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If Saturday night’s result between Dodge City and Barton is any indication of how the rest of the season will go for the men’s basketball program, it is going to be a special season for head coach Brady Trenkle and his squad.
The Conquistadors played host to the number seven team in the nation as Barton County Community College came to visit the United Wireless Arena, capping off back-to-back games against nationally ranked top-10 teams for Dodge.
Behind a 26-point effort from Tramel White and a gritty, dig deep effort from the entire bench, the Conqs were able to declaw the Cougars and send them home with a 91-86 loss.
This contest was billed as a heavyweight fight by Trenkle and it didn’t disappoint.
"We showed our depth tonight and we needed to, ending the game with only one starter was tough," Trenkle said. "We have to get better defensively, we have to get better guarding, but this was a good Barton squad. I'm very proud of my team and the way they played, it was a great crowd, I just hope we can keep adding more and more people."
The energy between the two squads to begin the game could be felt throughout the arena as both sides were on the opposite ends of the spectrum coming into the game.
Dodge City kicked off their second half of the schedule with a big road win over number 10 Hutchinson last week, while Barton lost their perfect season with a loss to Seward to begin conference play.
The game began very quickly, with both teams looking to move the ball up and down the court with slick precision, with the Cougars barely hanging onto the ball for more than 10 seconds per possession.
Things started off well for the Conqs, who jumped out to an early lead thanks to solid play from R.J. McGhee, Tyshon Pickett and White, had the momentum and the crowd on their side as Barton could not find a way to break through the Dodge City defense.
Despite the quick start, foul trouble found its way onto the Conqs’ bench early. With almost 10 minutes remaining in the first half, Pickett picked up his second foul, sending him to the bench in order to avoid racking up more fouls before the end of the half.
With Pickett sidelined because of foul trouble, the Conqs had to rely on their other post players to step up, including James Milton.
As the contest bounced back and forth between the Cougars and Conqs, Dodge City began to pull away point by point, but were once again faced with adversity when a scuffle broke out on the court near the end of the first half after a McGhee foul.
The result of the heated action was double technicals for Barton’s Dwayne Brunson and Milton for Dodge City, which sent both players to the showers early, leaving both sides down a dynamic player with the game still in the balance.
The first half would come to an end with the Conqs up 44-35, but the game would be far from over as Barton still had one of the top guards in the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference in Algie Key.
Once again, things started off picture perfect for Dodge City, increasing their lead to double digits. But the Cougars began to capitalize on some Conquistador miscues, turning those into quick points on the opposite end, closing the gap to within four points.
With the heavyweight bout reaching the later rounds, the Conqs would watch as White and McGhee would step up and deliver the knock out punches to the tiring Cougar defense.
McGhee, who was playing his second game since returning from an injury that sidelined him for the team’s final few games of 2011, took over with an intensity that showcases why he is one of the best all-around talents within the KJCCC.
With Pickett on the bench with five fouls, McGhee took over ball-handling duties on a majority of the Conquistador possession, slicing through the Barton defense during their transition runs. He stepped up time and time again to knock down crucial three pointers to stop any Cougar momentum.
Barton, despite its quick fire offense, was never able to regain the lead from the home court team, climbing back within a couple of Dodge, but never making it over the hump.
As the Cougars lofted up a meaningless three at the buzzer, the game came to an end and a look of relief came over the face of Trenkle as he walked across the floor to shake hands with the opposing coaches.
For Dodge, it was their second win against a top-10 team in as many games this season, setting the team up for a special conference portion of their schedule. Despite those rankings, Trenkle says his team doesn’t even look at the number in front of a team’s name, saying that his team just goes out for the win, regardless of who they’re playing.
“We didn't care, there is no ego on that team whatsoever,” Trenkle said. "They don't look at the rankings and I don't post them, I don't talk to them about it, they don't care that they were picked to finish fifth. There are winners on that team, at the end of the day, this team could win 30 games, but if they don't reach their goal, then there is going to be disappointment."
The Conqs were led by White with his 26 points on 8-of-15 shooting from the field. He also added in five rebounds and led the team with four steals. McGhee also threw in 20 points, going 10-of-12 from the charity stripe, knocking down those key free throws down the stretch.
Other team leaders include Clarence Willard who led the Conqs with nine assists and Tony Phillips cleaned up the glass to the tune of 13 rebounds.
Chekeil Wright, playing big minutes with White in foul trouble, added 11 big points, while Pickett scored 13 despite being plagued with fouls for most of the game.
The Conqs improve to 13-2 with the victory and are now 2-0 in the conference, sending the team into their Jan. 11 road contest against Colby with sky-high confidence. They will return home on Jan. 14 for a matchup with Pratt inside the arena.
If Saturday night’s result between Dodge City and Barton is any indication of how the rest of the season will go for the men’s basketball program, it is going to be a special season for head coach Brady Trenkle and his squad.
The Conquistadors played host to the number seven team in the nation as Barton County Community College came to visit the United Wireless Arena, capping off back-to-back games against nationally ranked top-10 teams for Dodge.
Behind a 26-point effort from Tramel White and a gritty, dig deep effort from the entire bench, the Conqs were able to declaw the Cougars and send them home with a 91-86 loss.
This contest was billed as a heavyweight fight by Trenkle and it didn’t disappoint.
"We showed our depth tonight and we needed to, ending the game with only one starter was tough," Trenkle said. "We have to get better defensively, we have to get better guarding, but this was a good Barton squad. I'm very proud of my team and the way they played, it was a great crowd, I just hope we can keep adding more and more people."
The energy between the two squads to begin the game could be felt throughout the arena as both sides were on the opposite ends of the spectrum coming into the game.
Dodge City kicked off their second half of the schedule with a big road win over number 10 Hutchinson last week, while Barton lost their perfect season with a loss to Seward to begin conference play.
The game began very quickly, with both teams looking to move the ball up and down the court with slick precision, with the Cougars barely hanging onto the ball for more than 10 seconds per possession.
Things started off well for the Conqs, who jumped out to an early lead thanks to solid play from R.J. McGhee, Tyshon Pickett and White, had the momentum and the crowd on their side as Barton could not find a way to break through the Dodge City defense.
Despite the quick start, foul trouble found its way onto the Conqs’ bench early. With almost 10 minutes remaining in the first half, Pickett picked up his second foul, sending him to the bench in order to avoid racking up more fouls before the end of the half.
With Pickett sidelined because of foul trouble, the Conqs had to rely on their other post players to step up, including James Milton.
As the contest bounced back and forth between the Cougars and Conqs, Dodge City began to pull away point by point, but were once again faced with adversity when a scuffle broke out on the court near the end of the first half after a McGhee foul.
The result of the heated action was double technicals for Barton’s Dwayne Brunson and Milton for Dodge City, which sent both players to the showers early, leaving both sides down a dynamic player with the game still in the balance.
The first half would come to an end with the Conqs up 44-35, but the game would be far from over as Barton still had one of the top guards in the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference in Algie Key.
Once again, things started off picture perfect for Dodge City, increasing their lead to double digits. But the Cougars began to capitalize on some Conquistador miscues, turning those into quick points on the opposite end, closing the gap to within four points.
With the heavyweight bout reaching the later rounds, the Conqs would watch as White and McGhee would step up and deliver the knock out punches to the tiring Cougar defense.
McGhee, who was playing his second game since returning from an injury that sidelined him for the team’s final few games of 2011, took over with an intensity that showcases why he is one of the best all-around talents within the KJCCC.
With Pickett on the bench with five fouls, McGhee took over ball-handling duties on a majority of the Conquistador possession, slicing through the Barton defense during their transition runs. He stepped up time and time again to knock down crucial three pointers to stop any Cougar momentum.
Barton, despite its quick fire offense, was never able to regain the lead from the home court team, climbing back within a couple of Dodge, but never making it over the hump.
As the Cougars lofted up a meaningless three at the buzzer, the game came to an end and a look of relief came over the face of Trenkle as he walked across the floor to shake hands with the opposing coaches.
For Dodge, it was their second win against a top-10 team in as many games this season, setting the team up for a special conference portion of their schedule. Despite those rankings, Trenkle says his team doesn’t even look at the number in front of a team’s name, saying that his team just goes out for the win, regardless of who they’re playing.
“We didn't care, there is no ego on that team whatsoever,” Trenkle said. "They don't look at the rankings and I don't post them, I don't talk to them about it, they don't care that they were picked to finish fifth. There are winners on that team, at the end of the day, this team could win 30 games, but if they don't reach their goal, then there is going to be disappointment."
The Conqs were led by White with his 26 points on 8-of-15 shooting from the field. He also added in five rebounds and led the team with four steals. McGhee also threw in 20 points, going 10-of-12 from the charity stripe, knocking down those key free throws down the stretch.
Other team leaders include Clarence Willard who led the Conqs with nine assists and Tony Phillips cleaned up the glass to the tune of 13 rebounds.
Chekeil Wright, playing big minutes with White in foul trouble, added 11 big points, while Pickett scored 13 despite being plagued with fouls for most of the game.
The Conqs improve to 13-2 with the victory and are now 2-0 in the conference, sending the team into their Jan. 11 road contest against Colby with sky-high confidence. They will return home on Jan. 14 for a matchup with Pratt inside the arena.
