BY KEVIN PRICE
kprice@gbtribune.com

On Saturday, the Barton Community College women’s basketball team travels to Pratt for a second time this season. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m., preceding the men’s game at 8.
The first time was for the Thanksgiving Classic, hosted by Pratt. However, the Cougars did not face the Beavers during the trip.
“I hope we can play better than we did when we played there earlier this year,” Barton head coach Keith Ferguson said. “We had just got Alisha (Fanshier) back and we didn’t play as well at the beginning of the season.”
Fanshier will be entering the game fresh off a hot shooting streak against Colby that had her hit seven 3-pointers in the second half, missing the Barton record for most 3-pointers in a game by one.
In 2008, Ipek Turkylimaz and Kristine Silaraja each met the current BCC record of eight treys in a game.
Fanshier’s shooting sparked a 59-point second half that gave the Cougars their fourth Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference Western Division win. Barton, 12-9 overall and 4-3 in the KJCCC Western Division, is currently in fifth place in the Western Division behind Seward County, which is also 4-3.
“I hope we can take that same intensity and focus that we had in that first 10 minutes (of the second half) into the game against Pratt,” Ferguson said. “If we could score 59 points every half, I’d take that.”
Ferguson, who reached his 50th win as the Barton head coach in the Cougars’ 88-75 win over Colby, has had success against the Beavers in the past.
Last season, Ferguson beat Pratt at home, 71-64, and won on the road, 93-63.
“They are going to play hard at home,” Ferguson said. “They are not overly athletic, but they shoot the ball well if they get their feet set.”
Ferguson said that Pratt (11-10, 1-6) is similar to Colby, but with one difference.
“Pratt’s really scrappy,” Ferguson said, “but they are not as good inside as Colby is. Their point guards are better, though.
“They have a big kid that does defend well.”