Barton women have victory snatched away late in Garden City #GoBarton

A late banked in free throw signified an unfitting end Monday night as the Barton Community College women's basketball team had one slip away in a 45-44 loss at Garden City Community College.

The Cougars' three point cushion in the final ninety seconds slid away with Barton mustering just a pair of Morgan Meyers free throws in being outscored 6-2 down the stretch.  The Broncbusters produced a timely 16' jumper for the tie in the final fifty seconds before later kissing the back end of a pair of charity tosses off the glass for the game winner with eight ticks remaining as Barton's open look three-pointer rimmed out as time expired.

Barton's 4-game win streak came to an end with the loss, falling to 7-6 in conference and 10-9 overall while Garden City improves to 7-5 in league and 12-5 on the year.

The Cougars look to rebound following a few days rest in welcoming Cowley College to the Barton Gym on Saturday in a 2:00 p.m. tip-off.

Brennan Kirchhoff led the Cougars with 11 points as Jenny Nkem Womsi dropped 10 points and grabbed 13 rebounds for her 7^th double-double of the year.

Garden City also had just two players reach double-figures, Donetria McGee leading the way with 17 points while Kealini Neves' late game tying jumper ended her 10 point night.

RECAP
The Cougars scored the opening bucket on Kirchhoff's back door cut from Meyers' dish through the paint, leading again following Womsi's bucket, and again on Lili Shubert's triple for a 7-4 advantage.  The Broncbusters rattled off the next five points following the media timeout in jumping ahead but Kirchhoff's inside slash tallied the last points of the quarter in a 9-all gridlock.

Defensive effort held firm in the second quarter, each team mustering just four points for another gridlock through the mid-point.  Acorionna Lard, who finished with nine points on the night, had begun the quarter with a bucket but four straight by Garden City flipped the script until Addison Crites found a cutting Womsi to the hoop but the failed And-1 conversion left it tied at 13.  The Womsi bucket did spur seven straight for the Cougars, Shubert knocking down her 2^nd triple and Meyers sinking a pair of charity tosses as a 9-2 stretch closing the half following Womsi's bucket sent Barton to the locker room ahead 20-15.

Following Garden City seizing the lead on a 8-3 stretch out of the locker room, Kirchhoff's lone trey put the Cougars in front with a 1-of-2 trip to the line from Womsi followed by consecutive Lard jumpers gave Barton its largest lead at 30-23 on the 8-0 spurt.  The Broncbusters responded with a 8-4 stretch in the final two minutes in cutting the margin to three at the horn.

Barton kept the lead at four until the first of two fourth quarter head scratching moments turned the tide.  As the Cougars held the four point margin and looked to force a shot clock violation, a tie-up was called giving the Broncbusters possession along with a new shot clock resulting in Garden City knocking down a long two pointer slicing the deficit in half at the mid-point.  Three straight by Lard stretched the gap back out, only to have Garden City fire back with four straight slicing it back to one.  Kirchhoff produced another big bucket on a back door cut putting away Lard's dime through the paint for its last three point cushion with 1:26 remaining.

The teams traded perfect tosses at the free throw line, Meyers putting hers on the board with 59 seconds remaining but ten seconds later, Neves broke her second half scoring drought burying a 16' jumper.  The second turning point of the game came on Barton's next possession with Womsi appearing to grab an offensive rebound and getting fouled but instead, a tie-up was called awarding the ball to Garden City.  The Broncbusters' Desiree Smith was fouled in the lane on the subsequent possession, missing the first charity toss, before making the most of just her 4^th made free throw in 19 attempts on the year with a banked-in toss for the eventual game winner.

A Barton timeout advanced the ball to mid-court, inbounding to Lard who was cut off on the drive but finding Shubert open for a good look three-pointer that rimmed out at the horn.