Dropping back-to-back games for the first time of the season, the Cloud County women’s basketball team fell to Barton 86-80 to conclude a four-game home stand.
Cloud had a good start to the game, taking a 10-5 lead four minutes into the game before both teams fought to hold the lead until 3:27 left in the first, when Barton went on a 10-3 run in two minutes to take a 28-21 lead. A Shea Wurtz layup made it 28-23 to end the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Cloud did their best to try to keep the game from getting away, but as the middle of the quarter approached Barton was able to build a 17-point cushion as the game approached halftime. Another Wurtz bucket to end the quarter made it a 50-35 Barton lead entering the locker rooms.
Barton would slowly build the lead up to 20 in just under five minutes of the second half. Cloud was able to tighten up in the second half of the quarter, holding the Cougars to only three points in the final five minutes, as the T-Birds went on a 7-3 run to put Cloud down 10, 68-58, entering the fourth.
Barton did their best to nullify the T-Bird momentum, but with 5:41 left in the game the T-Birds finally got the lead to single digits, 75-66. Cloud would get the lead down to four, 77-73, with 3:08 to play, but that would be the lowest the Barton lead would get, as every Barton possession after came away with points, either free throws or baskets, as the Cougars were able to hold back the T-Birds and hand them the 86-80 loss.
Wurtz led in scoring with 18 points, eight rebounds, two steals and a block.
Leila Washington had 16 points, eight rebounds and two steals.
Amanda Makela had 12 points and four assists.
Sofija Todorovic had nine points, with a season high 15 rebounds and five assists.
Against Seward, the T-Birds lost 73-71.
After both team made their first shots to open the game, a tight bout between the two teams commenced with Cloud holding a one-possession lead until 4:07, when Seward went on a 9-0 run to take a six-point lead, 15-19. Cloud scored four points in the final 75 seconds to cut the lead down to two, to end the first quarter down 15-13.
With two ties and three lead changes in the first half of the second quarter, neither team could effectively pull away from one another. Back-to-back threes from Lauren Marron gave the T-Birds a 35-30 lead with 3:05 left in the quarter. An 8-2 run by the Saints, capped with a tip-in at the buzzer, gave Seward a one-point lead, entering the locker room 38-37.
The T-Birds were able to retake the lead to start the third quarter, going on a 7-0 run to start the second half and lead 44-38. Seward started to chip away at the lead and retook the lead 48-46 with 3:29 left in the quarter. Cloud refused to give up and kept the game within reach for the rest of the quarter, entering the fourth quarter down four, 56-52.
Cloud’s defense was doing their best to start the quarter, holding Seward to only five points, all free throws, in the first four minutes of the fourth quarter, which allowed the T-Birds to tie the game at 59 all. Seward was finally able to pull away, thanks to an 11-2 run, to give them a nine-point lead with 2:30 remaining. The T-Birds did not quit, scoring eight straight points, six from Camiah Muldrow, to get the lead down to one with 32 seconds remaining. Two free throws from the Knights made it a three-point game, but two missed free throws from Cloud hurt the momentum. Seward went 1-2 at the free-throw line after a quick foul to make it a four-point game. Leila Washington made a layup with six seconds left, stole the ball with four seconds but missed the game-winning three as the T-Birds fell in the conference opener 73-71.
Muldrow led in scoring with 33 points and had six rebounds, five assists and two steals.
Washington had 11 points, 10 rebounds, five blocks and four steals.
Shea Wurtz had eight points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals.
