[ By STEVE CARPENTER ]

[ BLUE DRAGON SPORTS INFORMATION ]

Photo courtesy of Joel Powers, Blue Dragon Sports Information

CONCORDIA, Kan. — The No. 1-ranked Hutchinson Community College men’s basketball team climbed back from the abyss once on Wednesday night against Cloud County at the Thunderdome. The Blue Dragons weren’t able to do it a second time once in overtime.

James Rojas got a desperation shot to bounce in at the end of regulation to send the Jayhawk Conference contest into overtime, but Cloud County’s Solomon Finley nailed a back-breaking 3-pointer 1:41 into overtime and the Blue Dragons dropped their first game of the season, 82-79 in overtime.

The Blue Dragons fall to 5-1 overall and 1-1 in the Jayhawk Conference. Hutchinson suffers its first loss since the 2017 Region VI Tournament championship game to Coffeyville. That was a span of nine games – the first four wins of the streak came in the 2017 national tournament on the way to the 2017 national championship.

The Dragons looked to be done in regulation after Finley hit a long 3-pointer from 26 feet with the shot clock running down to give Cloud County a 71-67 lead with 27 seconds to play. Robert Whitfield countered with a Dragon 3-pointer with 17 seconds left to pull with 71-70. Finley hit 1 of 2 free throws with 4.4 seconds left. The Dragons spend the ball up the floor and got it to Rojas, who got a friendly bounce on his desperation shot to tie the game at 72 and send it to overtime.

Rojas scored again to tie the game at 74 with 3:53 to go in overtime. But Finley, who had four 3-pointers in the game, nailed another long trey with 3:19 left. Cloud scored six unanswered points as Hutchinson went scoreless for 3 minutes, 4 seconds. A J.J. Rhymes’ basket with 34 seconds to go drew the Dragons within 80-79. Those free throws were the only points in the final 3 1/2 minutes as Cloud County outscored the Dragons 10-7 in overtime.

Rhymes scored a season-high 29 points and posted his first double-double of the season with 10 rebounds, five assists and three steals.

Whitfield scored 17 points with three 3-pointers for the Blue Dragons. Rojas added 13 points and six rebounds for the Blue Dragons. Devonte Bandoo was next with seven points.

Hutchinson shot a season-low 32.9 percent (23 of 70), going 5 of 21 from 3-point range and 28 of 44 from the free-throw line. Hutch owned a 53-50 rebounding advantage, but turned the ball over a season-high 22 times.

Finley finished with a team-high 16 points to lead Cloud County. Finley knocked down 4 of 5 from 3-point range. Ramion Burt had a double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds. Alvin Thomson had 15 points.

The Thunderbirds shot 35.1 percent (27 of 77), going 4 of 14 from 3-point range and 24 of 36 from the free-throw line. Cloud had 16 turnovers.

Hutchinson trailed at halftime for the second-straight game, 32-31. The Dragons had a 24-18 lead in the first half on a Bandoo dunk, but the Thunderbirds closed the half on a 14-7 run.

Tied at 32 in the second half, Cloud County scored eight unanswered points and led 42-34 after a Burt dunk with 16:36 to go. The Dragons got back within 52-51 after a Whitfield layup with 9:57 to play. Hutch trailed by one point four different times after that, but never regained the lead in the final 20 minutes.

Hutchinson closes a four-game road trip on Saturday with a 7 p.m. contest at Pratt.

Blue Dragon women drop second straight

[ By STEVE CARPENTER ]

[ BLUE DRAGON SPORTS INFORMATION ]

CONCORDIA, Kan. —– Trailing by as many as 13 points in the third quarter, the No. 12-ranked Hutchinson Community College women’s basketball team fought back against Cloud County to tie the game with 2:37 to play in regulation.

The Blue Dragons never could grab the lead late as a Kelsi Mueller 3-pointer gave Cloud County the lead for good with 2:08 to go and the Thunderbirds went on to defeat the Blue Dragons 70-63 on Wednesday at the Thunderdome.

Hutchinson falls to 2-2 overall and 0-2 in the Jayhawk West. The Blue Dragons conclude a three-game road swing to open the Jayhawk Conference season at 5 p.m. on Saturday at Pratt. Cloud County improves to 5-0 and 2-0 in league play.

The Blue Dragons shot 51 percent from the floor for the game (25 of 49), but turnovers continue to hamper their overall output. The Dragons committed 21 turnovers to Cloud County’s 12. The Thunderbirds owned a 19-6 advantage in points off turnovers.

Freshman forward Dejanae Roebuck led Hutchinson with 13 points, seven rebounds and four steals. Roebuck was 5 of 11 shooting with one 3-pointer.

Freshman forward Jada Mickens was the only other Blue Dragon to score in double figures with 11 points. She added nine rebounds and five blocked shots.

Sophomores Alicia Brown and Kayla Barber scored nine points each. Tia Bradshaw and Sara Cramer scored six each.

The Blue Dragons were 6 of 15 shooting from long range and 7 of 9 from the foul line. Rebounding was tied at 28, although the Thunderbirds were a plus-five on the offensive boards.

Cloud County shot 41.4 percent for the game (24 of 58), going 5 of 15 from 3-point range and 17 of 18 from the free-throw line. The Thunderbirds had just 12 turnovers.

Mueller scored a game-high 24 points, hitting 4 of 11 3-pointers to lead the Thunderbirds. Camille Awa Baud and Scout Frame had 15 points each.

Trailing 34-26 at halftime, that deficit grew to 13 after an Awa Baud 3-pointer with 8:39 left in the third gave Cloud County a 39-26 lead. A Mickens 3-pointer at the 8:05 mark of the period stopped that Cloud County run. The Dragons then slowly whittled away at that deficit. Roebuck’s layup with 2:18 left in the third quarter cut the Cloud lead to 47-42. The Dragons trailed 53-46 after three quarters.

Down 55-46 early in the fourth, Kelsey Brett started the Blue Dragon comeback with a 3-pointer at the 8:51 mark. That started an 11-2 Hutchinson run and the Blue Dragons tied the game at 57 with 5:19 to go on a Mickens jumper. The Dragons tied the game again at 59 on a Barber basket with 4:06 to go and at 61 on Tia Bradshaw’s basket with 2:37 remaining.

Mueller hit a huge 3-pointer for Cloud County with 2:08 to go. The Dragons immediate got down the floor and scored in transition with a Bradshaw layup with 1:53 to play to pull within 64-63. Cloud County went on to score the final six points of the game to defeat the Blue Dragons at Concordia for the first time since 2007.

[ By STEVE CARPENTER ]

[ BLUE DRAGON SPORTS INFORMATION ]

The Hutchinson Community College Football Team will take on the Eastern Arizona Gila Monsters in the 2017 Salt City Bowl.

Selections for all nine NJCAA bowls were announced on Tuesday. The 7-4 Blue Dragons will meet the 7-4 Gila Monsters at 1 p.m. on Saturday, December 2 at Hutchinson’s Gowans Stadium.

The Blue Dragons will be making their 20th all-time bowl appearance and first since 2014. The Dragons are 11-6-2 all-time in bowl games, including 6-0 all-time in the Salt City Bowl. Hutchinson is riding a seven-game bowl winning streak dating back to the 2004 Heart of Texas Bowl – a 15-10 victory over No. 6 Tyler in Copperas Cove, Texas.

Eastern Arizona will play in its fifth all-time bowl. EAC will make its third Salt City Bowl appearance and second in a row. Last year, Eastern Arizona made a dramatic fourth-quarter comeback to defeat Butler 39-38 and improve its postseason record to 2-2.

Hutchinson and Eastern Arizona will meet for the second time in the Salt City Bowl. The Blue Dragons and Gila Monsters met in the second Salt City Bowl in 2010. Hutchinson defeated Eastern Arizona 42-21. Current Oakland Raider Cordarrelle Patterson was that game’s offensive Most Valuable Player recording 165 all-purpose yards.

The 2017 Blue Dragons average 32.1 points and 319.4 yards per game this season offensively. Hutch is the No. 1 team in the Jayhawk Conference in rushing at 176.9 yards per game. The passing game produces 142.5 yards per game. Defensively, the Blue Dragons have been one of the better units in the Jayhawk allowing 21.0 points, 272.3 total yards, 89.9 rushing yards and 182.4 passing yards per game.

The Blue Dragons’ rush defense will be put to the test against Eastern Arizona, the No. 2 rushing team in the NJCAA at 299.4 yards per game in 2017. The Gila Monsters average 34.1 points, 351.5 total yards and 52.1 passing yards per game on offense. EAC is allowing 19.2 points, 233.8 total yards, 124 rushing and 109 passing yards per game.

For more information on the 2017 Salt City Bowl, including ticket information, check out the bowl’s web site at www.saltcitybowl.com.

[ By STEVE CARPENTER ]

[ BLUE DRAGON SPORTS INFORMATION ]

Photo courtesy of Allie Schweizer, Blue Dragon Sports Information

LIBERAL, Kan. — The No. 1-ranked Hutchinson Community College men’s basketball team overcame a sluggish first half to open the Jayhawk Conference season with a victory on Saturday at the Green House.

Trailing by as many as 13 points in the first half, the Blue Dragons outscored Seward County by 13 in the second half for a 76-69 victory over the Saints.

The Blue Dragons improve to 5-0 overall and 1-0 in conference play. Saturday was the second game of a four-game road trip for the Blue Dragons. Hutchinson travels to Cloud County for an 8 p.m. conference showdown on Wednesday with the Thunderbirds. Seward County falls to 4-1 and 0-1.

Hutchinson faces its first halftime deficit of the season after shooting only 10 of 30 and committing six turnovers in the first 20 minutes. The Saints had a 29-21 rebounding advantage and with 14 offensive rebounds in the first half, outscored Hutch 16-6 in second-chance points.

Seward County used a 14-4 run in the middle stages of the first half to build a 28-15 after an Isiah Small 3-pointer with 6:18 to play in the half. The Blue Dragons immediately countered with a 12-0 run over the next 4 minutes, 49 seconds to pull within 28-27 after a Josh Creach jumper with 2:29 to go. The Saints didn’t wilt and would up scoring the final four points of the half to take a 35-29 lead at halftime.

The Blue Dragons got a combined 32 points from J.J. Rhymes, Devonte Bandoo and Kai Mitchell in the second half as the Blue Dragons shot 51.9 percent (14 of 27) from the field in the final 20 minutes. Seward County shot 38.7 percent (12 of 31) in the second half and the Blue Dragons outscored the Saints 47-34 to take over the game.

Rhymes scored a season-high 21 points with four rebounds to lead the Blue Dragons. He was 9 of 11 from the free-throw line. Bandoo knocked down three 3-point goals and finished with 15 points, six rebounds and three assists. Mitchell had 14 points and seven rebounds. James Rojas came off the bench to finish with 11 points. Tiylar Cotton added eight points with a pair of 3-pointers.

For the game, the Blue Dragons shot 24 of 57 for a season-low 42.1 percent. Hutch was 8 of 17 from 3-point range and 20 of 26 from the free-throw line. The Dragons were out-rebounded for the first time this season 46-37, but committed only 11 turnovers.

Devin Bethely hit three 3-pointers and finished with 21 points with five assists to lead the Saints. Small finished with 12 points and Ke’Sean Davis had 10 points.

Seward County finished the game shooting 35.6 percent (26 of 73), going 8 of 28 from 3-point range and 9 of 9 from the free-throw line. The Saints had 13 turnovers.

Trailing by six points to start the second half, the Blue Dragons immediately wiped that deficit out with a 9-0 run to start the half. The Dragons took their first lead of the game with two Rhymes free throws that gave Hutch a 36-35 lead with 17:20 remaining. Bandoo’s transition dunk from a Mitchell steal closed the run and the Dragons lead 38-35 with 16:49 to play.

The next 4 1/2 minutes saw four lead changes and four ties.

Rojas tied the game for the Blue Dragons at 47 with 12:19 remaining. That started a 7-0 Hutch run that was capped off by Cotton 3-pointer which gave the Blue Dragons a 53-47 lead with 10:15 to play.

The Saints made it a one-possession game only one more time at the 8:10 mark when a Davis dunk cut the Hutch lead to 54-51. Cotton answered again for the Blue Dragons with another 3-pointer, then another Bandoo trey gave Hutchinson a 62-55 lead with 6:49 remaining.

The Dragons pushed the lead back to double figures on a Bandoo transition layoff at the 1:16 mark to make it 72-62.

Turnovers doom Dragons

[ By STEVE CARPENTER ]

[ BLUE DRAGON SPORTS INFORMATION ]

Photo courtesy of Allie Schweizer, Blue Dragon Sports Information

LIBERAL, Kan. — The Hutchinson Community College women’s basketball team committed a season-high 34 turnovers and the No. 8 Seward County Saints took advantage as the No. 12 Blue Dragons lost 60-47 in the 2017-18 Jayhawk Conference opener for both teams on Saturday at the Green House.

The Blue Dragons fall to 2-1 overall and 0-1 in the Jayhawk. Hutchinson began a three-game road trip on Saturday. The Blue Dragons continue their road trip on Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Cloud County. Seward County improves to 3-0 and 1-0.

Tied at 7-all midway through the first quarter, the Saints took control of the game with a 23-4 run over a 10-minute stretch of the first half. When Vanessa Caro hit a 3-pointer with 5:53 to play in the second quarter, the Blue Dragons trailed 30-11. The Blue Dragons had 12 turnovers during that juncture.

Seward County took full advantage of Hutchinson’s 34 turnovers; the most committed Hutchinson since turning the ball over 32 times on February 2, 2009 in a game against Seward County at the Green House. Hutch was outscored 37-17 in points off turnovers.

Freshman Dejanae Roebuck led Hutchinson with 15 points on 5 of 7 shooting with five rebounds and two steals.

Sophomore Kayla Barber came off the bench to contribute eight points and a team-high nine rebounds. Freshman Sara Cramer had seven points and a season-high six assists. Jada Mickens and Alicia Brown had six points each.

The Blue Dragons hit 18 of 42 total shots (42.9 percent), going 5 of 13 from 3-point range and 6 of 7 from the free-throw line. Hutchinson held a 32-29 rebounding advantage.

The Saints hit nine 3-pointers on Saturday. Overall, Seward County was 22 of 56 shooting (39.3 percent), going 9 of 25 from long range and 7 of 15 from the free-throw line. The Saints committed 22 turnovers.

Mollie Mounsey had 15 points, five rebound, five assists and six steals to lead the Blue Dragons. Silvia Veloso had 12 points and Caro had 10 points.

The Blue Dragons’ largest deficit was 21 points at 41-20 with 7:23 to go in the third quarter. That’s when the Blue Dragons found some offensive success with a 14-0 run over the next 3 minutes, 50 seconds. The Blue Dragons pulled within seven at 41-34 after a Brown 3-pointer with 3:14 to play in the third quarter.

The Saints recovered to lead 49-39 after three quarters, but in the third period, Hutchinson outscored Seward County 21-11, shooting 8 of 12 with three 3-pointers. The Dragons held the Saints to 4 of 14 shooting with seven turnovers in the third quarter.

The Blue Dragons made one more run late in the game. Trailing 52-39 with 7:03 left, a Roebuck three-point play started an 8-0 Dragon run over the next four minutes. When Tia Bradshaw nailed a 3-pointer with 2:04 left in the fourth, Hutch trailed 52-47. But the Saints scored the final eight points of the game to seal the win.

[ By STEVE CARPENTER ]

[ BLUE DRAGON SPORTS INFORMATION ]

DODGE CITY, Kan. — A blocked field goal and punt return for touchdowns, a goal-line stand and other interception deep in Blue Dragon territory were the key plays in the Hutchinson Community College Football team snapping a three-game losing streak on Saturday.

The Blue Dragons earned their seventh victory of the season and helped head coach Rion Rhoades reach a milestone victory with a 27-6 triumph over the Dodge City Conquistadors at Dodge City’s Memorial Stadium in the 2017 regular-season finale for both teams.

Hutchinson improves to 7-4 overall and finishes 4-3 in the Jayhawk Conference. Dodge City falls to 4-7 and 1-6. Next up for the Blue Dragons will be the Salt City Bowl on December 2 at Gowans Stadium against an opponent yet to be determined.

Saturday’s victory was Rhoades’ 80th victory on the Blue Dragon sidelines. He reached the 80-win mark faster than any coach in Blue Dragon history, doing so in 124 games. John Matous did it in 129 games and Charles Sesher did it in 134 games.

The Dragons used four key sequences to keep Dodge City at arm’s length on Saturday. The biggest of those four plays occurred on the final play of the first half.

With Hutchinson leading 7-0, Dodge City had driven to the Blue Dragon 3-yard line. With the Conquistadors lined up for a 24-yard field goal attempt on the final play of the opening half, Michael Witherspoon came from the right side to block the field goal and Jerry Jacobs picked up the loose ball and returned it 86-yards for a momentum-swinging touchdown. Hutch’s point-after try was blocked, but instead of being tied for leading by only four points at halftime, the Blue Dragons led 13-0.

Earlier in the second quarter, the Blue Dragons protected their 7-0 lead when Jacobs intercepted his fifth pass of the season after the Conquistadors had driven to the Hutchinson 23.

With the Dragons leading 20-0, Dodge City had second-and-goal at the Blue Dragon 1 to start the fourth quarter. Two-straight run stops led by Jeffmario Brown made it fourth down. The Dragons then stopped the Conquistadors when Brown and Caliph Brice sacked Caden Walters for an 8-yard loss to turn the ball over on downs.

Marcus Edwards had the final dagger for the Blue Dragons when he returned a punt 53 yards for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter – the Blue Dragons’ first punt or kickoff return for a score this season.

Hutchinson’s defense held Dodge City to 237 total yards and only 51 yards rushing. Hutch had three quarterback sacks. Hutch held Dodge City to 1 of 14 on third-down conversions, 1 of 3 on fourth down and 1 of 4 on Conquistador red zone chances.

The Blue Dragons had only 206 total yards offensively on Saturday – 125 rushing yards and 81 passing yards.

Quarterback Eric Forrest was 12 of 18 passing for just 69 yards. Jaylen Erwin, DeShawn Waller and B.J. Emmons had two catches each.

Emmons was Hutch’s leading rusher with 51 yards on nine carries. Dezmon Jackson had 46 rushing yards and Andrew Lee had 40 rushing yards.

Another key figure in the Blue Dragon win was punter Donovan Gagen. He punted eight times for an average of 38.9 yards per punt and a 34.8-yard net average. Gagen dumped four balls inside the 20, including one into the coffin corner at the Dodge City 1. He had a long punt of 51 yards.

The Blue Dragons scored the game’s first points on their second drive of the game. Emmons finished off a seven-play, 73-yard scoring drive with a 2-yard plunge over the top of the pile for a 7-0 Hutch lead with 7:51 remaining in the opening quarter.

Leading 13-0 in the third quarter, the Blue Dragons forced one of Dodge City’s 10 punts and took over at the Dragon 43. The Dragons needed seven plays to cover the 57 yards, the final coming on an Otis Williams 20-yard touchdown run to make it 20-0 Hutchinson with 2:57 to play in the third quarter.

GAME NOTES – The Blue Dragons snapped a two-game losing streak to Dodge City. … Hutch is now 47-36-4 all-time against Dodge City and 22-21-2 in games at Dodge City. … Marcus Edwards had a game-high 148 all-purpose yards with six punt returns for 112 yards and one kickoff return for 44 yards. … Deveonte Wyatt blocked an extra point for the Blue Dragons in the fourth quarter. The ball was returned by Storey Jackson for an apparent defensive 2-point conversion, but the score was wiped out on a penalty.