In a game filled with runs, the Barton Community College women’s basketball team kept coming back against Garden City on Saturday evening at Kirkman Activity Center.
But the Lady Broncbusters, fresh off an upset victory over NJCAA top-ranked Hutchinson on Wednesday, were able to hold on for a 66-61 victory.
“We battled and did all right,” Barton head coach Carter Kruger said. “But we’ve got to overlook moral victories. We’ve got to find a way to get a real victory.”
It was the fifth straight loss for the Lady Cougars, who leveled out their overall record to 12-12, including 2-9 in Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference Western Division play.
Garden City improved to 22-3, 8-3.
Trailing 61-53 with under two minutes remaining, Barton made some final gasps in an effort to pull itself from the brink.
At the 1:23 mark, Kailai Brantner hit a driving layup to make it 61-55. After Garden City misfired on the other end, Blair Bloomfield nailed her fourth 3-pointer of the game, pulling the Lady Cougars within 61-58 with 47.3 seconds left.
Forced to foul, Barton put Allegria Chisom at the free-throw line and she made the second of two to make it 62-58 with 44.2 showing on the game clock.
Instead of trying to free up Bloomfield for another 3-point try, the Cougars tried to go inside with Brantner putting up a wild shot on the drive. Ta’Kerra Williams grabbed the offensive rebound and was fouled by Garden’s Deni Jacobs.
Williams missed the foul shot, and Brantner fouled Tahlia Pope, who made both of her free throws on the other end to put the Lady Busters over the hump at 64-58 with 32.4 seconds left.
“They were letting a lot of contact go,” Kruger said, “so we just said we had to drive in and be aggressive. I think Kailai is pretty good on making decisions on that kind of stuff.
“(Brantner) was trying to make a play there and it’s easy to second-guess, but she was aggressive and didn’t try to settle for a jump shot.”
Bloomfield led the way for Barton with 16 points, including 4-for-7 on 3-pointers. Brantner finished with 13 points and Erin Copeland put in 11 points, including a pair of 3s.
“It’s hard when Blair gets held and grabbed and fouled every time she comes off a screen, so it’s hard for her to get open,” Kruger said. “It’s something she has to play through because this is college basketball, and that’s the way it is.”
Garden City used an 8-2 run during the final 3:01 of the half to grab a 39-34 halftime advantage.
The Lady Busters had built a 31-23 lead with six minutes remaining in the half.
But Barton reeled off nine unanswered points to seize a 32-31 edge at the 3:52 mark after Copeland made 1 of 2 free throws, Bloomfield and Copeland hit back-to-back 3-pointers and Brantner hit a driving layup.
Early on, Barton led 15-13 midway through the first half before Garden City went on a 7-1 run for a 20-16 lead with 9:10 remaining before the break, capped by Tamara Jones’ basket in the lane.
But the Lady Cougars answered back, highlighted by  Bloomfield draining a 3-pointer and Taylor Mayes sinking a pair of free throws to knot the score at 23.
The Lady Busters answered with an 8-0 surge before the Lady Cougars briefly held the lead.

JUNIOR COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Kansas Jayhawk Community
College Conference Western Division

WOMEN

Saturday

At Great Bend
Kirkman Activity Center

LT & Sheila Fleske Court

Garden City Community College 66, Barton 61
GARDEN CITY (22-3, 8-3)
    Deni Jacobs 5-10 3-5 13, Tahlia Pope 6-14 9-11 21, Allegria Chisom 4-11 1-2 10, Mikell Chinn 1-5 0-0 3, Tamara Jones 2-9 6-10 10, Angelique Green 2-7 0-0 5, Brittany Maxwell 1-2 0-0 2, Nicole Young 1-3 0-0 2. Totals 22-61 19-28 66.
BARTON (12-12, 2-9)
    Kailai Brantner 5-13 3-5 13, Ashton Bruner 1-7 7-10 9, Blair Bloomfield 6-11 0-0 16, Ta’Kerra Williams 0-3 0-1 0, Erin Copeland 4-15 1-2 3, Jackie Bueno 0-5 2-2, Jennifer Allende 0-0 0-0 0, Taschell Phillips 2-9 0-2 4, Taylor Mayes 2-3 2-2 4. Totals 20-66 15-24 61.
    Halftime — Garden 39, Barton 34. Three-point goals — Barton 6-16 (Bloomfield 4-7, Copeland 2-8, Phillips 0-1); Garden City 3-12 (Chisom 1-4, Green 1-4, Chinn 1-2, Jones 0-1, Pope 0-1). Rebounds — Barton 48 (Williams 8, Brantner 7, Bruner 7); Garden City 43 (Jones 12, Jacobs 6). Assists — Garden City 10 (Chinn 3); Barton 7 (Branter 3, Copeland 2). Steals — Barton 6 (Phillips 2); Garden City 3 (Pope 2). Turnovers — Barton 10, Garden City 10. Blocked shots — Garden City 7 (Jones 5); Barton 6 (Bruner 2). Total fouls — Barton 23, Garden City 20. Fouled out — Garden City (Jones); Barton (None). Technical foul — Barton (Copeland).

JAYHAWK CONFERENCE

WOMEN

Saturday

Highland 70, Kansas City Kansas 48
Independence 67, Labette 52
Allen 68, Fort Scott 52

Johnson County 71, Cowley 51
Garden City 66, Barton 61
Coffeyville 65, Neosho County 60
No. 1 Hutchinson 51, Butler 43
Dodge City 52, Colby 49