The Barton Community College women’s basketball team saw its season come to a close Tuesday evening in the quarterfinal round of the Region 6/Plains District Tournament, falling 69-60 at second-seeded and No. 9-ranked Dodge City Community College.
The appearance marked the Cougars’ ninth straight trip to the Region 6 quarterfinals, with Barton finishing the season at 15-17 overall while Dodge City improved to 26-4 advancing to the tournament semifinals. It also marked the second consecutive season the Cougars’ campaign concluded at Dodge City.
Barton showed early fight, jumping in front 10-6 midway through the opening quarter behind an Alaina Eck three-pointer and defensive activity before Dodge City closed the period on a 9-2 stretch to take a 15-12 edge. The Conquistadors slowly built their cushion in the second quarter, holding the Cougars to nine points in the frame to carry a 28-21 lead into the halftime break.
The Cougars answered with their strongest stretch after intermission, chipping away at the deficit largely on Regina Donanu mid-range jumpers before Eck buried a three-pointer to give Barton a 38-35 lead midway through the frame. Mary Akinde followed with consecutive put-backs helping extend the margin to 42-38, but Dodge City answered with a late push including a 7-0 spurt to regain control and carry a 47-44 lead into the final period.
Dodge City stretched the margin early in the fourth quarter, pushing the lead to nine, but Barton kept battling, trimming the deficit to three behind a three-point play from Mersadie Spray and an Eck three-pointer. The Conquistadors responded with six straight points to push the lead back out, but the Cougars stayed within striking distance, including pulling within six with 35 seconds remaining on Kodi Greer‘s three-pointer. Dodge City then converted free throws down the stretch while Barton came up empty on its final possessions, sealing the nine-point decision.
Donanu closed out her stellar career leading Barton with 15 points while adding nine rebounds and four assists in 39 minutes of action. Eck finished with 14 points, connecting on three three-pointers and going 5-of-6 from the free throw line in her final game as a Cougar. Spray added 11 points with five rebounds, while Christal Long chipped in nine points and six boards. Akinde anchored the interior with 12 rebounds and seven points, helping Barton hold a 36-30 advantage on the glass while finishing the season with 337 rebounds — tied for the seventh-most in a single season in program history alongside Sheila Hubert’s 1983-84 total. Barton connected on 6-of-15 from three-point range but shot just 31.7 percent overall.
Dodge City was paced by Manuela Piljevic’s game-high 24 points on 9-of-17 shooting, including three three-pointers, while adding six rebounds and four assists. Savi Mi contributed 17 points and three rebounds, with Jade Celerier and Saje Evans each adding nine points.
