Men's Basketball Win Over Barton

Fort Hays Tech Northwest Men's Basketball won over the Barton Community College Cougars on Tuesday evening, 74-71, in their first home victory of the season. 

The game opened with a high tempo, as both teams had to work hard to score. The Tigers struck quickly, with Jeremiah Thornton putting Tech on the board, setting the tone for a competitive back-and-forth stretch as the teams traded early leads. Midway through the first half, Barton seized momentum with a 14–2 run, pulling ahead with four minutes remaining. From here, Tech would quickly take action, with Kaleel Kelly and Riccardo Marzetti both knocking down three-pointers to cut into the lead. However, Barton would respond in turn with their own layup and three-pointer. The Tigers continued to chip away and entered halftime down just 39–34.

Thornton would get the scoring going again in the second half after a nice putback, but Barton would quickly extend their lead once more, with Noah Williams making back-to-back shots, with the Cougars going on an 11-2 run as Tech struggled to make their shots. Kaleel Kelly would end Tech's scoring drought, drilling a three-pointer to narrow the lead to eleven. However, Barton quickly extended their lead out to 15 points with a pair of free throws and just under 13 minutes remaining. The Tigers would go back to work, quickly putting six points on the board, before calling a timeout at 58-47 with 11:18 left. The Tigers finally cut the deficit to single digits around the nine-minute mark, and another clutch three from Kelly made it 62–55 with eight minutes remaining.

In the final seven minutes, Barton's aggressive play style would catch up to them, as their guard, Aris Rodriguez, fouled out of the game. Still, Barton held a slim lead deep into the final minutes. The game would finally feel within Tech's grasp after a free throw from Marquintez Dixon put the score at 68-64 at the 3:36 mark. After a Barton steal-and-score, Jasiah Shields buried a three to make it 70–67, prompting a Cougar timeout with two minutes left. Moments later, another Barton player fouled out, further putting strain on the Cougars' narrowing lead. Barton added a free throw, but Shields answered with an and-one layup to bring Tech within one, 71–70, with 40 seconds remaining. Barton missed on the next possession, and Tech pushed the ball ahead, drawing a foul that sent Kelly to the line. Kelly calmly hit both free throws to give the Tigers the lead, 71-71, with 12 seconds on the clock. 

Driving down the floor, Barton would miss their layup, forcing them to foul Tech with just three seconds remaining. Shields would knock down both free throws to extend the lead to three. Barton would put up a shot in the final seconds that fell short at the buzzer, securing Tech's victory, 74-71.

Statistically, Tech's scoring was well-distributed, with Kaleel Kelly leading the way as the lone Tiger in double figures, finishing with 21 points.

The Tigers now look to carry their momentum into Saturday's road matchup against Cowley Community College, in their final contest before Christmas Break.