GARDEN CITY — It’s hard to make a run at a team when you’re already faced with a 14-point halftime deficit.
When the opponent is the No. 10-ranked basketball team in the latest NJCAA Division-I women’s poll and has only lost one game all season, it makes the task that much more difficult.
Such was the Barton Community College Lady Cougars’ plight when they took on Garden City on the road on Wednesday night. Trailing 31-17 at halftime, Barton was able to crawl back within 55-44 with 3½ minutes left, but the Lady Busters scored the final seven points to post a 62-44 victory.
“Again, we’re 52 percent from the free-throw line,” Barton head coach Carter Kruger said of his team’s 13 of 25 accuracy. “We had 20-percent shooting in the first half and to be down 11 points at the point, we had to feel fortunate.
“They’re really good inside and we took away their two leading scorers, who didn’t even get double figures. We just didn’t do a very good job of the first half in finding No. 33.”
No. 33, Garden guard Jessica Goble, had a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds, as the Lady Busters improved to 16-1 overall, 2-1 in the Jayhawk West. She was joined in double-figure scoring by teammate Deni Jacobs, who finished with 12 points.
Lady Busters post player Tamara Jones was a force in the paint with a game-high 15 rebounds and four blocked shots.
Goble had three of the Lady Busters’ four treys for nine first-half points, as they were 4-for-10 from beyond the arc during the opening 20 minutes and finished 5 for 16.
“She hurt us shooting the ball in the first half,” Kruger said of Goble. “We didn’t get a hand in her face, and we didn’t seem to have a lot of pep in our step today. We’re probably a little fatigued, from playing three games in five days, but we’ve got to find a way to muster up some energy.”
Barton (11-5, 1-2) went 6-for-30 in the first half and never got much better after halftime, finishing only 14 for 59 from the field for the game (23.7 percent), including missing nine of 12 3-pointers.
“We just struggled to put the ball in the hole,” Kruger said. “When you’re struggling to score and then you’re asked to overcome a double-digit lead, it makes it really tough.”
The Lady Cougars were led by shooting guard Blair Bloomfield with 12 points and point guard Erin Copeland finished with 11.
Garden City moved out to its 14-point halftime lead after Barton hit 3 of 7 3s, but missed 19 of 22 shots inside the arc.
At the start, Barton answered a game-opening 3 from Goble with one from Copeland to knot the score at 3 at the 17:24 mark.
But the Lady Busters, keyed by forward Shicole Watts putback, went on a 13-2 run over the next 5½ minutes to build a 16-5 lead with 11:20 remaining in the half.
It left the Lady Cougars in catch-up mode thereafter.
Barton returns home on Saturday night to take on Jayhawk West foe Butler, starting at 5:30 at Kirkman Activity Center. The men’s game follows at 7:30.

JUNIOR COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Kansas Jayhawk Community College
Conference Western Division

WOMEN

Wednesday

At Garden City
Dennis Perryman Athletic Center

Garden City 62, Barton 44
BARTON (11-5, 1-2)
    Kailai Brantner 1-3 0-0 3, Ashton Bruner 2-14 3-6 7, Blair Bloomfield 4-11 3-6 12, Taschell Phillips 1-5 1-2 3, Ta 'Kerra Williams 0-1 0-0 0, Jackie Bueno 2-7 2-4 6, Taylor Mayes 0-6 0-2 0, Brandy Winbush 0-1 0-0 0, Erin Copeland 4-10 2-3 11, Kelsey Keith 0-1 2-2 2. Totals 14-59 13-25 44.
GARDEN CITY (16-1, 2-1)
    Angelique Green 3-9 0-0 6, Mikell Chinn 2-7 1-4 5, Tamara Jones 2-8 4-4 8, Jessica Goble 6-10 0-0 16, Shicole Watts 3-6 1-2 7, Deni Jacobs 3-7 6-8 12, Tahlia Pope 3-7 1-2 8, Allegria Chisom 0-3 0-0 0, Brittany Maxwell 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 22-59 13-20 62.
    Halftime — Garden 31, Barton 17. Three-point goals — Garden City 5-16 (Goble 4-8, Pope 1-1, Green 0-4, Chisom 0-1, Chinn 0-1, Jacob 0-1); Barton 3-12 (Bloomfield 1-6, Copeland 1-2, Brantner 1-1, Keith 0-1, Winbush 0-1, Mayes 0-1). Rebounds — Garden City 51 (Jones 15, Goble 10); Barton 37 (Bruner 8, Williams 6, Copeland 6). Assists — Garden City 19 (Chinn 8); Barton 6 (Brantner 3). Steals — Garden City 8 (Goble 4); Barton 7 (Brantner 2, Bruner 2). Turnovers — Garden City 15, Barton 13. Blocked shots — Garden City 5 (Jones 4). Total fouls — Garden City 18, Barton 16. Fouled out — None. Technical foul — Barton bench.

KANSAS JAYHAWK
COMMUNITY COLLEGE CONFERENCE

Wednesday’s games

WOMEN
Highland 75, Labette 28
Cowley 76, Coffeyville 44
No. 1 Hutchinson 58, Butler 45
Neosho County 58, Fort Scott 50, OT
Johnson County 65, Kansas City 36
No. 10 Garden City 62, Barton 44
Dodge City 64, Colby 63
Independence 63, Allen 51
Seward County 59, Pratt 52