It took a while for the Barton Community College women’s basketball team to get things going Tuesday night but in the end it was an easy win for the Cougars. Barton returned home for the first time in five games and rolled to an 88-59 win over the Sterling JV at the Barton Gym.
The win was the sixth straight for the Cougars who now stand at 6-1 on the season.
“We didn’t get off to a good start, so that was disappointing,” Coach Carter Kruger said. “Honestly, the final score is the last thing I am worried about...it’s more about how we play than anything.”
Barton wasn’t able to shake the Warriors leading by single digits for most of the opening half. The Cougars were able to push the lead to double figures by intermission, leading 36-25.
But a quick start the second half took what little suspense was left in the game out of it. Barton went on a 13-2 run over the first five minutes of the second half to give Cougars a 49-27 lead. Barton got the lead over 30 by the midway point of the half as Barton outscored the Sterling JV 52-34 in the final 20 minutes of the game.
Indiah Cauley provided a spark off the bench for Barton scoring 11 second points as Barton pulled away. Phikala Anthony grabbed eight rebounds to pace the Cougars.
“We were sloppy and not aggressive offensively in the first half and our defense wasn’t very sharp or intense” Coach Kruger said. “Once we picked up defensively in the second half we had a burst of easy baskets.”
For the Cougars playing their third game in five days should help them down the road.
“It was good for our team to get another win in such a short period of time,” Coach Kruger said. “Playing three games in five days is something that we will have to do once our conference season hits, so it was a good experience.”