Perhaps it was just the weekend the Barton men’s basketball team needed. A pair of easy wins to run its winning streak to four games and the non-conference schedules moved past the midway point.
Barton won Friday evening 94-70 over Planet Athlete then closed out with a Saturday matinee win over Western Iowa Tech 70-54 at the Brown Mackie Classic.
The wins moved Barton to 5-2 on the season as Jayhawk Conference play nears. The two games pushed Barton past the halfway mark in the 11-game non-conference slate.
“It was a couple games we knew if we went and played well we should win,” Coach Craig Fletchall said. “For the most part we did that. We were able to get off to good starts both days. That helped us.
“You always worry about those early afternoon games. And last time we played Western Iowa Tech we didn’t start well, so it was nice to get off to a good start that second day especially.”
The weekend started with Barton bolting out to a 9-point lead Friday evening. That set the tone for the remained of the classic. Barton led by 18 at half and by as many as 28 in the third period in the win over Planet Athlete.
Sophomore Eddie Hunt had a big game off the bench in the win. The 6-7 forward from Topeka hit 9-of-11 shots from the floor on the way to a 22-point night. Anthony Smith added 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Cougars – also off the bench. Jordan Windholz, Ezekiel Charles, and Keith Mack all scored 10.
Barton returned to Stiefel Gym Saturday afternoon and led throughout in a win over Western Iowa Tech. The second time they beat the Comets in a week.
The Cougars were never able to shake Western Iowa Tech but lead nearly the entire game. Barton took control of the game early in the second half turning a 5-point halftime lead into a double-digit advantage.
The lead, which was 27-22 at half, grew to 46-26 midway through the second half. From there the Cougars coasted to the easy win. Iowa Western Tech fell to 1-8 with the loss.
Mack had 16 points and Tyrone Acuff added 10 to lead Barton. Dequandre Dentmond grabbed 10 boards to pace the Cougars.
Stafan Bradley scored 17 for the Comets.
The Cougars have four more home games left before heading to Pratt Dec. 2 to start Jayhawk Conference play under the new format. Barton will host the McPherson JV Tuesday then close out the week Friday with Hesston College coming to the Barton Gym. Both games tip at 7:30 p.m.
The Cougars close out the non-conference slate hosting the Best Western/Booster Club Thanksgiving Classic, Nov. 27-28. Barton will play Northwest Tech and Brown Mackie.