Maybe it’s a sign that this team is one of destiny.  How else do you explain how Dodge City missed 2 layups in the final 10-seconds Wednesday night allowing the Barton Cougars to beat the Conquistadors 83-81 at the Kirkman Center.

DCC’s Clarence Willard was the first to miss a lay-up with :04 second left but the ball was knocked out of bounds by Barton’s Dwayne Brunson giving the Conquistadors another chance.  On the inbounds play, Willard to the ball to a driving Tyshon Pickett who missed from point blank range and the Cougars had escaped with the victory.

Barton (21-3 7-3) led 48-32 early in the second half before Dodge started their comeback.  The Conqs (15-9 3-7) got close several times down the stretch but never did take the lead in the second half.  BCC led at halftime 41-28.

Algie Key led the Cougars with 21 points while Dwayne Brunson scored 16 points and pulled down 15 rebounds to record his 19^th career double double. Pickett had 22 for Dodge while R.J. McGhee added 21.  It was the Conquistadors 6^th straight loss.

With the win, the Cougars moved into sole possession of second place, a game behind Seward County who won at Colby Wednesday night.

photo-Barton’s Julian rose takes a shot during the second half of Wednesday’s home game versus Dodge City.   (photo’s courtesy of Everett Royer)    www.ksportsimages.com

Lady Cougars 76 Dodge City 55

Barton rolled to a 43-19 halftime lead to record their first home conference win of the season in their 5^th attempt.  The Cougars shot 61% from the field in the first half and 56% for the game while holding Dodge to 32% shooting.

Four players scored in double figures led by Netanya Jackson and Erin Copeland with 12 each and Raven Anderson and Blair Bloomfield with 11.  Laquaris Harris had 16 for Dodge (8-16 0-10) who lost their 31^st straight Jayhawk west game.

Barton (15-9 5-5) now head to Garden City Saturday night with a chance to move into a tie for 4^th with the Broncbusters who lost at Hutch Wednesday night.

photo- Sophomore Dionne Harris scores in the first half Wednesday against Dodge City

WACO, Texas (AP)—Whatever Tyshawn Taylor and the rest of his Kansas teammates did to motivate 7-foot Jeff Withey certainly worked.

“In practice every day, punching him in his chest, jumping on him, trying to get him fired up,” Taylor said. “He came out and played amazing.”

Withey, coming of a scoreless game, rebounded with a career-high 25 points for the seventh-ranked Jayhawks in another convincing victory over sixth-ranked Baylor, 68-54 on Wednesday night, to regain a share of the Big 12 lead.

“I don’t know why Withey likes playing against us so much, but he looks like an All-American when he does,” Baylor coach Scott Drew said.

Withey, who finished 8-of-10 shooting and made 9 of 11 free throws, had already surpassed his career high by halftime, when Kansas didn’t lead until the final minute. He then ignited a 14-0 run early in the second half when the Jayhawks (19-5, 9-2 Big 12) took total control of the Top-10 rematch.

Jayhawks coach Bill Self, who had his own way of motivating Withey, called it was one of the best offensive games by a Kansas big man in quite some time.

“Coach definitely got into my head and just told me that I need to be able to play,” Withey said. “I can’t go games where I don’t score. … My teammates definitely trusted me. They made great plays and got me open.”

Baylor (21-3, 8-3) was 17-0 with the longest winning streak in school history before a 92-74 loss at Kansas just more than three weeks ago. The Bears followed that with a one-point home loss to Missouri, where they play their next game Saturday.

The Jayhawks, coming off a 74-71 loss at fourth-ranked Missouri on Saturday when Withey missed his only shot, grabbed a share of the Big 12 lead with the Tigers. Kansas hasn’t lost consecutive games in more than six years—a span of 228 games since January 2006.

In the Jan. 16 game against Baylor, Taylor and Thomas Robinson had combined for 55 points and both matched career highs for field goals made. Taylor had a career-best 28 points in that game and Robinson had 27.

Taylor finished with 19 points this time, his ninth consecutive game with at least 15. Robinson, the only Big 12 player averaging a double-double, had 15 points with 11 rebounds.

The Jayhawks went ahead for the first time, and to stay, during a 14-3 run over the final 4 1/2 minutes of the first half with Robinson sitting on the bench after his second foul.

Withey had already matched his previous career high of 15 points on a free throw with 2 1/2 minutes left in the first half to get Kansas within 30-25. He then blocked a shot, which led to a 3-pointer by Conner Teahan. Withey then made a tying layup with 1:34 left.

The Jayhawks finally led on Teahan’s 3-pointer in the final minute for a 33-30 halftime lead.

After the first half-ending spurt, Withey had a turnover to start the second half before Pierre Jackson came away from a scrum on the floor with the ball for a Baylor layup.

Kansas then scored 14 points in a row, a stretch started by Withey’s layup before he added a three-point play.

Withey then had consecutive steals that led to jumpers by Robinson, who fouled making the second basket. He converted the three-point play and it became a seven-point possession when Quincy Miller’s foul was called flagrant after officials looked at replay.

After Withey made the technical free throw, Tyshawn Taylor’s 3-pointer with 16 1/2 minutes left pushed Kansas to a 47-32 lead.

“That seven-point possession took a lot out of us,” Jackson said. “We just didn’t answer back after that.”

Jackson led Baylor with 16 points, while Quincy Acy and Cory Jefferson had 11 each.

Baylor worked the already raucous sellout crowd into a frenzy by scoring the first seven points. Self called timeout less than 2 minutes into the game.

The opening play was an alley-oop pass from Jackson to Perry Jones III for a slam dunk. Jackson then penetrated for a short floater, and the Bears were up 7-0 when Jackson had another assist, a bounce pass to Quincy Miller for a 3-pointer from the right wing.

Neither Jones, the preseason Big 12 player of the year, or Miller had another field goal. Miller came out for good after his flagrant foul with 16:38 left.

After making its first three shots, Baylor missed the next five and Kansas got even at 7-all when Withey made two free throws. But the Bears pushed back ahead 19-9 after Jackson’s alley-oop pass to Acy for another rim-rattling dunk that reignited the fans, before Jackson stole the ball from Withey and scored on a baseline floater.

“We’re all embarrassed and disappointed by our play,” Baylor coach Scott Drew said. “Up 10 with 9:41 to go, and really the end of the first half was the beginning of the turning point. … We should have finished with momentum going into the locker room. We didn’t.”