[ By STEVE CARPENTER ]

[ HCC SPORTS INFORMATION ]

Photo courtesy of Joel Powers, HCC Sports Information

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The No. 2-ranked Hutchinson Community College men’s basketball team needed one victory to clinch back-to-back Jayhawk Conference championships on Wednesday night.

The Blue Dragons led by 25 points with 11:36 remaining in the game. They then had to survive a furious Cougar rally as the game was one-possession difference in the final minute. But the Blue Dragons survived and defeated the rival Cougars 95-89.

Hutchinson improves to 25-1 overall  and 21-1 in the Jayhawk Conference. The Blue Dragons now have a five-game lead over the Cougars with four games to play.

Hutchinson win’s its 36th Jayhawk Conference men’s basketball championship in team history and its the first time the Blue Dragons have repeated as league champions since the 1987 and 1988 seasons.

Samajae Haynes-Jones, who became the 15th Blue Dragon in team history to reach the 1,000 career point plateau, finished wtih a game-high 24 points on 8 of 12 shooting. J.J. Rhymes had 22 points.

Shakur Juiston finished with a double-double of 18 points and 15 rebounds. James Conley finished with 12 points and eight assists.

[ By STEVE CARPENTER ]

[ HCC SPORTS INFORMATION ]

Photo courtesy of Joel Powers, HCC Sports Information

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Sophomore Inja Butina had 17 points and eight rebounds to lead the No. 2-ranked Hutchinson Community College women’s basketball team to a 63-44 Jayhawk Conference victory over the Barton Cougars on Wednesday at the Sports Arena.

Hutchinson wins its 23rd consecutive game and improves to 25-1 overall and 21-1 in the Jayhawk Conference, which maintains its share of first place in the league.

Butina was 7 of 8 shooting from the field, including 3 of 3 from 3-point range to power the Blue Dragons past the Cougars. Lakin Preisner had 10 points, hitting a pair of big 3-pointers.

Hutchinson shot 50 percent from the field (26 of 52), going 6 of 11 from 3-point range.

Defensively, the Blue Dragons held Barton to 30.6 percent shooting (15 of 49), including 5 of 23 in the second half.

CHANUTE, Kan. —

2016-17 Hutchinson Blue Dragon Women’s Basketballl – Game Box Score
Neosho County vs. Hutchinson
Date: 02/01/2017   Time: 5:30 p.m.   Site: NCCC Gym, Chanute, KS   Attendance: Unknown

Visitors: Hutchinson
##	Name	P	FG	3 Pt	FT	PTS	ORB	DRB	TR	PF	AST	TO	BS	ST	MIN
1	* Lakin Preisner	G	4/9	2/7	0/0	10	1	8	9	1	2	2	1	1	27:58
2	Brenna McClure	G	3/6	0/1	4/5	10	0	1	1	1	5	0	1	4	18:49
3	Brianna Bradshaw	G	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	1	1	0	1	1	0	0	4:17
5	* Inja Butina	G	2/5	2/4	0/0	6	0	2	2	3	3	2	0	0	15:19
11	Alicia Brown	G	4/8	1/1	1/2	10	3	1	4	3	0	1	1	2	20:15
20	* Taylor Stahly	G	7/10	5/8	0/0	19	1	2	3	1	3	3	0	0	27:41
21	Cassidy Enns	F	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	1:57
22	Shayla DeGarmo	G	0/1	0/0	2/2	2	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	1	9:58
23	Kyla Williams	F	3/5	0/0	1/2	7	2	2	4	4	2	2	0	2	19:00
24	* Kirea Rogers	F	5/9	0/0	6/8	16	3	7	10	3	0	4	1	1	23:52
30	Kayla Barber	F	2/6	0/1	0/0	4	1	1	2	3	1	1	1	0	10:29
32	* Bride Kennedy-Hopoate	F	4/10	0/0	1/1	9	3	2	5	0	5	1	4	0	20:25
	Team						2	0	2
	Totals		34/69	10/22	15/20	93	16	28	44	19	24	17	9	11	200
Total FG 1st Half 19/39 48.7% 2nd Half 15/30 50.0% Game 34/69 49.3% 3 PT FG 1st Half 5/14 35.7% 2nd Half 5/8 62.5% Game 10/22 45.5% Free Throws 1st Half 10/14 71.4% 2nd Half 5/6 83.3% Game 15/20 75.0%
Home: Neosho County
##	Name	P	FG	3 Pt	FT	PTS	ORB	DRB	TR	PF	AST	TO	BS	ST	MIN
2	Caitlin Williams		0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	DNP
3	Ali Brown		0/2	0/0	6/8	6	0	2	2	1	0	0	0	0	11:21
10	Amy Zepeda		0/1	0/0	0/0	0	0	0	0	1	1	2	0	1	14:40
11	Lindsey Plank		2/4	2/3	0/0	6	0	3	3	1	0	1	0	1	26:14
12	Kelsie Kerns		0/4	0/3	0/0	0	0	0	0	1	3	5	0	0	16:11
13	* Brooke Neal		2/9	0/2	2/2	6	2	1	3	1	0	7	0	1	18:09
15	Beth Hawkins		1/6	1/5	0/0	3	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	1	17:38
20	Brooklynn Sumonja		1/5	1/2	0/0	3	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	10:00
21	* Jhanai Felix		1/7	0/2	0/0	2	0	2	2	0	1	1	0	2	18:13
22	* Ki’Asha Harris		3/5	0/0	2/4	8	0	4	4	0	0	3	0	0	13:48
23	* Bianca Valderrama		0/2	0/0	0/0	0	1	5	6	4	1	3	0	0	13:46
24	* Madison Sibert		2/3	0/0	0/0	4	0	1	1	3	0	2	0	2	17:19
30	LaQuazion Minnis		3/4	0/0	1/4	7	3	2	5	4	0	2	0	2	18:57
32	Janae Welles		0/1	0/0	0/0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3:44
33	Don’tajah Jones		0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	DNP
	Team						3	1	4
	Totals		15/53	4/17	11/18	45	9	21	30	17	7	28	0	10	200
Total FG 1st Half 7/27 25.9% 2nd Half 8/26 30.8% Game 15/53 28.3% 3 PT FG 1st Half 1/7 14.3% 2nd Half 3/10 30.0% Game 4/17 23.5% Free Throws 1st Half 3/4 75.0% 2nd Half 8/14 57.1% Game 11/18 61.1%
Hut NCCC Hut NCCC Hut NCCC Free Throw Pts 15 11 3Pt Points 30 12 Pts/Possession 1.18 0.56 Pts off Turnovers 19 11 2nd Chance Points 20 12 Pts off Bench 33 25 Total Rebounds 44 30 Team Rebounds 2 4 Dead Ball Reb 3 8 Off Rebound % 43.2 24.3 Def Rebound % 75.7 56.8 Total Rebound % 59.5 40.5 3Pt Efficiency +11.4 +3.2 Def. Stops 56 38 Pts/Shot 1.18 0.73 Technical Fouls Hut None NCCC None Officials Unknown
Qtr 1 Qtr 2 Qtr 3 Qtr 4 OT 1 OT 2 OT 3 OT 4 Total Hutchinson 18 35 21 19 0 0 0 0 93 Neosho County 8 10 13 14 0 0 0 0 45

Largest Lead	NCCC 40 Hut 93   (53 pts)	Lead Changes	0	Number of Ties	0
Comments:	None

2016-17 Hutchinson Blue Dragon Men’s Basketball – Game Box Score
Neosho County vs. Hutchinson
Date: 02/01/2017   Time: 7:30 p.m.   Site: NCCC Gym, Chanute, KS   Attendance: Unknown

Visitors: Hutchinson
##	Name	P	FG	3 Pt	FT	PTS	ORB	DRB	TR	PF	AST	TO	BS	ST	MIN
0	* Shakur Juiston	F	9/13	0/0	5/7	23	4	5	9	3	2	2	1	0	24:50
1	* James Conley	G	2/6	1/2	3/4	8	0	4	4	2	7	0	1	2	31:36
2	Devonte Bandoo	G	6/12	2/6	1/2	15	3	1	4	2	5	0	0	1	24:03
3	Tiylar Cotton	G	1/2	1/2	0/0	3	0	1	1	1	2	0	0	0	10:23
5	Fatir Hines	F	2/2	0/0	0/0	4	0	1	1	2	1	1	1	1	8:23
10	* Samajae Haynes-Jones	G	9/15	5/10	0/0	23	0	3	3	1	3	0	0	3	28:03
11	* J.J. Rhymes	F	1/5	0/0	0/0	2	1	3	4	2	1	0	1	0	20:20
12	Davon Gill	F	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	DNP
14	Sal Nuhu	F	2/3	0/0	3/5	7	1	4	5	2	1	4	4	3	10:14
20	Kai Mitchell	G	0/4	0/0	3/4	3	1	2	3	1	3	1	1	2	20:58
24	Trent Webster	G	2/3	1/2	0/0	5	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	3:57
32	* Nikola Scekic	C	4/6	0/0	0/0	8	0	3	3	0	0	3	1	0	11:39
33	Kyle Patrick	G	0/1	0/1	0/0	0	0	1	1	2	0	0	0	0	5:34
	Team						2	3	5
	Totals		38/72	10/23	15/22	101	12	31	43	18	25	12	10	12	200
Total FG 1st Half 15/35 42.9% 2nd Half 23/37 62.2% Game 38/72 52.8% 3 PT FG 1st Half 3/10 30.0% 2nd Half 7/13 53.8% Game 10/23 43.5% Free Throws 1st Half 7/10 70.0% 2nd Half 8/12 66.7% Game 15/22 68.2%
Home: Neosho County
##	Name	P	FG	3 Pt	FT	PTS	ORB	DRB	TR	PF	AST	TO	BS	ST	MIN
0	Tucker Thompson		0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	DNP
1	Mathew Donart		1/1	0/0	0/0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2:08
3	Daran Lee		0/3	0/0	0/0	0	1	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	2:41
4	Marc Moon		0/8	0/1	1/2	1	1	3	4	1	5	1	1	0	19:38
5	Dion Union		0/2	0/0	0/0	0	1	2	3	1	0	3	0	0	12:44
12	* Malik Kuwornu		2/6	0/0	2/4	6	5	7	12	2	1	3	2	2	29:45
15	* Lewis Freeman		4/13	1/5	2/2	11	2	3	5	2	0	1	0	1	31:47
20	Braden Larcom		0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	DNP
21	* Preston Ellis		8/12	0/0	3/4	19	0	4	4	1	0	2	1	2	29:57
23	* Austin Downing		4/8	0/1	4/9	12	2	0	2	2	9	3	1	1	26:43
24	* Kyle Smith		3/7	2/5	0/0	8	0	3	3	2	0	1	0	0	31:44
25	Ivan Hughes		0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	DNP
33	Travon Bunch		5/9	0/0	2/4	12	1	3	4	5	0	1	2	1	12:53
	Team						2	1	3
	Totals		27/69	3/12	14/25	71	15	27	42	16	15	15	7	7	200
Total FG 1st Half 14/41 34.1% 2nd Half 13/28 46.4% Game 27/69 39.1% 3 PT FG 1st Half 2/5 40.0% 2nd Half 1/7 14.3% Game 3/12 25.0% Free Throws 1st Half 5/6 83.3% 2nd Half 9/19 47.4% Game 14/25 56.0%
Hutch NCCC Hutch NCCC Hutch NCCC Free Throw Pts 15 14 3Pt Points 30 9 Pts/Possession 1.25 0.88 Pts off Turnovers 20 11 2nd Chance Points 9 12 Pts off Bench 37 15 Total Rebounds 43 42 Team Rebounds 5 3 Dead Ball Reb 2 7 Off Rebound % 30.8 32.6 Def Rebound % 67.4 69.2 Total Rebound % 50.6 49.4 3Pt Efficiency +5.4 -3.1 Def. Stops 46 39 Pts/Shot 1.22 0.88 Technical Fouls Hutch None NCCC None Officials Unknown
1st Half 2nd Half OT 1 OT 2 OT 3 OT 4 Total Hutchinson 40 61 0 0 0 0 101 Neosho County 35 36 0 0 0 0 71

Largest Lead	NCCC 66 Hutch 99   (33 pts)	Lead Changes	6	Number of Ties	8
Comments:	None

Courtesy of Steve Carpenter, HCC SID

DODGE CITY, Kan. — In what was supposed to be a close game, the Blue Dragons used a run that ended the first half and lasted into the first five minutes of the second half to demolish the Conquistadors. Dodge City was tied for second place behind the Dragons in conference play. HCC slammed home multiple jams in a game that displayed shades of a dunk contest.

2016-17 Hutchinson Blue Dragon Men’s Basketball – Game Box Score
Dodge City vs. Hutchinson
Date: 01/13/2017   Time: 7:30 p.m.   Site: Student Activity Center, Dodge City, KS   Attendance: Unknown

Visitors: Hutchinson
##	Name	P	FG	3 Pt	FT	PTS	ORB	DRB	TR	PF	AST	TO	BS	ST	MIN
0	* Shakur Juiston	F	8/9	0/0	1/4	17	2	9	11	1	2	4	0	5	28:30
1	* James Conley	G	5/7	1/2	0/2	11	0	4	4	0	7	0	0	3	29:30
2	Devonte Bandoo	G	5/7	0/1	1/2	11	0	1	1	2	0	1	0	1	15:36
3	Tiylar Cotton	G	1/2	0/1	0/0	2	0	1	1	1	0	0	0	0	11:26
5	Fatir Hines	F	1/3	0/0	5/6	7	0	0	0	3	1	1	0	0	13:32
10	* Samajae Haynes-Jones	G	8/15	3/5	5/5	24	2	3	5	0	2	2	0	2	30:45
11	* J.J. Rhymes	F	2/11	0/2	2/2	6	1	2	3	1	3	2	0	1	27:34
12	Davon Gill	F	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	DNP
14	Sal Nuhu	F	2/4	0/0	2/3	6	1	2	3	2	1	2	1	0	12:27
20	Kai Mitchell	G	2/3	0/0	2/2	6	3	6	9	1	1	2	1	0	13:24
24	Trent Webster	G	0/1	0/1	0/0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3:33
32	* Nikola Scekic	C	1/6	0/0	0/0	2	0	1	1	2	0	1	0	0	10:10
33	Kyle Patrick	G	0/1	0/1	0/0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3:33
	Team						0	2	2
	Totals		35/69	4/13	18/26	92	9	31	40	13	17	15	2	12	200
Total FG 1st Half 18/37 48.6% 2nd Half 17/32 53.1% Game 35/69 50.7% 3 PT FG 1st Half 2/7 28.6% 2nd Half 2/6 33.3% Game 4/13 30.8% Free Throws 1st Half 12/14 85.7% 2nd Half 6/12 50.0% Game 18/26 69.2%
Home: Dodge City
##	Name	P	FG	3 Pt	FT	PTS	ORB	DRB	TR	PF	AST	TO	BS	ST	MIN
1	Nick Noskowiak		2/5	2/5	0/0	6	0	1	1	2	1	2	0	0	24:20
3	Trey Grundy III		1/4	0/0	0/0	2	0	1	1	0	0	1	0	0	14:01
5	* Josh Boutte		6/13	0/0	2/2	14	3	3	6	4	0	3	0	0	18:49
10	* Harris Brown		5/13	4/9	0/0	14	2	3	5	2	1	7	0	2	27:53
11	* Dreon Lewis		6/12	0/0	1/2	13	1	4	5	4	1	2	1	0	27:50
12	Mario Ponds		0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	DNP
15	Trevon Evans		1/1	1/1	1/2	4	0	2	2	2	1	1	0	0	9:01
20	* Kourtney Ware		2/9	1/5	2/2	7	1	1	2	2	1	1	0	0	23:38
21	Marquis McCray		0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	DNP
22	Aaron Williams		0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	DNP
23	* Mike Jones		0/1	0/1	0/0	0	1	2	3	2	8	4	0	1	23:21
25	Dayton McGroarty		1/4	0/1	2/4	4	2	2	4	1	0	2	0	0	13:17
32	Matt Lebegue		0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	DNP
34	Brandon Miller		0/4	0/2	2/2	2	1	3	4	1	0	0	1	1	17:50
	Team						2	4	6			1
	Totals		24/66	8/24	10/14	66	13	26	39	20	13	24	2	4	200
Total FG 1st Half 15/39 38.5% 2nd Half 9/27 33.3% Game 24/66 36.4% 3 PT FG 1st Half 3/12 25.0% 2nd Half 5/12 41.7% Game 8/24 33.3% Free Throws 1st Half 3/4 75.0% 2nd Half 7/10 70.0% Game 10/14 71.4%
Hutch DCCC Hutch DCCC Hutch DCCC Free Throw Pts 18 10 3Pt Points 12 24 Pts/Possession 1.06 0.79 Pts off Turnovers 32 9 2nd Chance Points 15 14 Pts off Bench 32 18 Total Rebounds 40 39 Team Rebounds 2 6 Dead Ball Reb 7 2 Off Rebound % 25.7 29.5 Def Rebound % 70.5 74.3 Total Rebound % 50.6 49.4 3Pt Efficiency -6.1 +7.9 Def. Stops 55 41 Pts/Shot 1.12 0.90 Technical Fouls Hutch None DCCC None Officials Unknown
1st Half 2nd Half OT 1 OT 2 OT 3 OT 4 Total Hutchinson 50 42 0 0 0 0 92 Dodge City 36 30 0 0 0 0 66

Largest Lead	DCCC 57 Hutch 90   (33 pts)	Lead Changes	2			Number of Ties	1
Comments:	Non

Box Score courtesy of Steve Carpenter, HCC Sports Information

DODGE CITY, Kan. — Despite lacking the normal fire power, the Blue Dragons jumped out to an early lead against the Conquistadors and allowed only one free throw in the opening quarter.

2016-17 Hutchinson CC Women’s Basketball – Game Box Score
Dodge City vs. Hutchinson
Date: 01/13/2017   Time: 5:30 p.m.   Site: Student Activity Center, Dodge City, KS   Attendance: Unknown

Visitors: Hutchinson
##	Name	P	FG	3 Pt	FT	PTS	ORB	DRB	TR	PF	AST	TO	BS	ST	MIN
1	* Lakin Preisner	G	2/6	2/5	0/0	6	0	6	6	0	1	2	1	1	20:50
2	Brenna McClure	G	1/5	1/3	3/4	6	0	3	3	3	4	4	1	5	26:43
3	Brianna Bradshaw	G	1/4	0/1	0/0	2	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	10:00
5	* Inja Butina	G	2/4	0/1	0/0	4	0	3	3	3	4	1	0	2	20:51
11	Alicia Brown	G	1/4	0/2	3/4	5	1	6	7	2	1	1	0	0	20:33
20	* Taylor Stahly	G	2/7	2/6	1/2	7	1	4	5	0	3	1	0	3	24:16
21	Cassidy Enns	F	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	DNP
22	Shayla DeGarmo	G	1/4	0/3	0/0	2	0	1	1	3	0	0	0	1	11:20
23	Kyla Williams	F	2/7	0/0	4/6	8	2	4	6	4	0	1	0	0	24:18
24	* Kirea Rogers	F	3/5	0/0	5/6	11	5	1	6	4	0	3	2	1	16:32
30	Kayla Barber	F	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	DNP
32	* Bride Kennedy-Hopoate	F	5/9	0/0	4/6	14	4	5	9	2	0	5	0	0	24:37
	Team						2	3	5
	Totals		20/55	5/21	20/28	65	16	36	52	21	13	18	4	13	200
Total FG 1st Half 12/30 40.0% 2nd Half 8/25 32.0% Game 20/55 36.4% 3 PT FG 1st Half 2/10 20.0% 2nd Half 3/11 27.3% Game 5/21 23.8% Free Throws 1st Half 6/12 50.0% 2nd Half 14/16 87.5% Game 20/28 71.4%
Home: Dodge City
##	Name	P	FG	3 Pt	FT	PTS	ORB	DRB	TR	PF	AST	TO	BS	ST	MIN
5	Dasia Johnson		1/8	0/2	4/6	6	1	1	2	2	2	5	0	0	24:42
14	Denis Ortiz		1/4	0/1	1/2	3	0	1	1	0	0	1	0	0	16:46
21	Jakyia Chambers		0/1	0/0	0/0	0	1	0	1	5	1	0	0	0	11:29
22	* Kyra Fennell		0/2	0/1	0/0	0	1	1	2	3	1	2	0	3	26:29
23	* Cardelia Allen		1/4	0/0	3/4	5	1	3	4	1	0	5	0	1	22:25
31	* Alexus Johnson		5/16	3/9	2/5	15	1	4	5	2	0	2	1	1	28:57
32	* Bary Shelor		1/6	0/1	3/4	5	1	5	6	2	1	3	1	1	25:00
34	* Taylor Nichols		2/8	2/6	0/0	6	0	1	1	1	0	0	0	2	29:17
35	Dakota Hoffman		0/2	0/0	0/0	0	3	0	3	3	0	1	0	0	14:55
	Team						1	2	3			1
	Totals		11/51	5/20	13/21	40	10	18	28	18	5	20	2	8	200
Total FG 1st Half 4/25 16.0% 2nd Half 7/26 26.9% Game 11/51 21.6% 3 PT FG 1st Half 3/14 21.4% 2nd Half 2/6 33.3% Game 5/20 25.0% Free Throws 1st Half 2/4 50.0% 2nd Half 11/17 64.7% Game 13/21 61.9%
Hut DCCC Hut DCCC Hut DCCC Free Throw Pts 20 13 3Pt Points 15 15 Pts/Possession 0.92 0.56 Pts off Turnovers 13 10 2nd Chance Points 13 6 Pts off Bench 23 9 Total Rebounds 52 28 Team Rebounds 5 3 Dead Ball Reb 9 2 Off Rebound % 47.1 21.7 Def Rebound % 78.3 52.9 Total Rebound % 65.0 35.0 3Pt Efficiency -5.6 +12.1 Def. Stops 56 36 Pts/Shot 0.94 0.66 Technical Fouls Hut None DCCC Alexus Johnson(Flagrant) Officials Unknown
Qtr 1 Qtr 2 Qtr 3 Qtr 4 OT 1 OT 2 OT 3 OT 4 Total Hutchinson 15 17 26 7 0 0 0 0 65 Dodge City 1 12 12 15 0 0 0 0 40

Largest Lead	DCCC 25 Hut 60   (35 pts)	Lead Changes	0			Number of Ties	0
Comments:	None

Box score courtesy of Steve Carpenter, HCC Sports Information

[ By STEVE CARPENTER ]

[ HCC SPORTS INFORMATION ]

Photo courtesy of Joel Powers, HCC Sports Information

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Freshman Kai Mitchell‘s first career double-double was a needed spark that helped the No. 2 Hutchinson Community College men’s basketball team to its 16th-consecutive victory to start the season on Wednesday at the Sports Arena.

Mitchell had 17 points and 17 rebounds to lead the Blue Dragons to an 80-63 Jayhawk Conference victory over the Independence Pirates. The victory improves the Blue Dragons to 16-0 overall and 12-0 in the Jayhawk Conference. Independence falls to 7-8 overall and 4-8 in the league.

Hutchinson’s 16-0 start matches the 2003-04 and 2015-16 Blue Dragons for the fifth-best start in program history.

A big part of winning No. 16 was Mitchell, who posted career highs in both points and rebounds. Mitchell was 6 of 9 from the field and 5 of 6 from the free-throw line to lead the Blue Dragons offensively. His 17 rebounds tied for the sixth-most in a game in team history.

Mitchell had 15 points and nine rebounds in the first half as Hutch and Indy battled back and forth with five lead changes in the opening 20 minutes. Trailing 19-18, Mitchell scored with 7:38 left for the fifth lead change of the half. He had three more buckets, including a dunk to help Hutch build a lead as large as six points and ultimately lead 33-27 at halftime.

Hutchinson tied a season-low offensive output, matching the 80 points scored against Cloud County on Nov. 16. The Blue Dragons shot better than 50 percent for the 10th time this season at 51.9 percent (28 of 54). The Dragons were 2 of 10 from 3-point range and 22 of 30 from the free-throw line.

Five players scored in double figures. Sophomore Samajae Haynes-Jones and freshman J.J. Rhymes had 15 points each. Sophomore Shakur Juiston had 14 points and seven rebounds. Sophomore James Conley added 10 points, six rebounds, five assists and four steals.

Hutchinson had a 45-32 rebounding advantage.

DaJon Stretter had a game-high 20 points with nine rebounds and two assists to lead Independence. Shawntez Scroggins was next with 10 points.

The Pirates shot 38.1 percent (24 of 63), going 4 of 23 from 3-point range and 11 of 22 from the free-throw line.

Hutchinson got off to a slow start offensively as Independence held small and short-lived leads of 13-11 and 17-15. Five-straight points – two from Mitchell and three from Rhymes – helped the Dragons lead 23-19 with 6:27 to play in the half.

The Pirates cut the lead to one twice, the second time at 25-24 after a Jaylin Grant basket. Five unanswered Hutch points, four from Mitchell on a short basket and then a dunk gave Hutch a 30-24 lead with 43 seconds to play in the half. DeAnthony McCallum hit Indy’s only 3-pointer of the half on 12 attempts to half, Hutch’s lead. Conley came up with the answer with a 3-pointer with 5 seconds to play in the half which gave Hutch a 33-27 halftime lead.

A Rhymes’ layup with 12:27 to play in the second half gave Hutch a 47-36 lead. The Pirates got within seven points twice. Mitchell hit two free throws with 9:41 to play to stop the first Indy run and lead 53-44. The second run was stopped by a Juiston basket with 5:10 to go which gave Hutch a 66-57 lead.

From that point, the Dragons had to do most of the scoring from the free-throw line with only two field goals over the final 5 minutes of the game. Hutch’s defense held Independence to the same two field goals over the same stretch. Hutch was 14 of 16 from the line in the final 5 minutes, while Indy was 2 of 2.

The Blue Dragons outscored Independence 47-36 in the final 20 minutes shooting 57.7 percent (15 of 26). Indy shot 43.3 percent in the second half (13 of 30).

[ By STEVE CARPENTER ]

[ HCC SPORTS INFORMATION ]

Photo courtesy of Joel Powers, HCC Sports Information

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Sophomore Bride Kennedy-Hopoate and redshirt freshman Brenna McClure combined for 34 points and the Hutchinson Community College women’s basketball team held Independence to a season-low offensive output to secure the No. 6 Blue Dragons’ 13th-consecutive victory on Wednesday at the Sports Arena.

After creating distance in the opening quarter, the Blue Dragons broke the game open with a dominant second period as Hutchinson rolled to an 83-44 victory, which was the 12th-straight win over the Pirates in series history.

The Blue Dragons improve to 15-1 overall and 11-1 in the Jayhawk Conference. The Pirates fall to 7-9 and 4-8.

Hutchinson led 24-12 after one quarter and led 33-18with 6:23 to play in the second quarter. The Blue Dragons took command of the game by holding the Pirates scoreless for 5 minutes, 50 seconds and scored 14 unanswered points. When Kennedy-Hopoate scored to complete the run, Hutch boosted its lead to 47-18 with 2:20 to play in the half.

The Blue Dragons’ Jayhawk Conference-leading defense stifled the Pirates to 20 points less than their season average, to 32.1 percent overall shooting and 2 of 10 from 3-point range and forced 26 Indy turnovers.

Kennedy-Hopoate was a perfect 8 of 8 shooting from the field to finish with 17 points. She also had seven rebounds and three assists. Kennedy-Hopoate scored nine points in the opening quarter.

McClure scored in double figures for a second-straight game, tying for game-high honors with 17 points. McClure dished out a game-high six assists with three rebounds and two steals.

Sophomore Inja Butina was the only other Blue Dragon to score in double figures with 10 points, hitting 2 of 4 from 3-point range.

Butina moved into second place on the career assist list with four assists against the Pirates. Now with 323 career assists, Butina is 10 assists shy of passing K.C. Hilgenkamp for the career assist record. Butina also tied for seventh on the career steals list with 143 after four steals against the Pirates.

Sophomore Taylor Stahly hit three 3-pointers and finished with nine points.

Hutchinson hit 31 of 70 total shots (44.3 percent), going 10 of 26 from 3-point range and 11 of 14 from the free-throw line. Hutch out-rebounded Independence 40-36.

Jordan Schoenberger had 17 points on 7 of 10 shooting to lead the Pirates, who hit 18 of 56 shots from the floor and 2 of 10 from the 3-point line. Erica Moore had 10 points.

After two early ties, the Blue Dragons scored 10 unanswered points in the middle stages of the opening quarter. Kennedy-Hopoate scored five points in the run and when freshman Alicia Brown drilled a 3-pointer with 2:48 to go, Hutch led 17-7. Five-straight points and Butina added a drive to the basket for a score to open a 24-11 lead with 24 seconds to play in the quarter. Hutch led 24-12 after one period, hitting 9 of 20 shots from the field.

Leading 26-14, the Blue Dragons dominated the rest of the second period with a 21-4 run. Kyla Williams scored in transition and Lakin Preisner hit a 2- and 3-point goal to push the lead to 33-14 with 7:33 to play. After back-to-back Pirate baskets, the Blue Dragons reeled off 14-unanswered points to lead 47-18 with 2:20 to play in the half. Hutch was 10 of 18 shooting in the period to 4 of 13 from Independence and the Dragons led 47-20 at intermission.

A 6-0 run late in the third quarter helped Hutch increase its lead to more than 30 for the first time. A Brianna Bradshaw layup gave Hutch a 63-30 lead with 1:24 to go in the quarter. A 16-0 run over a 4-minute, 40-second stretch of the final quarter helped Hutch build a game-high 48-point lead at 81-33 with 5:03 to play after another Bradshaw layup. Indy closed the game on an 11-2 run.

[ By STEVE CARPENTER ]

[ HCC SPORTS INFORMATION ]

Photo courtesy of Joel Powers, HCC Sports Information

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — One year ago this week, the Cowley Tigers handed the then-No. 1 Hutchinson Community College men’s basketball team a 113-111 triple-overtime loss that knocked the Blue Dragons from that lofty perch.

Opening the second-semester schedule against the Tigers for the second-straight year at the Sports Arena, the No. 2-ranked Blue Dragons scored 30 of the game’s first 34 points over the first 7 minutes, 50 seconds of the game and cruised to a 100-84 Jayhawk Conference victory.

The Blue Dragons improve to 14-0 overall and 10-0 in the Jayhawk Conference entering Saturday’s 4 p.m. game at Allen in Iola. The Tigers fall to 7-7 overall and 4-6 in conference play.

Playing for the first time since December 10, the Blue Dragons showed very little rust early. Leading 8-4 with 16:32 remaining in the first half. Back-to-back dunks from Shakur Juiston and J.J Rhymes started a 22-0 Blue Dragon scoring run. When Samajae Haynes-Jones converted a three-point play with 12:21 remaining in the opening half, Hutchinson led 30-4.

The Blue Dragons shot 52.6 percent in the opening half in building a game-high 28-point lead at 50-22 before leading 54-29 at halftime. The Tigers hit seven second-half 3-pointers and shot 54.5 percent in the final 20 minutes to cut the Dragon lead to as small as 10 points in the second half.

Juiston scored a career-high 27 points on 10 of 16 shooting and 7 of 7 from the free-throw line to lead the Blue Dragons. He posted his eighth double-double of the season with 12 rebounds. Juiston added six assists and four steals to his strong effort.

Only five Blue Dragons scored in the game, all five in double figures.

Haynes-Jones finished 22 points, including three 3-pointers. . Rhymes and Bandoo scored 18 points each. Bandoo added seven rebounds, while Rhymes had five boards. Sophomore James Conley kicked in 15 points.

The Blue Dragons finished shooting 50.7 percent from the floor (36 of 71), going 4 of 15 from 3-point range and 24 of 31 from the free-throw line. Hutch out-rebounded Cowley 43-38, but surrendered 18 offensive rebounds.

Kyrece Mills was 9 of 11 shooting for 18 team-high points to lead the Tigers. Mike’l Simms had 12 points on four 3-pointers. Justin Jones and Derieko Smith scored 10 each for the Tigers.

Cowley finished at 44.3 percent from the floor (35 of 79), including 10 of 28 from 3-point range and 4-9 from the free-throw line. The Tigers turned the ball over 17 times.

Five different players scored in Hutchinson’s 22-0 run in the first half. Bandoo and Juiston both converted three-point plays to help Hutch build a 19-4 lead with 13:52 to play. Back-to-back Haynes-Jones 3-point goals made it 25-4 with 13:03 to go. Haynes-Jones then completed a three-point play to build a staggering 30-4 lead with 12:21 to go in the opening half.

Cowley outscored Hutch 17-11 over the next 5 1/2 minutes to cut the Dragon lead to 41-22 with 6:56 left. Hutchinson answered with a quick 11-2 run to lead 52-24 with 1:16 left after two Rhymes free throws. Hutchinson hit 20 of 38 shots in the first half and led 54-29 at halftime.

With Hutch leading 58-33, Cowley scored nine unanswered points to cut that down to 16 points with 15:28 to go. Another 8-0 Tiger run saw the Hutch lead shrink to 78-67 with 6:17 remaining. A Brian Harness 3-pointer with 5:04 to go cut the Dragon lead to 82-72.

Hutch broke the Cowley press late to regain control of the game. The Dragons reached the 100-point mark for the fifth time this season with a Bandoo layup after breaking the press with 1:01 to play in the game.

[ By STEVE CARPENTER ]

[ HCC SPORTS INFORMATION ]

Photo courtesy of Joel Powers, HCC Sports Information

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Sophomore Taylor Stahly sank five 3-pointers, sophomore Kirea Rogers posted another double-double and the Hutchinson Community College women’s basketball team’s defense frustrated Cowley as the Blue Dragons captured a 10th-straight victory on Wednesday at the Sports Arena.

The No. 8 Blue Dragons earned their second victory this season over a nationally ranked opponent with an 80-60 victory over the No. 18 Tigers to stay one game behind Jayhawk Conference first-place Seward County. The Blue Dragons improve to 12-1 overall. The third-place Tigers fall to 11-3 and 7-3 in league play. This was Hutchinson’s sixth-consecutive victory over the Tigers.

The Blue Dragons held Cowley to its lowest offensive output and lowest shooting percentage (31.1 percent) of the season. The Dragons also forced a Cowley season-high 22 turnovers. Hutchinson’s defense held Amy O’Neil – Cowley’s leading scorer at 18.9 points per game – to one point on 0 of 11 shooting.

The Blue Dragons led 18-9 after one quarter and then broke the game open with an 8-0 run to open the second period to lead 26-9 with 6:57 remaining in the opening half. Hutch’s lead grew to as many as 27 points in the second half.

Stahly led the Blue Dragons with a game-high and season-high 21 points, going 5 of 10 from 3-point range – Stahly’s second-straight game with five 3-pointers.

Rogers posted her fourth double-double of the season and 12th of her career with 13 points and a season-high-tying 13 rebounds. Rogers also had three steals and three blocked shots, which moved her into ninth place on Hutchinson’s career blocks chart with 61 rejections in her Blue Dragon career.

Sophomore Inja Butina was the only other Blue Dragons to score in double figures with 10 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Freshmen Brenna McClure and Alicia Brown both came off the bench to score nine points. Bride Kennedy-Hopoate had eight points.

The Blue Dragons shot 39.3 percent overall (24 of 51), hitting 5 of 10 from 3-point range and 27 of 32 from the free-throw line. The Blue Dragons out-rebounded Cowley 50-36. Hutch had 18 turnovers.

Bridget Mimmo had 14 points to lead the defending Region VI champion Tigers. Rhiannon Mae Laing and Kendra Green had 11 points each.

The Tigers hit 19 of 61 total shots, going 8 of 29 from 3-point range and 14 of 21 from the free-throw line.

Tied at 7-all in the early stages of the game, a Kennedy-Hopoate bucket with 7:04 to play ignited a run of eight-straight points that gave Hutch a 15-7 lead after a Brown free throw with 4:03 to play in the opening quarter. Brown scored again with 1:51 left to give Hutch an 18-9 lead and Brown, Rogers, McClure and Butina all scored to open the second quarter to lead 26-12 with 6:38 to go in the quarter.

Samantha Schwab’s two free throws with 2:01 to go in the second quarter helped Cowley cut the deficit to 35-24, but Stahly knocked down her fifth 3-pointer of the half and McClure added two free throws with 5 seconds left to give Hutchinson a 40-24 lead at halftime.

The Blue Dragons went without a field goal for 5 minutes, 55 seconds in the third quarter, but held Cowley to 4 of 16 shooting in the period. Hutch did most of its damage from the foul line going 11 of 12 in the period. Leading 58-38 in the final seconds of the third quarter, Shayla DeGarmo hit a jumper with 4 seconds left. McClure then severely damaged Cowley’s comeback chances with a steal of the inbound pass and layup just before the third-quarter buzzer to give the Dragons a 62-39 lead.

The Blue Dragons used another 9-0 run  in the fourth quarter to build a 75-48 lead after two Rogers free throws with 3:01 left in the game. Cowley scored eight-straight points to cut the lead to 75-46.

Hutchinson travels to Allen on Saturday for a 2 p.m. game with the Red Devils in Iola.