CONCORDIA – Coming off by far its most impressive win of the season, the Barton women’s basketball team was looking show it could win on the road and build some momentum.
The Cougars were fresh off a 33-point win over then No. 10 Butler in Great Bend. But Arley Bryant Gym in Concordia has not been kind to Barton in the past.
Nor has the road in general the past couple of years. In fact, Barton has not won at Bryant Gym in four years. And the Cougars were just 6-11 in Jayhawk road games the past two seasons.
Make that five straight losses in Concordia and just 6-12 on the road as Cloud County prevailed on its home court with an 80-68 win.
The T-Birds improved to 12-4 overall and 5-2 in the Jayhawk with the win. Barton is 11-4 and 4-2.
The Thunderbirds scored the first basket of the game – a 3-pointer by Emmiley Hendrixson – as Cloud would lead throughout the quarter. When Hendrixson hit her third trey of the quarter in the final seconds, the T-Birds led 22-14 after one.
The lead reached 10 early in the second quarter after a Barton turnover and layup by the Thunderbirds for a 26-16 lead.
Cloud would keep that lead around 8-10 points nearly the entire second period. The Cougars made a run late in the half as a 6-0 run capped by a Ryen White trey cut the lead to 35-31 with less than two minutes to play.
But another buzzer-beating trey by Cloud – this time from Chase Siedlik – pushed the T-Bird lead back to 41-32 at the half.
The Cougars came out on fire in the third period.
A pair of buckets by Irene Chukwudi and four free throws by Jaylin Stapleton got the Cougars within a single digit at 41-40 after an 8-0 run to start third.
Barton took its first lead of the game when Richelle Turney knocked down a 3-pointer midway through the third for a 45-43 lead. The teams traded the lead the final four minutes of the period with Cloud taking a 54-53 lead into the final 10 minutes.
In the final quarter, the T-Birds went to work in the paint. Kinsley sophomore Scout Frame and Centralia redshirt freshman Cassidy Haufler pounded the Cougars down low, scoring in the paint and at the free throw line to extend the lead out to 64-59 with 5:30 left in the game.
When Siedlik beat the shot clock on a deep trey in front of the Cloud bench, the T-Birds had a 73-63 lead with just three minutes to play. Game over.
Stapleton led four Cougars in double figures with 16 points to go with nine assists. Turney scored 11 off the bench while post players Chukwudi and Fatou Ndao each finished with 10.
Hendrixon hit five 3-pointers on her way to a game-high 22 points for Cloud. Haufler added 20 as the Cloud starters scored 72 of the teams 80 points.
Barton will close out the Jayhawk East portion of its slate with a home game against Allen County Saturday night at the Barton Gym. Tip is scheduled for 5:30 pm.
Cloud 80, Barton 68
Barton 14 18 21 15 – 68
Cloud 22 19 13 26 – 80
Barton (11-4, 4-2) 68
White 3-9 0-0 9, Stapleton 4-12 8-10 16, Regan 3-6 0-0 6, Miller 1-5 0-0 3, Chukwudi 5-11 0-0 10, Turney 4-6 2-2 11, Hunt 0-0 0-0 0, Keith 0-2 0-0 0, Ndao 5-6 0-0 10, Dirks 0-2 0-0 0, Davis 1-2 1-2 3. Totals – 26-61 11-14 68.
Cloud (12-4, 5-2) 80
Hendrixson 6-10 5-6 22, Frame 4-9 5-8 13, Virgilio 2-5 1-2 5, Haufler 10-18 0-1 20, Collins 4-8 4-6 12, Ostenson 0-0 0-0 0, Dewey 0-0 0-0 0, Siedlik 3-9 0-1 8, Meyers 0-0 0-2 0, Martin 0-0 0-0 0, Pittman 0-2 0-0 0. Totals – 29-61 15-26 80.
3-pointers – Barton 5-16 (White 3-8, Miller 1-1, Turney 1-2, Stapleton 0-1, Keith 0-2, Dirks 0-2), Cloud 7-20 (Hendrixson 5-8, Siedlik 2-5, Virgilio 0-3, Collins 0-4).
Rebounds – Barton 40 (Ndao 8), Cloud 36 (Haufler 10). Assists – Barton 15 (Stapleton 9), Cloud 13 (Hendrixson, Haufler 3). Steals – Barton 9 (White, Stapleton 2), Cloud 5 (Collins 2). Blocks – Barton 6 (3 with 2), Cloud 3 (3 with 1).
Turnovers – Barton 19, Cloud 13. Fouled Out – None. Technicals – None.
