Cold shooting cost the Barton Community College Lady Cougars in its 53-46 loss to Pratt on Saturday night.
Barton shot 30.2 percent from the field at Kirkman Activity Center.
The Lady Beavers improve to 12-9 overall, 2-5 in the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference Western Division. Barton, which hasn’t won a conference game at home this season, falls to 13-8, 3-4.
Head coach Darin Spence said that he believes it is more than just missing shots.
“I was very disappointed,” Spence said. “They came in here and they were a much better basketball team than us. They had more urgency, more care, more want, more desire. It’s obvious that our team is not mentally strong enough, has not grown up enough to show up every day and get out and play.
“They just thought, ‘oh it’s Pratt. We’ll beat Pratt.’ We kept telling them that that’s a good team that just kicked our fannies.”
Down 39-34 with 10:08 remaining, Pratt went on a 12-3 run that kept Barton from rallying back.
Ann Pauly hit a pair of 3-pointers on her way to 10 points in the run and a game-high 18 points total.
Shea Shoemaker, who was 3-for-6 from three-point range, hit a 3-pointer and a free throw down the stretch and finished with 14 points to lead the Lady Cougars.
Erin Copeland also finished 3-for-6 from behind the arc, and scored five points in the final four minutes to finish with 12.
“Somebody had to score,” Spence said. “There’s more to it. There’s a toughness that needs to be there. There’s a focus. Anybody can run around, shoot a ball and make it. The only one I thought was good tonight was Erin. That’s it. I thought the others tried to play too cool.
“Erin showed a lot of heart and a lot of focus. She wants to win.”
Barton couldn’t complete the rally, and Pratt hit a few free throws in the final minute to remain ahead.
Barton, which shot a combined 8-for-26 (30.8 percent) in the first half, held a five-point lead early on, but a 12-2 run by Pratt gave them a 22-17 lead.
A free throw from Crystal Fulton and two points from both Shoemaker and Raven Anderson tied the game at 22.
Pratt’s Ashri Broadwater and Ann Pauly scored two points apiece to make it 26-22 at halftime.
The Lady Beavers scored 16 points off of 10 turnovers in the first half.
Pratt head coach Stephanie Thompson was a former player of Spence’s when he coached at Cowley.
“I’m happy for my former player, who just coached them and beat me,” Spence said. “It is the fourth time in the history of this series, Barton just lost to Pratt. She played two years for me at Cowley. She was one of my all-time favorite players. I knew she’d be good. They outplayed us.”

JUNIOR COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Kansas Jayhawk Community
College Conference
Western Division

At Great Bend
Kirkman Activity Center

Saturday

WOMEN

Pratt 53, Barton 46
PRATT (12-9, 2-5)
     Sarah Johnson 2-6 1-2 5, Whitney Bates 3-7 0-0 7, Kelsey Strobel 1-2 2-2 4, Ashri Broadwater 1-1 0-0 2, Ann Pauly 5-13 6-8 18, Hayli Jo Smith 2-6 1-2 5, Hannah Mehl 2-8 0-0 4, Anna Leis 1-2 0-0 2, Cari Guyton 2-5 2-2 6. Totals 19-50 12-18 53.
BARTON (13-8, 3-4)
     Shea Shoemaker 4-8 3-6 14, Raven Anderson 1-6 0-1 2, Blair Bloomfield 2-6 0-0 4, Dionne Harris 2-6, 1-2 5, Erin Copeland 3-15 2-2 11, Crystal Fulton 0-0 1-2 1, Tashell Phillips 1-5 0-0 2, Netanya Jackson 2-2 0-0 4, Ta’Kerra Williams 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 16-53 7-13 46.
     Halftime — Pratt 26, Barton 22. Three-point goals — Barton 7-16 (Shoemaker 3-6, Copeland 3-6, Boeger 1-4); Pratt 3-9 (Pauly 2-5, Bates 1-2, Johnson 0-1, Snith 0-1). Rebounds — Barton 38 (Harris 8); Pratt 38 (Guyton 12). Assists — Barton 12 (Copeland 4); Pratt 12 (Johnson 4). Total fouls — Barton 17; Pratt 16.