(BY STEVE CARPENTER)
(HUTCHINSON CC SPORTS INFORMATION)

The Hutchinson Community College men’s basketball team goes after a fifth-straight win to start the season on Tuesday night when the Northeastern Oklahoma A&M Golden Norse come into the Sports Arena at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

The game will be broadcast live on Blue Dragon flagship station KHUT-FM (102.9) and on sister stations KWBW-AM/FM at 7:20 p.m. with Glen Grunwald (play-by-play) and Dan Naccarato (color) calling the action. The game will also be streamed on the Blue Dragon Sports Network at 7:20 p.m.

The Blue Dragons enter the game with a 4-0 record after four decisive victories over Eastern Oklahoma State, Midland College, Murray State and Labette. The Blue Dragons are averaging 91.0 points per game and allowing 62.8.

NEO is 2-1 overall, but 0-1 against NJCAA goes. The Golden Norsemen have two wins over the Oklahoma Wesleyan Junior Varsity, but dropped a 62-60 decision to Coffeyville on a buzzer-beater last Wednesday.

Tuesday night’s matchup will be the 24th between the Blue Dragons and Golden Norsemen. Hutchinson has a 15-8 record against NEO, including six consecutive wins against the Norsemen.

The Dragons have dominated the last more meetings, including the last meeting two years ago – Hutch won 87-42 on November 4, 2017. The Dragons have won the last four by an average of 32.5 points per game. The closest game in recent series history came on November 16, 2013 when the Blue Dragons grinded out a 108-105 double-overtime victory over the Norsemen.

NEO’s last win in the series came November 30, 1996 in an 88-85 win at the Sports Arena.

The Blue Dragons have been very balanced so far with four players averaging in double figures led by guard Tyler Brown at 16.8 points per game. Freshman Josh Baker averages 14.3 points per game, sophomore Saquan Singleton averaged 11.5 points and freshman Josh Ursery is at 10.0 points per game.

The Blue Dragons have shot better than 50 percent in 3 of 4 games and are shooting 50.4 percent overall. The Dragons are averaging 8.0 3-pointers per game and are shooting 43.8 percent from distance.

NEO is averaging 85.7 points per game while shooting 48.9 percent overall and 38.2 percent from long range. Defensively the Golden Norsemen are allowing 58.0 points per game.

Sophomore point guard Rudi Williams is NEO’s top scorer at 19.7 points per game. He is shooting 54.1 percent and is averaging 6.7 rebounds, 8.3 assists and 3.0 steals per game.

Information Box

BLUE DRAGON MEN’S BASKETBALL

No. 7 Hutchinson (4-0) vs. NEO (2-1) When: Tuesday, November 12, 2019 Where: Hutchinson Sports Arena Tipoff: 7:30 p.m. Radio: KHUT-FM (102.9); KWBW-AM/FM (1450/98.5), 7:20 p.m. Video: Blue Dragon Sports Network, 7:20 p.m. Live Stats: Available at tipoff Twitter: @bluedragonsport

Tuesday Morning Sports Report from KWBW Radio

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — During a calamitous 35-32 loss to the Tennessee Titans, the Chiefs botched a field-goal attempt that could have made overtime a worst-case scenario. They had another field-goal try blocked when they managed to drive within range in the final seconds for a tying attempt. It followed a recent trend of Chiefs special teams being anything but special.

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — In the old days, coaches would spend countless hours on planes and behind the wheel to catch as many high school basketball games as possible on the recruiting trail. But times have changed, and the emphasis these days is on AAU games, the sneaker circuits sponsored by Nike and Adidas, and the multitude of high-profile tournaments. It makes sense, too: The chance to see dozens of recruits at a time, often against better competition, is too good to pass up.

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Oklahoma’s defense is once again a big concern. The 10th-ranked Sooners will learn even more about that side of the ball during a stretch run of tough competition, starting with Saturday’s game against No. 12 Baylor.

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — Texas Tech quarterback Alan Bowman has been cleared to play and now intends to redshirt. He missed the last six games with a shoulder injury. Red Raiders coach Matt Wells says he respects and agrees with the decision by Bowman and his parents to redshirt. Bowman could still play in one more game this season and maintain his status as a sophomore player going into next year. He was the Big 12’s top passer when he got hurt Sept. 14 at Arizona.

UNDATED (AP) — Kentucky has climbed to No. 1 in The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll for the first time since early in the 2016-17 season. The Wildcats rose one spot after winning a 1-vs-2 matchup with Michigan State to open the season in the Champions Classic, followed by an easy win against Eastern Kentucky. Duke was second, followed by Michigan State, Louisville and Kansas. No. 20 Washington and No. 25 Colorado were the new additions to the AP Top 25 while Purdue and VCU fell out.

National Headlines

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) _ The Seattle Seahawks picked up their second straight overtime win as Jason Myers nailed a 42-yard field goal to complete a 27-24 victory over the San Francisco 49ers. Meyers provided the winning boot after Chase McLaughlin missed a kick earlier in overtime. Russell Wilson was 24 of 34 for 232 and a touchdown for the 8-2 Seahawks, who handed the Niners their first loss and moved within one game of San Francisco for the NFC West lead.

NEW YORK (AP) _ Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Àlvarez has been unanimously chosen AL Rookie of the Year. The 22-year-old Cuban received all 30 first-place votes after batting .312 with 27 homers and 78 RBIs despite playing 87 games after debuting in June. Baltimore Orioles left-hander John Means was second in the balloting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, just ahead of Tampa Bay Rays infielder Brandon Lowe.

NEW YORK (AP) _ New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso is the NL Rookie of the year after leading the majors with 53 home runs while batting .260 with 120 RBIs. He broke the major league rookie record for home runs set by New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge in 2017. Alonso received 29 of 30 first-place votes from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, while Atlanta pitcher Mike Soroka picked up the other No. 1 vote.

ASHBURN, Va. (AP) _ Rookie Dwayne Haskins has been named the Washington Redskins’ starting quarterback for the rest of the season. Haskins is set to make his second NFL start on Sunday against the Jets as the 1-8 Redskins come off its bye week. The 15th overall pick out of Ohio State is 27 of 44 for 284 yards, no touchdowns and four interceptions in three appearances.

BOSTON (AP) _ The Boston Celtics have confirmed that forward Gordon Hayward will surgery after breaking his left hand in a collision with Spurs forward LaMarcus Aldridge during Saturday night’s game in San Antonio. Celtics coach Brad Stevens says the surgery would take place as soon as the doctor’s schedule allowed it. Hayward is expected to miss six weeks after averaging 18.9 points, 7.1 rebounds and 4.1 assists in eight games this season.

Monday Scores

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Final OT Seattle 27 San Francisco 24

TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final Winthrop 61 (18)Saint Mary’s (Cal) 59

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Minnesota 120 Detroit 114
Final Boston 116 Dallas 106
Final Memphis 113 San Antonio 109
Final Houston 122 New Orleans 116
Final Utah 122 Golden State 108
Final L.A. Clippers 98 Toronto 88

MANHATTAN, Kansas – With four of K-State’s five starters in double figures on Monday night, the Wildcats cruised to an 84-40 win over UIC inside Bramlage Coliseum. K-State has won nine straight home games against non-conference opponents.

K-State (2-0) was led by sophomore Christianna Carr with a game-high 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting including a 4-of-9 effort from beyond the arc. She also pulled in six rebounds.

Sophomore Rachel Ranke poured in 14 points on 4-of-9 shooting including a 4-of-8 performance from 3-point range. She also hauled in six rebounds and pocketed two steals.

Playing in just her second collegiate game, redshirt freshman Ayoka Lee tallied her first career double-double with 13 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks.

Making her first career start, sophomore Laura Macke was a rebound shy of her first career rebound. Regardless, the forward from Baileyville, Kansas, registered career-highs of 11 points and nine rebounds.

K-State dashed out to a 10-point lead, 15-5, as all five starters recorded at least one basket in the first five minutes. The run by the Wildcats would hit 15-0, as K-State built a 20-5 lead with 1:50 remaining in the first frame. UIC (0-3) chipped at the K-State lead with five unanswered points to end the period, as the Wildcats held a 20-10 lead.

In the second quarter, Carr and Ranke caught fire from beyond the arc as the duo combined to score 15 of K-State’s 17 points in the frame. Carr buried three 3-point field goals, while Ranke tallied a pair to help the Wildcats to a 37-21 lead at the half.

To open the second half, UIC scored on a layup with nine minutes to play. K-State then went on a suffocating 16-0 run to build a 53-23 lead with 4:50 remaining in the third quarter. Ayoka Lee went to work in the post and registered five of K-State’s 16 points.

In total for the third quarter, K-State would outscore the Flames, 30-13, and build a 67-34 advantage entering the final stanza. The 30 points in the third quarter was one off the school record for points in a third quarter (31, vs. Oklahoma State, Jan. 13, 2018) and were the most points scored in a quarter this season by K-State.

K-State continued its stifling defense into the fourth quarter, holding the Flames to a 1-of-13 effort from the field and a total of six points.

The Wildcats ended the night shooting 45.2 percent (28-of-62) from the field including a 40.7 percent effort from 3-point range (11-of-27). K-State held UIC to 24.6 percent shooting (15-of-61). Aiding to the offensive performance were 21 assists on the 28 made field goals. The Wildcats were paced by Angela Harris with six assists and Cymone Goodrich tied her career-high with five.

Kansas State outrebounded UIC, 59-28, including 43 defensive boards. The 59 rebounds were the most since K-State hauled in 61 against Mississippi Valley State on December 1, 2006.

Defensively, K-State notched a season-high 11 blocked shots and pocketed nine steals. The 11 blocked shots were the third-most since head coach Jeff Mittie became the K-State head coach in 2014-15.

Kansas State will have a week to prepare for its next game, as the Wildcats host Oral Roberts on Monday, November 18, at 6:30 p.m. For tickets, call the K-State Athletics Ticket Office at (800) 221-CATS or visit kstatesports.com/tickets.

Monday’s game will be broadcast on Big 12 Now on ESPN+, on the K-State Sports Network and for free at kstatesports.com.

What They Said
JEFF MITTIE, HEAD COACH
Opening statement…
“I thought it was an okay performance. There were things we could obviously improve on. Got off to a good start, got real sluggish towards the end of the first. The second was pretty sluggish I thought. Certainly something that we can continue to look at film, look at the areas we can continue to improve on. I think our ball movement over the course of the game got better, early I didn’t like it, felt like we were late on everything and still felt like we were a little bit late but felt like it was improved. Probably the best thing I liked all night was the glass work was pretty consistent. When we got out in transition I thought we made some good decisions, so those two areas were probably the best areas.”

On the benefits of the size advantage tonight…
“Well yeah, obviously we had a size advantage at most every position, but I felt like we utilized the size defensively better. Early It was a little sporadic in that they got some layups that I didn’t like. We made a good adjustment in the second half of defending that better. ”

On the improvement of the assist numbers…
“I think it’s better, yeah, twenty-one is better. I really like the late stretch. I really like the unselfish play by Cymone (Goodrich). I thought Rachel (Ranke) made a really good pass to Macke. She didn’t hit the three, but it was a really good pass, really timely pass. I thought Chrissy made a nice drop off to Yoki (Ayoka Lee) for a layup in transition, so there were much better plays. I thought Angela had a good pace to her in the second half, was really running the show there. So yeah, those plays I thought were much better.”

On if the zone caused troubles in the second quarter…
“Well we haven’t faced a lot of zone. We really just talked about a few things yesterday, and their zone is a little bit different zone. I think it did have to do with it. I think at that point we got really sloppy. We were still trying to play way fast. We really got locked in and talking to the players at half time, they felt like they were staying on reads and waiting for something to happen as opposed to just playing with the open player. So they came out in the second half and really just simplified it. ‘Hey look, we haven’t played a lot of zone, let’s try to just play with an open teammate. If we just keep doing that good things will happen, and that’s really what happened. I like the way we started the third quarter with the exception of their two buckets that they got, but we answered. Yoki (Ayoka Lee) got inside, we got inside the zone. We got the lob to her a couple times, and those were easy buckets. Yeah, I think the zone affected us but we played better over the course of the last twenty-two, twenty-three minutes of the game.

On Laura Macke starting…
“I thought Laura was good. Laura (Macke) had some fun transition buckets, got out and ran, was active on the glass. The only thing I think that Laura (Macke) continues to, and I would put Chapman in this group as well, is that the four’s in our offense are decision makers. They get touches, and they were a little bit unsure in that stretch we weren’t very good. That’s where you really miss Peyton (Williams)  because she has the experience. She’s got the reps, she knows those things. Laura and Emma are working hard to get better.”

AYOKA LEE, REDSHIRT FRESHMAN CENTER
On finishing with numerous blocks…
“I think going into this game, one big thing for me was staying out of foul trouble, which included when they did drive, staying straight up and blocking shots up above and not bringing my hands down. I think just being smart and disciplined about that definitely helped me alter shots so that we can get those boards.”

CHRISTIANNA CARR, SOPHOMORE GUARD
On the opposing team’s changes in their plays because of K-State’s continuous shooting…
“Just like any other team, even us, we had to make adjustments throughout the game, so we kind of expected that coming out. With one person hugging up on our shooters, that opens up the lane for other people, so I honestly just embrace it. I’m fine with it as long as other people are getting touches and scoring. That’s really all that matters at the end of the day.”

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid discussed Sunday’s loss to the Titans during a Monday presser. Following are his comments.

OPENING STATEMENT: “The players are just starting to come in now, so I don’t have anything for you injury-wise, other than what I told you last night. As far as the game goes, I think everybody saw how it ended. Obviously, too many mistakes. I take full responsibility for the whole thing. I have to have my team ready to go. Then, I have to do a better job, as we all do as coaches and players, in the roles that we have. There are some good things within the end result. There were some positive things as we went along. But unfortunately, the negative things masked that and caused the end result, which is a loss. We have to fix that. We’ve got a good locker room. These are guys that work hard and practice hard and fast. We’ll get back on it, but we have to learn from it, obviously. That’s what we’ll do when we get them back in here. With that, time’s yours.”

Q: You mentioned yesterday that you wanted to go back and watch the final field goal that was blocked. What did you see when you went back and checked it out?

REID: “Yeah, I thought he was on time. It was a good no-call.”

Q: You talked a little after the game about LeSean McCoy. What is the plan for him moving forward?

REID: “We’ll see. I’ll just manage him the way that I think is best so that he stays effective throughout the season. That’s not where I’m at right this minute. I’ll get there with him. We’ll see how it goes this week.”

Q: How would you describe what kind of shape he is in right now?

REID: “I think he’s in good shape. He’s a little bit older, so it’s my responsibility to manage him the way I feel is right. So, I chose to do what I did there. Right or wrong, I chose to do what I did there. We’ll just see how it goes going forward.”

Q: Is Emmanuel Ogbah’s injury something that appears to be season-ending?

REID: “I’ll have more information on it throughout the day here. I don’t know how significant it is. You can have different levels with that. I’ll know more today when the guys get rolling here.”

Q: Do you feel like you and General Manager Brett Veach have to come together and decide if you want to add another offensive lineman to the group?

REID: “Yeah, and there’s a chance that Larry (Laurent Duvernay-Tardif) practices and Fish (Eric Fisher) practices a little bit. There’s a chance that you get those guys back in the mix. We’ll just see how that goes throughout the week. I think we’ll be OK there. My hat goes off to (Offensive Line) Coach (Andy) Heck for having to deal with that. For the guys, the guys that stepped up and in, we were able to still move the ball effectively. I thought they did a good job of stepping in. The thing he does with the rotation throughout the year pays off in situations like this.”

Q: Is there an emergency offensive lineman available from another position group that could have filled in if another offensive lineman would’ve been injured?

REID: “Yeah, it would be one of the tight ends.”

Q: Frank Clark expanded on his neck injury after the game yesterday. From your understanding, how will you manage that moving forward?

REID: “I know that (Vice President of Sports Medicine & Performance) Rick (Burkholder) will keep a close eye on it, which he has been doing. Those things you can help with treatment and all of that. They’ll work on that.”

Q: Were you surprised with how quickly Patrick Mahomes returned to the old Patrick Mahomes yesterday?

REID: “I thought he got back into the swing fairly quickly. On the first throw, he had a little bit of pressure on him. That wasn’t a designed roll-out. After that one, it settled down protection-wise, for the most part. He came back on the second play with a nice completion to Sammy (Watkins). He does an amazing job. He sure is a good football player. That is one of the things that will get masked through the loss. There were some good things done offensively. But again, it’s tough. With the mistakes that we had with penalties and that, you start taking touchdowns off the board and those types of things, you have fumbles, and those hurt you. It’s a shame. We have to do better. I have to do better. I have to make sure that I’m putting the guys in the right positions at the right times, also. Those things will mask what took place there.”

Q: You had some drops and you had some penalties, and there were some other mistakes there. With the bye week being so late, do you get a sense that maybe your team is worn down?

REID: “I really haven’t necessarily sensed that. I’m sure that they’re tired from the season. I think if you’d ask every player in the league, they probably are. It’s that time of the year. But they’re also tough enough to where they push through all of that stuff and they never complain. We did have too many of those things that you mentioned. I’m not sure that it’s correlated to the other part though.”

Q: When re-watching the final two field goals, did you find more clarity to the operation of what transpired?

REID: “I did not think that the guy was offside. I thought that he timed it up. He beat Blake (Bell) off of the ball just by timing it up. That happens. The guy got a great jump on it. Blake wasn’t able to get his right hand out there to slow him down. The guy kind of swiped it. On the other one, we just had a mis-communication between the center and the holder. That’s what happened. We’ll work on that and fix it. That’s what we do, as a team. We’ve all made mistakes and, collectively, we have to make sure that we fix those things.”

—CHIEFS—

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Back when Bruce Weber was an up-and-coming assistant on Gene Keady’s staff at Purdue, the coach would spend countless hours on planes and behind the wheel to catch as many high school basketball games as possible.

He would walk into the gymnasium of an elite prospect on a cold January night and wedge his way into a crowd of half a dozen other coaches, all trying to scout their next potential star.

“These young guys, they can’t even imagine,” said Weber, now the coach at Kansas State, “but there was no AAU, and the young guys that grew up in it, played in it, that’s all they know.”

A gradual but pronounced change has occurred in basketball recruiting, one that has taken much of the importance away from the high school game. Instead, more and more college coaches spend the majority of their time and budgets to watch travel teams playing on the sneaker circuits sponsored by the likes of Adidas and Nike, and the multitude of high-profile summer tournaments that have cropped up.

It makes sense, too: Weber can see dozens of top recruits in a single night at the Peach Jam event in July than he’d see by logging thousands of frequent flyer miles to see their high school teams.

Is prep basketball becoming an afterthought for those who stock rosters in college?

“Many college programs still make an effort to watch and recruit student-athletes at high school competitions, but elite showcases and summer basketball definitely offer these programs more chances to see kids in the offseason than ever before,” said Alex Schobert, the coach of Belleville West High School in Illinois, which sent elite prospect EJ Liddell to Ohio State this season. “The landscape of college basketball and recruiting has changed tremendously the last few years.”

The powerbrokers of the NCAA have noticed it, too.

The governing body made sweeping changes this past year to off-season recruiting and evaluation periods over the summer months. Among the many moves was the addition of a second three-day evaluation weekend at the end of June that is only for scholastic events, an attempt to bring some of the focus back to the high school basketball programs that once formed the backbone of recruiting.

“Being in Dallas, we get a lot of college coaches through here,” said David Peavy, the coach of powerhouse Duncanville High School, whose son Micah is a top-50 recruit headed to Texas Tech.

“But it’s tough. It’s tough on the schools,” Peavy said. “I’m glad in a way for the way it is now — that these kids get so much exposure — but it’s tough on high schools.”

It doesn’t help them that their seasons coincide with the college season, when coaches find it difficult to slip away for a few days to drop in on high school games.

John Oxton, who has spent three decades coaching Lakeville North High School in Minnesota, also has seen the trend. But he points out that if a coach is really interested in a player, they still get in touch with the high school coach, who often can offer a broader assessment of the individual.

Shooting, rebounding and scoring matter. So do academics, personality and general disposition.

“It’s not an exact science, recruiting,” said Oregon coach Dana Altman, who spent nearly two decades seeking the best mid-major prospects for Marshall and Creighton, and who now is landing five-star recruits with regularity in the Pac-12.

Part of recruiting, Altman said, becomes a game of who you know.

That is where the value still exists in high schools.

“I don’t know if there’s been more focus put on elite events and the like, but I do know that relationship building seems to be one of the main focuses now,” said Mike Jones, who coaches perennial power DeMatha High School outside Washington, D.C., and USA Basketball’s under-16 national team.

“I would agree that being seen in gyms of top-level players has become a priority,” Jones said, “but rules allow for only a certain number of visits, so coaches have to be very strategic.”

It’s not just that coaches are putting more emphasis on summer games, either. The kids taking the court understand a showcase tournament that attracts dozens of high-level coaches usually means more to their future than a regular-season game with their high school friends.

“In high school, it’s all about winning,” said Kansas State freshman DaJuan Gordon, who was Mr. Chicago at Curie High School last season, and who starred for Team Rose on the Adidas Gauntlet circuit in the summer months. “With AAU, it’s about winning and your individual achievement.”

Gordon’s new college teammate, Antonio Gordon, agreed that summer games pack more pressure, along with more exposure and more opportunities.

“I feel like the games we played were more fun at AAU rather than high school games,” said Gordon, who played alongside Christian Braun (Kansas), Malik Hall (Michigan State) and Grant Sherfield (UCLA) for MoKan Elite and helped his team to the Peach Jam semifinals last year.

“Games were pretty easy in high school,” Gordon said, “but AAU games are against people that are similar to you, just as good as you and even better than you, going to big schools.”

That talent level — and the volume of players at that level — are why Weber and his coach staff at Kansas State have embraced the trend toward scouting the summer leagues and sneaker circuits.

It’s why every other coach in America emphasizes them over the prep season, too.

“I hope we get a little mixture of both. That’s the goal of the NCAA,” he said. “Hopefully we can meet with the AAU and work with the shoe companies and make this a very positive thing.”

(BY STEVE CARPENTER)
(HUTCHINSON CC SPORTS INFORMATION)

Three dominant home victories helped the Hutchinson Community College women’s basketball team move up two spots in the first regular-season rankings, which were released on Monday.

The 3-0 Blue Dragons moved up to No. 7, jumping two spots from their No. 9 preseason rankings.

The Dragons have defeated the Washburn JV (65-34), No. 17 Western Nebraska (65-59) and NEO (74-46). Hutchinson will play host to Hesston College on Tuesday before going on the road to meet Labette and Jefferson College this weekend at the Cougar Booster Club Classic in Great Bend.

Defending national champion Gulf Coast State remains the No. 1 team in the nation. South Plains, Trinity Valley, Northwest Florida State and Seward County.

The only other Jayhawk Conference team in the Top 25 is Butler (4-2) at No. 12. Cowley is receiving votes.

The only other non-league nationally ranked opponent in the Top 25 this week is New Mexico Junior College. The Thunderbirds are No. 10. Hutch NMJC will play on November 21 in Council Bluffs, IA.

The Blue Dragons have been ranked in 22 consecutive rankings and for the 123rd poll in the last 128 ranking periods.

Information Box

NJCAA WOMEN’S DI BASKETBALL RANKINGS
	Record	Points	Last Poll
1. Gulf Coast State (7) 2. South Plains 3. Trinity Valley 4. Northwest Florida State 5. Seward County 6. Shelton State 7. Hutchinson 8. Midland 9. Chipola 10. New Mexico 11. Florida SouthWestern State 12. Jones 13. Salt Lake 14. Central Arizona 15. Tyler 16. Grayson 17. Western Nebraska 18. Odessa 19. Wabash Valley 20. Northern Oklahoma-Enid 21. Wallace State 22. Butler 23. Casper 24. Three Rivers 25. Cochise	4-0 4-0 3-0 3-0 4-0 2-0 3-0 5-0 5-0 4-2 2-2 0-0 2-0 3-1 3-2 5-0 3-1 6-0 3-1 2-0 4-0 4-2 4-0 3-1 2-0	175 168 161 154 147 140 133 126 119 112 105 98 91 84 77 70 63 54 49 42 35 28 21 14 7	1 2 3 5 6 7 9 14 22 4 8 12 15 11 10 NR 17 NR 20 23 24 18 NR 19 NR
Others Receiving Votes: Cowley (6-0, 5.0); South Georgia Tech (3-1, 4.0); Eastern Florida State (4-0, 3.0); Angelina (2-2, 2.0).

(BY STEVE CARPENTER)
(HUTCHINSON CC SPORTS INFORMATION)

Four impressive victories in the first two weeks of the 2019-20 season have the Hutchinson Community College men’s basketball team climbing the NJCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Rankings.

The Blue Dragons jumped three spots in the first regular-season rankings released on Monday to No. 7. Hutchinson started the season ranked No. 10 in the preseason rankings.

Hutchinson started the season on the road for only the second time in 20 seasons and picked up victories over Eastern Oklahoma State and Midland. The Blue Dragons opened at the Sports Arena in Games 3 and 4 and devoured Murray State and Labette to move to 4-0 to start the season.

The Blue Dragons are the highest ranked Jayhawk Conference team in the NJCAA poll. Coffeyville is No. 23 and Seward County is No. 24. Independence and Cowley are both receiving votes.

Defending national champion Vincennes University (5-0) received 13 of 16 first-place votes. Ranger College earned two first-place votes and is No. 2. Florida SouthWestern State is No. 3, Indian Hills is No. 4 and Chipola is No. 5.

The Blue Dragons also had a first-place vote.

Hutchinson has been ranked in 86 of the last 90 ranking period.

Information Box

NJCAA MEN’S DIVISION I BASKETBALL RANKINGS
	Record	Points	Last poll
1. Vincennes (13) 2. Ranger (2) 3. Florida SouthWestern State 4. Indian Hills 5. Chipola 6. South Plains 7. Hutchinson (1) 8. Tallahassee 9. Casper 10. Pearl River 11. USC Salkehatchie 12. Moberly Area 13. Panola 14. Southeastern 15. Daytona State 16. Western Texas 17. Otero 18. New Mexico 19. Shelton State 20. John A. Logan 21. Salt Lake 22. Northwest Florida State 23. Coffeyville 24. Seward County 25. Harcum	5-0 4-0 4-0 4-0 4-0 4-0 4-0 3-0 4-0 2-0 4-0 4-1 4-0 4-0 4-1 5-0 119 112 105 95 91 78 66 61 40	396 384 367 341 332 321 306 253 225 215 204 180 158 142 135 125 119 112 105 95 91 78 66 61 19	1 2 3 6 7 8 10 16 22 11 18 9 NR NR 12 NR NR RV RV 4 13 NR 17 NR 19
Others Receiving Votes: Clarendon (4-1, 26.0); Mineral Area (4-0, 25.0); Independence (4-0, 24.9); Odessa (4-2, 22.0); Olney Central (5-0, 21.0); State Fair (3-2, 20.0: Eastern Florida State (1-3, 19.0); East Mississippi (2-0, 15.0); Holmes (1-1, 15.0); Caldwell Tech (5-0, 11.0); Eastern Arizona (5-0, 11.0); Northern Oklahoma-Tonkawa (5-0, 11.0); Tyler (2.0, 11.0); Pensacola State (5-0, 10.0); Kilgore (2-1, 9.0); Miami Dade (4-0, 9.0); Motlow State (4-1, 9.0); LSU-Eunice (3-0, 8.0); Arizona Western (4-2, 7.0); Connors State (4-0, 7.0); Triton (3-0, 7.0); Walters State (2-1, 7.0); Cowley (4-1, 6.0); Monroe College (2-0, 5.0); Gulf Coast State (2-0, 4.0); Western Wyoming (4-0, 3.0); Andrew (2-0, 2.0); Lincoln Trail (4-0, 2.0); Collin County (4-0, 1.0); Northeastern (2-0, 1.0); Polk State (4-0, 1.0).

(BY STEVE CARPENTER)
(HUTCHINSON CC SPORTS INFORMATION)

The rankings roller coaster the Hutchinson Community College football team has been on ended on an upswing on Monday.

Saturday’s 56-0 victory at No. 19 Iowa Central helped the Blue Dragons jump three spots to No. 3 when the poll was released on Monday. Only undefeated Mississippi Gulf Coast and undefeated Lackawanna were ranked higher than the Blue Dragons.

Consider the following facts and figures about the Blue Dragons for the NJCAA Rankings:

+ Hutchinson’s regular-season record was 9-2, losing two games by a grand total of three points to ranked teams on their home fields.

+ Hutchinson surged past Iowa Western this week. The Blue Dragons defeated Iowa Western 34-27 on September 7.

+ The Blue Dragons defeated both the Jayhawk Conference champion (Independence) and Iowa Conference champion (Iowa Central).

+ The Blue Dragons played and defeated the No. 2 team in the NJCAA rankings twice (Iowa Western and Butler).

+ The Blue Dragons spent five weeks at No. 1.

+ The Blue Dragons were 4-2 against ranked opponents, five of those games were played on the road.

The Jayhawk Conference has four teams in the Top 10. Along with Hutchinson, Butler is No. 7, Independence is No. 9 and Garden City is No. 10. Highland is receiving votes.

Now the Blue Dragons go after something that has happened only five times in program history, a 10-win season. The Dragons will play in the 12th annual Salt City Bowl on December 7 at Gowans Stadium. An opponent will be determined later this week.

 

Information Box

NJCAA FOOTBALL RANKINGS
	Record	Points	Last Poll
1. Mississippi Gulf Coast (14) 2. Lackawanna (2) 3. Hutchinson 4. Iowa Western 5. Northwest Mississippi 6. Kilgore 7. Butler 8. Hinds 9. Independence 10. Garden City 11. Jones 12. Georgia Military 13. Trinity Valley 14. Snow 15. ASA Brooklyn 16. East Mississippi 17. Navarro 18. Monroe College 19. Nassau 20. New Mexico Military	11-0 10-0 9-2 8-3 8-3 8-2 9-3 7-2 8-2 8-3 7-2 8-2 7-3 5-3 8-2 6-4 6-5 8-2 7-3 6-5	370.50 340.80 307.46 291.95 268.69 251.86 226.33 217.71 214.81 213.95 202.86 165.43 114.96 106.71 103.00 85.57 76.50 69.00 28.00 19.00	1 2 6 5 4 7 11 8 12 3 10 9 13 14 15 16 20 17 RV 18
Others Receiving Votes: Highland (6-4, 21.0); ASA Miami (7-3, 11.0); Central Lakes (6-5, 6.0); North Dakota SCS (8-2, 5.0); East Central (4-5, 4.1); DuPage (7-4, 3.0); Iowa Central (6-6, 2.0); Copiah-Lincoln (4-5, 1.6); Itasca (8-3, 1.0); Holmes (4-5, 0.7).

 

Photo courtesy kuathletics.com

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas was able to fight off Kansas State in four sets on Saturday afternoon in Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena.

The first set started with both teams trading jabs and the back-and-forth battle saw each team knotted at 6-6. The Jayhawks started to pull away from the Wildcats with the help of a combined 13 kills from sophomores Rachel Langs and Camryn Ennis, going on to win the set, 25-18.

The two in-state rivals battled out the second set from start-to-finish, with the lead changing multiple times. With the score tied at 22-all, Kansas State surged forward and won the second set, 25-23.

Kansas stole the momentum away from Kansas State in the third set, earning the lead early and never relinquishing it. KSU tried to mount a comeback in the closing points, but KU prevailed, winning the third set, 25-23.

The Jayhawks carried their momentum into the fourth set, but the Wildcats weren’t going to go down without a fight. While Kansas led for most of the set, Kansas State was close behind, tying the score at 24-24. KU went on to win the next two points, defeating KSU, 26-24.

Four Jayhawks recorded double-digit kills in Langs (13), Ennis (12), senior Ashley Smith (10) and freshman Morgan Christon (10). Ennis and senior Allie Nelson also contributed with a combined 21 digs, while Sara Nielsen finished with 44 assists.

Up next

Kansas returns to the road and travels to Austin, Texas to play No. 1 Texas Saturday at 7 p.m., in Gregory Gym.