BY MACK McCLURE
mmcclure@gbtribune.com

Barton Community College’s Jalen Boyd converted two free throws with 16 seconds left in regulation, lifting the Cougars to a 65-64 win over upset-minded Colby on Wednesday night.
Boyd also nailed a critical 3-pointer with 3:29 remaining, the last of five second-half 3s from Barton as it dodged a bullet at Kirkman Athletic Center.
Colby had a final chance in the chaotic last seconds of regulation, but guard Hurley Johnson’s layup was blocked by Adam Young and the Cougars escaped with the win as Young secured the ball and then threw it downcourt as the game clock expired. A steaming Colby head coach Dustin Pfeifer had to be restained from one of the three officials as they headed off the court.
In a Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference Western Division game that featured a three-point shooting binges by both teams, Barton drained 5 of 11 3-pointers in the second half to offset 7-for-14 three-point shooting in the first half by the last-place Trojans (10-12, 1-7).
Barton (16-5, 4-3), which trailed 40-27 at halftime, began chipping away at Colby’s lead during the opening five minutes of the second half.
Barton scored the first eight points of the second half, closing the gap to 40-35 at the 16:12 mark on Boyd’s basket.
After Corey Billingslea’s free throw made it 41-35, the Cougars began answering with 3-pointers, including two by point guard Storm Sanders and one by Young during a 2:12 stretch. Sanders’ second trey gave the Cougars a 46-45 lead with 11:58 remaining.
Marty Wendel’s basket gave the Trojans a 47-46 lead, before Colin Beatty hit a 3-pointer and Young made the first of two free throws for a 51-47 BCC advantage.
The Cougars later got a follow-slam and another basket by Dwayne Brunson, who scored a team-high 17 points, for a 56-53 Cougars lead with 4:30 left.
Colby regained the lead, 57-56, on Michael Morris’ follow-dunk at the 3:42 mark, but Boyd answered with his 3 from the left wing for a 59-57 Cougars lead at the 3:29 mark.
Brunson scored inside to give Barton a 61-57 cushion with 2:37 remaining, but Colby’s Carson Konrade’s 3-pointer on the other end closed the gap to 61-60 at the 2:20 mark.
Konrade, who scored 13 of his game-high 18 points in the first half, had to work for his points as Boyd and Beatty took turns guarding him. Konrade later converted two free throws for a 62-61 lead with 1:38 remaining.
But Brunson angled in a bank shot off a Storm Sanders assist at the 1:06 mark for a 63-62 lead.
After another dunk by Morris, off a Johnson assist, gave the Trojans a short-lived 64-63 lead with 33.6 seconds left, it came before Boyd’s free throws. He was fouled after scrambling for a loose ball after a pair of Barton misses on field goals.
The Trojans had the ball out of bounds with 8.3 seconds left near their own bench after another scramble for the ball. After the inbounds play, Colby’s Johnson drove into the lane and had his shot blocked by Young just before the buzzer sounded.
Trailing 11-4 at the 12:20 mark in first-half action, the Trojans lit up the scoreboard for six 3-pointers during the next 5½ minutes to move out to a 26-17 lead, which they extended to 40-27 at halftime.
The barrage of 3s came during a stretch of eight possessions for Colby, topped off by Johnson’s driving layup to cap a 16-5 run after Barton had a 14-12 lead on Brunson’s three-point play with 10:54 left in the half.
Brunson, coming off the bench for the second straight game, hit 4 of 9 field goals and had nine first-half points before he was whistled for a third personal foul at the 3:56 mark.
Konrade, a Spearville native, connected on 3 of 5 3s and made all four of his free throws for 13 first-half points.

JUNIOR COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Kansas Jayhawk Community
College Conference
Western Division
 
Wednesday
MEN
At Kirkman Athletic Center
 
Barton Community College 65,
Colby 64
 
COLBY (10-12, 1-7)
     Kevin Jefferson 2-4 2-2 6, AJ Barber 2-7 1-2 5, Michael Morris 4-8 0-0 8, Corey Billingslea 1-1 0-0 2, Terrell Bruce 1-5 4-4 7, Carson Konrade 4-10 6-6 18, Marty Wendel 1-1 0-2 2, Hurley Johnson 6-17 1-4 16, Scott Ochs 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-53 14-20 64.
BARTON (16-5, 4-3)
     Adam Young 3-10 3-6 10, Jalen Boyd 2-6 3-4 9, Storm Sanders 3-8 2-2 10, Colin Beatty 3-10 2-2 9, Carl Wallace 1-2 3-9 5, Kevin Barber 2-4 0-0 4, DeVonte Grant 0-3 0-0 0, Dwayne Brunson 8-16 1-2 17, Darius Hill 0-0 1-2 1. Totals 22-59 15-27 65.
     Halftime — Colby 40, Barton 27. Three-point goals — Colby 8-19 (Konrade 4-7, Johnson 3-6, Bruce 1-4, Barber 0-2); Barton 6-19 (Sanders 2-5, Boyd 2-3, Young 1-4, Beatty 1-3, Grant 0-3, Barber 0-1). Rebounds — Barton 45 (Young 10, Beatty 7, Brunson 5); Colby 36 (Morris 13, Bruce 5). Assists — Barton 15 (Sanders 5, Wallace 4); Colby 11 (Jefferson 4, Johnson 4). Turnovers — Colby 13, Barton 11. Technical foul — BCC bench.