Devan Boeger found herself staying after practice, even during the offseason, shooting countless 3-pointers in the familiar confines of Barton Community College’s Kirkman Activity Center to become a better shooting guard.
Boeger, a 5-foot-7 sophomore, a converted high school point guard from Great Bend, found her stroke on Tuesday night.
Boeger knocked down 4 of 6 shots, including 3-for-5 from beyond arc, and finished with a career-high 11 points, one of five Barton players that scored in double figures in a 74-27 rout of the Tabor junior varsity.
“I felt like I was shooting the ball better than usual,” Boeger said. “This is the first time I have played shooting guard, in college, I didn’t play shooting guard in high school.
“I have spent a lot of time shooting to improve, so I guess it paid off tonight.”
Blair Bloomfield, a 6-0 freshman forward from Clifton, led the way for the Cougars with 15 points on 7-for-9 shooting. Sophomore forward Dionne Harris narrowly missed a double-double, finishing with 14 points and nine rebounds. She made 6 of 9 field goals.
Taschell Phillips, a freshman guard, also scored 11 points for the Cougars, who led 39-12 at halftime. Ta’Kerra Williams had 10 points and seven rebounds to round out the double-figure scorers.
Netanya Jackson, a sophomore post player, chipped in nine points and five boards. Jennifer Allende, a freshman guard from Great Bend, led the Cougars with five of their 17 steals.
“We took some steps to getting better,” Barton head coach Darin Spence said of his 2-2 team. “It was good opportunity to work on things in a game situation and not just practice.
“I was pleased with the way we executed our offense and defensively, we’ve gotten better. Baby steps … it’s all we can expect right now.”
The Cougars outscored Tabor’s JV 35-15 in the second half to close out the game on a roll.
Despite the lopsided victory, Barton head coach Darin Spence was unhappy with his team’s handling of the basketball. The Cougars committed 25 turnovers, and the Tabor JV had 34 of its own.
“We got a team that was really not out pressuring and not at a high level,” Spence said of his team’s turnovers. “We can expect some (turnovers) if they’re in the aggressive nature.
“As a new basketball team, we still don’t know how to play with each other, so we’re trying to figure that out. I guess the tradeoff is that we forced 34 turnovers.”
BCC returns to action on Friday and Saturday at the Hutchinson Classic.
JUNIOR COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Tuesday
At Kirkman Activity Center
Great Bend
WOMEN
Barton Community College 74,
Tabor College Junior Varsity 27
TABOR JV (0-1)
Kaylin Barnhardt 1-6 0-0 2, Kendra Flaming 1-5 0-0 3, Hannah Paust 2-3 5-8 9, Jaci Garver 0-2 1-2 1, Karly Lindroth-Yates 0-3 0-0 0, Becca Spurgeon 0-4 0-0 0, Kimbralee Adams 0-0 0-0 0, Bailey Ashton 1-4 0-0 2, Becky Bryan 2-7 0-0 4, Taylor Dinges 3-4 0-0 6. Totals 10-38 6-10 27.
BARTON (2-2)
Blair Bloomfield 7-9 0-0 15, Taschell Phillips 5-10 1-1 11, Ta’Kerra Williams 5-8 0-0 10, Dionne Harris 6-9 2-3 14, Erin Copeland 0-3 0-0 0, Devan Boeger 4-6 0-0 11, Jennifer Allende 1-4 0-0 2, Crystal Fulton 1-2 0-0 2, Netanya Jackson 4-6 1-2 9. Totals 33-57 4-6 74.
Halftime — Barton 39, Tabor JV 12. Three-point goals — Barton 4-8 (Boeger 3-5, Bloomfield 1-2, Copeland 0-1); Tabor JV 1-12 (Flaming 1-2, Barnhardt 0-2, Lindroth-Yates 0-2, Bryan 0-2, Spurgeon 0-2, Garver 0-1, Ashton 0-1). Rebounds — Barton 38 (Harris 9l, Williams 7, Jackson 5); Tabor JV 17 (Adams 3, Ashton 3). Assists — Barton 27 (Phillips 5, Copeland 5); Tabor JV 5 (Five with one). Steals — Barton 17 (Allende 5); Tabor JV (Adams 3, Paust 3). Turnovers — Tabor JV 34 (Barnhardt 8); Barton 25 (Harris 5).
