Trojans Show Offensive Spark but Drop Two Hard-Fought Contests at Barton Booster Classic

GREAT BEND — The Colby Community College men’s basketball team made the most of its two-day road swing at the Barton Booster Classic in Great Bend, turning in some of its strongest offensive stretches of the young season. But despite competitive efforts both nights, the Trojans came home with a pair of close losses, falling 94–83 to Northern Oklahoma College–Tonkawa on Friday November 14th, and 78–68 to Northern Oklahoma College–Enid on Saturday.

Across the weekend, Colby’s talent was on display. The Trojans scored a combined 151 points over the two games and got major contributions from a deep rotation of players. But the defensive end, particularly late in both contests, proved to be the difference.

Head coach Jerrod Stanford said the effort was there, but the consistency was not.

“It was a really long weekend,” Stanford said. “We played pretty hard, but we did not compete as well as we needed to, especially on the defensive end. Our defensive process has to be better to stop good teams. Our field-goal percentage defense is really bad right now, and we’ve got to find a way to really defend.”

Colby opened the trip Friday with a fast-paced shootout against NOC-Tonkawa, a game that featured four lead changes and long scoring runs from both sides. The Trojans shot an efficient 45.8 percent from the field and saw five different players reach double figures. Aliou Diallo delivered his best outing of the season with 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting, including two from deep. Forward Gabe Njenga added 11 points and five rebounds while completing a perfect 8-for-8 night at the free-throw line.

Giannis Asimakopoulos provided a steady interior presence with 11 points and five boards, while Elias Agba knocked down a pair of threes and finished with 11 points of his own. D.J. Cason scored nine and hit all five of his free throws, while Owen Reece added six points and three steals.

The Trojans held a narrow 38–37 rebounding advantage and matched Tonkawa’s physicality inside with 36 points in the paint. But defensive miscues and turnovers led to 24 Maverick points, allowing NOC-Tonkawa to pull away late behind Ryan Rodriguez’s 19-point performance.

Saturday’s matchup with NOC-Enid offered a similar storyline. Once again, Colby kept pace throughout much of the contest before Enid’s efficient shooting swung the balance in the second half. The Jets hit 12 three-pointers and finished the afternoon shooting 50.9 percent from the floor, including a blistering 59 percent after halftime.

Njenga capped his weekend with a breakout 20-point effort on 8-for-13 shooting, knocking down two threes and providing a strong interior scoring presence. Kellan Simoneau supplied a valuable spark off the bench, connecting on three three-pointers to finish with nine points. Reece added another nine points with a three of his own, while Braedyn Gillespie scored eight and continued to give the Trojans quality minutes on the wing.

Asimakopoulos pulled down seven rebounds for the second straight night while adding six points and two steals. Diallo contributed seven points, and Cason added five with three assists. Colby shared the ball well, recording 14 assists while shooting an outstanding 90.9 percent at the free-throw line.

But once again, rebounding and defensive execution tilted the game. Enid outrebounded Colby 41–26 and converted those extra opportunities into momentum during key stretches to close out the win.

Coach Stanford said the solutions are clear, and the team is committed to making rapid improvements.

“We’ve really got to lock into the defensive process,” he said. “If we defend the right way, I think we’ll take off. But until then, we’ve got to keep getting better and keep competing.”

Now sitting at 2–4, Colby returns home with valuable experience and signs of growth from several emerging contributors. The Trojans will open KJCCC play this week at the Colby Event Center when they host Independence Community College. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.