When it seemed as though the Barton Community College women’s basketball team was going to let Independence, which is ranked No. 3 in the latest NJCAA poll, slip away, Dionne Harris grabbed hold of the game.
After a first half where the lead changed 10 times, and left Barton down 31-25, the Cougars clawed back for a 63-61 win over a team that has eliminated them from the NJCAA Region VI tournament each of the last four years.
Harris finished with a double-double, scoring 23 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.
“She’s our spark,” Barton head coach Darin Spence said of Harris. “We go pretty much as she goes. She’s enthusiastic kid. She really means a lot to me personally on how she’s accepted everything that we’ve done since we’ve got here. She’s a big part of our team.
“People don’t know, she’s suffered all semester with foot problems. She’s been sore every single day. We’ve had to be cautious with everything we do with her every day. She’s just big for us.”
The Lady Pirates scored the first four points in the second half to spread the lead to 35-25, the most either team led throughout the entire game.
Harris then sparked a 9-2 run that lasted more than five minutes and narrowed the gap to 37-34. Independence, which hadn’t lost a game this season until Saturday night, responded with six unanswered points to add some breathing room, but the Cougars outscored the Lady Pirates 12-2 over a 2:45 span to take the lead.
From there, Barton never relinquished the lead.
The Cougars got some clutch free throws from Taschell Phillips, who was 2-for-2 from the free-throw line and Blair Bloomfield, who was 6-for-6 from the line and grabbed 10 rebounds.
“Blair is just as talented as anybody in this league,” Spence said. “She just needs to keep growing, keep getting experience and get more strength to her. But she knows how to play the game. We’re lucky to have her.”
The Cougars will be on hiatus over the break, and they will host Seward County on Wednesday, Jan. 4, to open Kansas Jayhawk Conference play.

JUNIOR COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Best Western Angus Inn
Basketball Classic
At Great Bend
Kirkman Activity Center

WOMEN
Saturday

Barton 63, Independence 61
INDEPENDENCE (10-1)
     Shaqilla Curtis 1-6 2-2 4, Diara Moore 5-11 6-9 16, Courtney Waldner 2-6 0-0 4, Kamri Anderson 2-6 0-0 4, Dominigue Mosley 3-11 4-4 10, DeShawna Carey 1-2 1-2 3, Christina Graves 0-1 0-0 0, Ciera Hastings 0-2 0-0 0, Kelby McGrath 4-7 0-0 12, Staci Thomas 2-3 0-0 4, Emily Peterson 1-2 2-3 4, Anastacia Riabchenko 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 21-59 15-20 61.
BARTON (10-4)
     Shea Shoemaker 4-6 1-3 10, Blair Bloomfield 1-7 6-6 8, Taschell Phillips 3-14 2-2 8, Dionne Harris 9-15 5-10 23, Erin Copeland 2-3 3-4 7, Devan Boeger 1-3 0-0 3, Crystal Fulton 0-0 0-0 0, Netanya Jackson 2-5 0-3 4. Totals 22-53 17-28 63.
     Halftime — Independence 31, Barton 25. Three-point goals — Barton 2-7 (Boeger 1-3, Shoemaker 1-2, Bloomfield 0-1, Copeland 0-1); Independence 4-11 (McGrath 4-7, Moore 0-2, Mosley 0-1, Graves 0-1). Rebounds — Barton 39 (Harris 11); Independence 39 (Mosley 12). Assists — Barton 9 (Copeland 3); Independence 15 (Anderson 5). A — 529.