Fresh off a 55-39 road victory against Butler Community College, the Barton women will host Hutchinson tonight at 6 at Kirkman Activity Center.
Hutchinson, which was idle on Saturday, enters the game 16-0 overall, 3-0 in the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference Western Division, putting it behind Seward County in the standings.
Barton is 12-6, 2-2.
“They’re awfully good,” Barton first-year head coach Darin Spence said of Hutch. “They are heads and shoulders better than anybody else in the league. They have good players. They’re coached well. They have great experience playing together.
“I’ve seen everyone in our league, and I don’t see anyone challenging them for the league title.”
Hutchinson has four players with an average score in double digits.
Laura Patrick, a 5-foot-10 guard, leads the Lady Dragons with 12.8 points per game.
Jackie Patterson averages 11.7 points per game, Chelsea Small averages 11.6 points and Alysse Barlow averages 10.3.
Patterson also averages a team-leading 7.6 rebounds per game.
Keith Ferguson, who resigned from his post as the Barton women’s basketball head coach during the offseason, is now an assistant coach for Hutchinson.
Ferguson was 35-27 in his two years at Barton.
Hutchinson is ranked No. 3 in the latest NJCAA poll, making today the third time this season that Barton has faced a No. 3-ranked team this season.
Barton faced then No. 3 Midland, Texas, on Nov. 4 at the Midland College Tip-Off Classic. Midland beat the Lady Cougars 84-36.
Barton faced Independence at the Barton Classic on Dec. 3 when the Lady Pirates were No. 3. The Lady Cougars edged Independence 63-61.
“This is the third third-ranked team that we’ve played this year,” Spence said. “I don’t think Hutchinson is what Midland was when we played them, but I don’t think Independence was what Hutchinson is now.
“Basically, you just got to get your players to believe in themselves to compete with them.”
Dionne Harris leads Barton with averages of 13.8 points and 7.6 rebounds per game.
“I think we’re pretty pretty balanced,” Spence said. “We have a number of kids who are capable of scoring on any given night, and I prefer it that way. I would rather have a group of kids who can score than have one person who leads the team.
“Obviously, Dionne is our leader. She has to produce for us. She has the be the frontrunner for us.”
Freshman forward Blair Bloomfield averages 9.3 points per game, and Shea Shoemaker averages 9.2 points.
“Blair has had a very good year,” Spence said. “I have said since Day 1 that since she doesn’t have that sophomore at her position, she has to learn everything on the fly. It was kind of a baptism by fire. She has been doing great, and I know that she’s going to keep getting better.”
Barton will be dedicating the night’s games to breast cancer awareness. A ‘Pink Out’ has been planned along with other events.