Thanks to Dodge City's 88-86 victory over the Butler Grizzlies Wednesday, the Barton Cougars are one win away from a Jayhawk Conference basketball championship and homecourt advantage until the NJCAA Championship in Hutchinson.
The No. 17 ranked Cougars (21-8, 16-7 Jayhawk) own the tiebreaker over the Butler Grizzlies (19-9, 15-7 Jayhawk). A Jayhawk Conference title would virtually assure the Cougars an invitation to the 2026 NJCAA Basketball Championship.
The Cougars raced past the Seward County Saints 96-80 by converting a school record 51 of 57 free throws. The previous record of 50 free throws came against Butler.
Barton's double figure scorers were Sebastian Muchitsch (19), super-sub Jayden Ramirez (15), Aris Rodriguez (14), Brian Sullivan (13) with five steals and Noah Williams (17) who posted a double/double with 10 rebounds. Jon Byrd chipped in four assists.
Seward's Korbin Dowdell (14), Lynn Brooks (12) and R.J. McKinnie (11) scored in double figures.
After Seward grabbed its final lead at 13-12 with 11:48 remaining in the opening half, Barton answered immediately and never trailed again. A 6-0 response flipped control, sparked by defensive stops and aggressive drives to the rim.
Barton's Pavel Inanov knocked down a 3-pointer to cap a 7-0 run. Ivanov struck again from deep for a 9-0 surge and a commanding 38-20 halftime edge.
Barton attacked the paint and converted 23-of-25 free throws in the opening half to lead despite 23% shooting. The Cougars extended the lead to 21 points midway through the second half, when defensive rebounds and composed possessions steadied the pace.
Brian Sullivan Jr. provided a spark, turning steals into transition finishes while supplying energy at both ends.
Mikey Williams buried a 3-pointer to stretch the margin to 22 — Barton's largest lead of the night. Moments later, Sullivan's assist set up a Rodriguez slam dunk.
Seward 20 60 — 80
Barton 38 58 —96
SEWARD (17-11, 12-10)—Dowdell 6-13 (1-6) 1-2 14; Brooks 2-9 (1-5) 7-10 12; McKinnie 3-6 (2-4) 3-7 11; Chapman 3-6 4-5 10; N'Gombo 3-8 (0-2) 3-3 9; Kidd 2-5 (0-2) 0-0 5; Coleman 2-4 (2-4) 1-2 7; Powers 0-3 (0-2) 2-2 2; Kidd 2-6 (1-2) 0-0 5; Mamir 1-4 (0-2) 0-0 2; Fleret 0-1 0-0 0; Totals (9-32) 21-31 80
BARTON (21-8, 16-7)—Muchitsch 4-8 (1-2) 10-10 19; Ramirez 3-10 (0-2) 9-11 15; Rodriguez 4-8 (0-3) 6-8 14; Sullivan 4-9 (0-1) 5-6 13; Noah Williams 2-11 (1-3) 12-12 11; Mikey Williams 1-3 (1-2) 0-0 3; Rucker 0-4 (0-3) 5-6 5; Inanov 2-4 (2-2) 0-0 6; Byrd 0-2 (0-1) 2-2 2; Spray 0-0 0-0 0; Chuol 0-1 2-2 2; Totals 20-60 (5-19) 51-57 96
Rebounds—SC 41 (Brooks 6), BC (N. Williams (10). Assists—SC 13; BC 13 (Byrd 4, N. Williams 4), Steals—SC 8 (Kidd 2, Powers 2); BC 12 (Sullivan 5). TO—SC 17, BC 10
JAYHAWK MEN
Barton 16-7 21-8
Butler 15-7 19-9
Dodge City 14-8 18-10
Cowley 13-9 18-10
Coffeyville 13-9 19-9
Seward 12-10 17-11
Garden City 12-10 17-11
Cloud 12-10 17-11
Independence 12-10 14-14
Hays NW 9-12 13-13
Hutchinson 8-14 13-15
Pratt 4-19 7-21
Colby 4-18 6-22
2-25—Barton 96, Seward 80; Colby 71, Hays NW 70; Cowley 101, Independence 83; Coffeyville 72, Pratt 55; Dodge City 88, Butler 86; Cloud 91, Garden City 85
2-28—Cloud at Butler; Pratt at Hutchinson; Cowley at Seward; Garden City at Colby; Coffeyville at NW Tech; Independence at Dodge City
3-2—Coffeyville at Garden City
3-4—Barton at Cowley; Dodge City at Seward; Hutchinson at Hays NW; Colby at Butler; Cloud at Independence
