Author: Glen Grunwald
Live Web TV: Hutch Salthawks Open the Season vs Olathe East Tonight at 7:00 PM at Home
The Hutchinson Salthawk Football team opens the 2016 football season at Gowan’s Stadium tonight vs the Olathe East Hawks @ 7:00 pm.
Catch all the action on Hutchinson’s Country Station, KHUT 102.9 fm. Pregame with the Kpreps.com pregame show starts at 6:20 pm. The Kpreps.com Kansas Pregame Show is the state’s only comprehensive statewide high school pregame radio show. The 30-minute weekly show airs every Friday throughout the regular season and playoffs.
Each week, Kpreps Editor Matt Gilmore joins Mike Snow to cover the state’s top teams, top players, and top match-ups in fast-paced, information-packed format. Be sure to tune in on your way to the game, or check it out online every Friday morning on Kpreps.com!
Eagle Radio’s $20,000 Summer Cash Giveaway “Live Web TV” @ Noon Today!
2016 Eagle Media Patriot’s Parade
The 2016 Eagle Media Patriot’s Parade will be held on July 4th at 10:00 a.m. The parade will begin at the corner of Avenue B and Main and proceed North past the Eagle Media Center at 825 N. Main St.
Charles M. Good Jr. is this year’s Parade Grand Marshal. Retired Capt. Good has been a resident of Hutchinson for many years. He recently turned 99 years of age and served in World War II as a Twin Engine Pilot of B-25 aircraft while serving first in the Navy and then as a Marine in the Philipine Islands. Good was shot down in April of 1945, but went on to fly over 20 missions in the South Pacific. For Captain Good’s full bio, click here…Captain Charles M Good History
News story courtesy of KWCH-Wichita Kansas Proud.
Blue Dragons rout defending Champs to advance to NJCAA Semifinals
By Steve Carpenter-HCC Sports Information
The Hutchinson Community College men’s basketball team unleashed its best total effort of the season on Thursday at the most opportune time – knocking off the defending national champions in the 2016 NJCAA Tournament quarterfinals.
The Blue Dragons had one of their most prolific offensive performances in their illustrious NJCAA Tournament history as seventh-seeded Hutchinson ousted No. 2 seed and 2015 national champion Northwest Florida State 116-90 at the Sports Arena.
Now 31-4, the Blue Dragons will face No. 11 seed Ranger College (31-5) in the second national semifinal at 8 p.m. on Friday. Eighth-seeded Gillette College (32-1) and 13th-seed Salt Lake (29-8) will clash in the first national semifinal at 6 p.m.
Hutchinson will be making its first trip to the national semifinals since the national championship year of 1994, and the program’s 10th overall appearance in the NJCAA Tournament semifinals. The Blue Dragons are 10-1 in the quarterfinal round of the national tournament. HCC is the first Region VI team to reach the semifinals since Seward County in 2012.
The 116 points scored on Thursday was the second most ever scored by Hutchinson in the NJCAA Tournament. HCC scored 120 points against Miles City in 1969. The 26-point margin of victory was the third-largest for the Blue Dragons in the tournament. HCC’s largest margin of victory came in 1958, a 34-point win over Snead-Boaz (Ala.). Now with 43 all-time tournament wins, Hutchinson is fifth in that category in tournament history.
The Blue Dragons’ 116 points are also a 2016 tournament single-game high.
The Blue Dragons dominated the first half by shooting 58.3 percent, holding the Raiders (27-6) to 25 percent shoots and out-rebounding the nation’s No. 1 rebounding team 23-17 in building a staggering 55-28 lead by halftime.
Leading 17-12 with 12:50 to play in the opening half, Hutchinson took full control of the game with a 19-2 run over a stretch of 4 minutes, 53 seconds. When Shakur Juiston scored with 7:43 to play, HCC led 36-14. The closest that Northwest Florida State got after that was 17 points.
Freshman Samajae Haynes-Jones scored a career-high 33 points – the second-best single point total by a Blue Dragon this season – scoring 16 points in that decisive first half. Haynes-Jones knocked down 11 of 18 total shots, going 10 of 12 from the free-throw line. He also added a career-high six assists.
Sophomore Bashir Ahmed posted his second-straight tournament double-double and 15th of the season with 21 points, 10 rebounds, a career-high seven assists and four steals. Ahmed moved past Teko Wynder (1971-73) into sixth place on the Blue Dragon career scoring list with 1,298 points.
Juiston had 19 points on 9 of 11 shooting with five rebounds.
Sophomore Akbar Hoffman scored 17 points, hitting 3 of 5 from 3-point range. He also had five rebounds. Hoffman moved past Nate Brumfield (2005-07) into 19th place on the career scoring list with 921 points.
Sophomore Keanu Pinder posted is sixth double-double of the season with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
The Blue Dragons posted a season-high point total, scoring at least 116 points in a game since scoring 120 in 1998 against Kansas City at the Jayhawk Shootout. Hutchinson shot 58.3 percent for the game (42 of 72), hitting 7 of 14 from 3-point range and 25 of 33 from the free-throw line. The Blue Dragons also tied a season high with 24 assists. The Dragons outrebounded the Raiders 49-36.
Defensively, Hutchinson held Northwest Florida State to 39.2 percent for the game (31 of 79). That’s the 25th time this season HCC has held an opponent to less than 40 percent shooting. The Raiders became the 10th team this season to hit 10 or more 3-pointers against the Dragons going 10 of 33.
Daryl Edwards had 15 team-high points for the Raiders on 6 of 19 shooting. Moustapha Diagne had 12 points.
Northwest Florida State outscored HCC 62-61 in the second half, the highest single half for Hutchinson this season. The Blue Dragons reached the 100-point mark for the fourth time this season and the sixth time in NJCAA Tournament history at the 4:59 mark on two Hoffman free throws. HCC’s largest lead was 36 points at 106-70 with 3:59 remaining in the game.
GAME NOTES – The Blue Dragons are now 43-23 all-time in NJCAA Tournament history. … Northwest Florida State is the 54th different opponent the Dragons have faced in the NJCAA Tournament. … This was HCC’s all-time win No. 1,715. … The 31 wins this season ties for the fourth most in program history with the 1986, 2004 and 2013 teams. … 2016 Blue Dragons tied the 1992 team for fifth most season free throws at 712. … HCC head coach Steve Eck won his 195th game on the Blue Dragon bench. … Bashir Ahmed moved into 10th career field-goal list (106) and 10th in single-season points (705). … Samajae Haynes-Jones moved into ninth in freshman scoring (548), 10th in freshman field goals (196) tied for 10th in 3-pointers (47) and 10th in freshman free throws (109). … Ahmed became the 10th Blue Dragon in history with 100 career 3-pointers. Akbar Hoffman has 99 career treys.
(By Steve Carpenter, Hutchinson Community College Sports Information Director)
Moberly vs Hutchinson
Hutchinson Head Coach and Players Quotes
Head coach Steve Eck
Opening statement …
“We played with high-level energy. If not, we would be in a world of trouble. We knew (Northwest Florida State) shot a lot of 3s. I told the guys that we were kind of like the underdogs and to go out there and compete. Our guys went out there – Bashir (Ahmed), Akbar (Hoffman), Keanu (Pinder) – we made it to the Elite Eight last year, and after it was over, those three made a pledge to get past the Elite Eight. Hopefully they made a pledge to get past the Final Four. We played really hard, did a good job breaking the press, did a good job of avoiding unnecessary fouls, it was nice to get everybody in the game.”
On how the large, partisan crowd affected the team …
“I told the guys before the game there was going to be a good crowd, but they aren’t going to make any noise if you don’t do anything. You have to give them something to yell for. Maybe the early start hurt attendance a little bit, but I want to thank everyone who came out. We played well in the first half, passed the ball well, we guarded well. We held them under 40 pts in the first half, under 40 percent shooting.”
On getting 52 combined points from Haynes-Jones and Juiston …
“They competed well, I always tell my players that we are going to compete, that’s our M.O., not to perform, but to compete. Shakur did not have as many rebounds as he normally does, but he snagged 11. I told Samajae last night to play more aggressive, and don’t hold back. Samajae came out, did what he could do, and did something our guards couldn’t do in our last loss. We came out focused and now we have two more games no matter what. We’ve got to stay after it, rest up tonight and get ready to go for tomorrow.
Samajae Haynes-Jones
On playing in front of a big crowd …
“You know there was a lot of people here, the crowd was crazy, I just try to come out and compete as hard as I can for my team, and for everyone that was here. The goal is to keep winning so we need to come out and compete as hard as we can.”
On playing in the national tournament after growing up in Wichita …
“It’s a blessing to play here and to play for Coach Eck and HCC. I was going to come here and give it all that I got, and try to make it to the next level.”
On scoring a career-high 33 points in the national tournament …
“I didn’t know that I had 33, I just came out here and competed as hard as I could.”
Shakur Juiston
On his performance against Northwest Florida State …
“Yesterday, I wasn’t 100 focused, everything that I put up seemed to be rimming out, and I was getting down on myself. Today all the guys on the bench encouraged me to keep my head up. I don’t see myself as the next NJCAA freshman of the year; I just want to contribute to my team.”
On going 9 of 11 from the field …
“I feel that I just came out real focused, in shootaround, focused on shots I would make in game.”
Blue Dragons lead wire to wire in NJCAA 2nd-round victory over Moberly
By Steve Carpenter-HCC Sports Information
The No. 7-seeded Hutchinson Community College men’s basketball team scored the first 11 points of its NJCAA Division I National Men’s Basketball Tournament matchup with old rival Moberly Area and led wire to wire on Wednesday at the Sports Arena.
Sophomore Akbar Hoffman scored a career-high 29 points and 2016 Jayhawk Conference Player of the Year Bashir Ahmed posted his 14th double-double of the season in an 84-74 victory over the Greyhounds.
The Blue Dragons (30-4) advance to the national quarterfinals for the second-straight season and 13th time in program history. Hutchinson will meet second-seeded and defending national champion Northwest Florida State (27-5) at 6 p.m. on Thursday in the first game of the evening session.
The Blue Dragons reach the 30-win plateau for the seventh time in team history.
Hutchinson opened the battle of the Nos. 1 and 4 all-time winningest men’s basketball teams in NJCAA history by opening leads of 11-0 and 17-4 and led 23-9 after a Samajae Haynes-Jones 3-pointer with 11:56 remaining in the first half.
From that point, the 23rd-seeded Greyhounds made several runs and the Blue Dragons didn’t relent. The Greyhounds cut within five twice in the first half, but Jawan Emery’s 12-foot baseline jumper as the first-half buzzer sounded gave HCC a 46-35 halftime lead.
A 3-pointer by Rashad Lidnsey with 13:05 remaining in the second half drew the Greyhounds within 57-53. The Dragons went to work on the offensive boards in the second half and scored 14 second-chance points and quickly pushed the lead back to double figures over the next two minutes.
From that point, Moberly pulled within seven points three times, but a Keanu Pinder dunk with 7:24 remaining slammed the door on any Greyhound comeback.
Hoffman hit 10 of 20 shot attempts and scored a career-high 29 points with four assists to lead the Blue Dragons. Hoffman became the 20th player in HCC men’s basketball history to reach 900 career points.
Ahmed had 22 points, 12 rebounds and three assists. Ahmed knocked down 11 of 13 free throws and he grabbed five offensive boards to help his 12-point second half.
Pinder went 5 of 7 shooting and finished with 12 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots. Shakur Juiston had seven points and 12 rebounds with three assists and two blocked shots. Haynes-Jones finished with eight points.
After shooting better than 51 percent in the first half, the Blue Dragons settled at 45.3 percent (29 of 64), hitting 6 of 18 from 3-point range and 20 of 27 from the free-throw line.
HCC out-rebounded Moberly 46-33, turning 22 offensive rebounds into a 23-11 advantage in second-chance points.
Defensively, the Blue Dragons held Moberly to 38.3 percent overall from the floor (23 of 60). The Greyhounds were 9 of 24 from 3-point range and 19 of 23 from the free-throw line.
The Dragons held Daniel Dzierzawski, who scored 30 points in Moberly’s opening-round win on Monday over Indian Hills, to four points on 1 of 18 shooing.
Chris Clark and Lidnsey each hit four 3-pointers for the Greyhounds. Clark finished with 20 points, Lidnsey and Cecil Williams had 18 points each.
HCC’s initial 11-0 run was started by a Pinder 3-pointer and closed with a Hoffman jumper with 17:21 to play in the opening half. Haynes-Jones scored in transition to go up 17-4 with 13:56 to play and a Haynes-Jones’ 3-pointer with 11:56 to go gave the Blue Dragons a 13-9 lead.
Moberly countered with a 14-5 run to pull within 28-23 with 7:12 to go after two Clark free throws. HCC then went on a quick 8-0 run with 3-pointers from Ahmed and Hoffman and an Ahmed dunk to rebuild a 36-23 lead with 5:55 to go.
Leading 44-35, Emery made the third of three huge hustle plays for the Dragons by chasing down a missed Hoffman shot attempt and burying a 12-foot baseline jumper to give the Blue Dragons a 46-35 halftime lead.
HCC built its largest lead of the game at 50-35 after an Ahmed basket to start the second half. The Dragons then went into an offensive lull for the next five minutes as Moberly with four points with 14:49 to play after a Lidnsey trey cut the Dragon lead to 57-53.
Hutchinson had only four field goals over a stretch of 8-plus minutes, but went 17 of 23 from the free-throw line in the second half to maintain its advantage.
Leading 70-63, Pinder’s emphatic dunk with 7:24 to go started a six-point run and HCC’s lead never dipped back into single figures again.
GAME NOTES – The Blue Dragons are now 42-34 all-time in the NJCAA Tournament, including 13-6 in opening/second-round games. … Playing Moberly for the first time since 2006, the Blue Dragons now own a 15-14 all-time series advantage with a nine-game winning streak. … This was all-time Blue Dragon victory No. 1,714. … The 2016 Blue Dragons are now seventh on HCC’s all-time wins list. … The 2016 Blue Dragons moves up to No. 2 in all-time free throws with 687. … Bashier Ahmed is now No. 10 in single season rebounds (531), No. 10 in single season points (684) and No. 2 in single-season free throws (214). … This was Ahmed’s 22nd career double-double. … Moberly is the 53rd different opponent the Blue Dragons have played in NJCAA Tournament history.
(By Steve Carpenter, Hutchinson Community College Sports Information Director)
Moberly vs Hutchinson
Hutchinson Head Coach and Players Quotes
Head coach Steve Eck
Opening statement…
“We knew Moberly was a good team. They have a very good coach that does a good job with them. Our game plan was to take away (Daniel Dzierzawski) from penetrating. He has been hot lately. I think he was averaging 20 plus points per game in the last seven games, and we held him to four points. Akbar Hoffman did a good job on him, but also the whole team defense. The post men pinched on him and we did a good job keeping him from penetrating. That was the key.”
On starting the game…
“Early starts are nice, but it was just 11 points, and I was hoping that it was not just a burst of energy that would die all of the sudden. We have been waiting since all of last year to get back to the national tournament. I know the Region 6 game we lost in the championship, but they knew that we already had a bid. It just was not the same team. I can feel that. I could sense that. I know my team. I got that vibes from my team that we are still going to the national tournament, but we are still going to play these teams anyways. I did not like that, but an 11-0 start is nice, keeping it is even better.”
On holding off Moberly’s second half runs…
“They got it to four points when (Chris Clark) hit that three. I felt like we got lazy guarding a little bit. We took a couple quick shots, and then we got back to what we were doing by being more patient and getting some stops. That is the key. We have to get stops. We kept Moberly from getting out and breaking.”
Bashir Ahmed
On attacking the basket…
“They were doing a good job every time I caught the ball outside on the wing. They were pinching in. I knew I had to penetrate and find my open teammates. Sometimes I would find an open gap and I would just drive to the basket.”
On motivation after losing to Neosho County…
“We lost to Neosho, and that was a tough loss for us. We just stayed motivated, came out here, and played hard today. I remember last year when we came into the tournament I felt like I did not play well enough. Today, even though I was struggling offensively, I just wanted to do anything to help my team.”
Akbar Hoffman
On making up for his performance against Neosho County…
“I would not say I made up because we still got more time to improve, keep working for this. We just got here. That is just the first game. We still have plenty more games to go.”
On guarding Daniel Dzierzawski …
“I just tried to play off of him. I tried to force him to the basket, and try to not put my hands on him. I wanted to play solid, stayed down in my stance, and just be ready for anything that he tries.”
– See more at: https://www.bluedragonsports.com/news/102360#sthash.S4Ju4v25.dpuf
Junior College Blue Bloods to Clash in National Tournament
By Steve Carpenter-HCC Sports information
Two of the all-time winningest programs in NJCAA men’s basketball history will do battle on Wednesday in the second round of the 2016 NJCAA Tournament as the Hutchinson Community College men’s basketball team meets old rival Moberly Area Community College.
The No. 7 seeded Blue Dragons (29-4) take on the 23rd-seed Greyhounds (25-10) at 2 p.m. on Wednesday. The game can be heard on Blue Dragon flagship station KHUT-FM (102.9) at 1:50 p.m. It also will be streamed live by NJCAATV.
Hutchinson is No. 1 in the NJCAA in all-time wins with 1,713 wins. Moberly is fourth in all-time wins with 1,666. The Blue Dragons make their 19th NJCAA Tournament appearance. This will be Moberly’s 27th trip to nationals.
NO. 7 HUTCHINSON VS. NO. 23 MOBERLY AREA
NJCAA Men’s D-I National Tournament 2nd Round
When: Wednesday, March 16, 2016
Where: Hutchinson Sports Arena, Hutchinson, KS
Time: 2 p.m.
Radio: KHUT-FM (102.9), 1:50 p.m. HCC Broadcaster’s Radio Stream Audio: Click Here
Videostream: NJCAATV, 1:55 p.m. at www.njcaatv.com
Twitter: @bluedragonsport
Hutchinson and Moberly meet for the 29th time since the series started in 1951. The series is tied at 14-14, but the teams have not played each other since 2006.
But an oddity to this series between a pair of teams with a combined six national championships and 106 combined tournament wins is that the Blue Dragons and Greyhounds have never met each other in the NJCAA Tournament.
The Blue Dragons haven’t played since March 3 when Neosho County held HCC to a season-low offensive output in a 66-58 upset in the Region VI championship game at Hartman Arena.
Hutchinson earned a spot in the 2016 national tournament field as a zone qualifier by winning the 2016 Jayhawk Conference championship.
Moberly won Region XVI and captured its bi-district clash with Sauk Valley to reach Hutchinson. The Greyhounds have one tournament game under their belt already after Monday night’s 85-74 victory over No. 10 Indian Hills. Moberly has won seven straight games averaging 88 points per game.
(HCC Sports Information)
WEB VIDEO: All Semifinal and Championship games available on video steam for KSHSAA Basketball
All Championship games played on Saturday in class 5A-1A Div II were video streamed by 810varsity.com out of Kansas City, Kansas.
Locally, the class 3A Tournament will streamed beginning at 4:00 pm on Saturday, March 12th. Eagle Media will provide the play-by-play with Glen Grunwald.
You can link to these all these broadcasts at 810varsity.com
Here is the archived video of the class 3A girl’s and boy’s championship.
Blue Dragons need overtime to oust Indy in Region 6 Quarterfinals
by Steve Carpenter, HCC Sports Information
PARK CITY – Inja Butina set Hutchinson Community College women’s basketball single-season assist record on Tuesday, but her field goal with 1.3 seconds left in regulation saved the Jayhawk Conference champion Blue Dragons’ season.
Butina’s basket forced Hutchinson’s Region VI Tournament quarterfinal into overtime and then the Blue Dragons rallied from four points down in the extra session to defeat the Independence Pirates 67-63 at Hartman Arena.
The No. 12-ranked and top-seeded Blue Dragons (27-3) will play Seward County in the second semifinal at 3 p.m. on Wednesday.
The Blue Dragons won their 16th-straight Region VI Tournament game and advanced to the semifinals for the eighth-straight season.
Hutchinson led 51-42 with 8:02 to play in the fourth quarter, but went scoreless for the next 4 minutes, 40 seconds. Independence rallied and took a 55-53 when Sarah Hajdukovich grabbed an offensive rebound and scored with 20 seconds to play.
After one failed shot attempt, HCC inbounded with 6.8 seconds left. Butina got the ball from Lakin Preisner and put up a shot and spun around the rim twice before falling in to tie the game at 55 with 1.3 seconds remaining and send the game to overtime.
Indy’s Simone Costa hit a 3-pointer with 3:23 to go in overtime to give the Pirates a 60-56 lead. The Blue Dragons answered and pulled within one point when Taylor Stahly drilled her only 3-pointer of the game. After a defensive stop, Stahly scored in transition to give Hutch a 61-60 lead with 2:34 to play. After falling behind by four points, HCC outscored Independence 11-3 in overtime.
Butina led the Blue Dragons with her fourth double-double of the season. She had 26 points and 10 assists, the sixth time this season that Butina has reached 10 assists in a game. Butina moved past Chrisstasia Walter for HCC’s single-season assists record. Butina now has 217 assists this season. Butina added five rebounds and three assists.
Kirea Rogers posted her third-straight double-double and ninth of the season with 16 points and 12 rebounds. She also blocked three shots and had two steals.
Stahly added 11 points and four rebounds. Shayla DeGarmo hit two huge 3-pointers in the third quarter and finished with eight points. She also came up with a huge defensive effort holding Indy’s Costa to three points in the final quarter and overtime.
The Blue Dragons were 24 of 58 shooting overall (24 of 58), including 4 of 17 from 3-point range and 15 of 21 from the free-throw line. HCC turned the ball over 10 times and was outrebounded 42-35, giving up 13 offensive rebounds that the Pirates scored 10 points on.
Briana Jackson-Brewer led Independence (22-9) with 20 points and six rebounds. Costa hit a pair of 3-pointers and finished with 16 points. Elina Berzina had a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds.
The Pirates shot 36.4 percent (24 of 66) overall, 3 of 15 from 3-point range and 12 of 15 from the free-throw line. The Pirates turned the ball over 12 times.
Hutchinson jumped out to early leads of 8-0 and 10-2, but went scoreless for 6 full minutes before Butina scored with 15 seconds left in the opening quarter to tie the game at 12. In the second quarter, Butina hit a 3-pointer and then knocked down a pair of free throws to give Hutch a 24-19 lead with 3:41 to go in the second quarter. Independence pulled within one with 29 seconds left, but Rogers knocked down a 15-footer with 2 seconds to go to give the Dragons a 29-26 halftime lead.
DeGarmo came up big in the third quarter. Her first 3-pointer with 8:12 remaining in the period doubled HCC’s lead from three to 34-28. Then with Independence showing signs of grabbing momentum, DeGarmo nailed another 3-pointer to lead 43-35 with 3 minutes to play in the third quarter. Hutchinson led 47-39 after three quarters.
A Stahly layup with 8:04 remaining in regulation gave Hutchinson a 51-42 lead. Jackson Brewer scored the final eight of a 9-0 Indy run that tied the game at 51-all with 3:50 to go. Butina hit two free throws with 3:22 to play, but Hajdukovich tied the game and gave Indy a 55-53 lead with 20 seconds to play.
GAME NOTES – The Blue Dragons are now 54-32 all-time in the Region VI Tournament, 13-17 in the quarterfinal round and 9-5 vs. Independence in tournament games. … HCC is now 29-11 overall against Independence in series history and has won 11 straight games against the Pirates. … HCC head coach John Ontjes is now 24-4 in Region VI games and 3-4 in overtime games. … HCC played only its second overtime game in Region VI Tournament play, the first since 1994. … Kirea Rogers moved up to No. 9 on HCC’s freshman scoring list (455 points), No. 10 on the freshman rebounding list (245 rebounds) and No. 2on the freshman list and No. 8 on the season blocked shots list (42 blocks). … The 27 wins tie the 2002 Blue Dragons for seventh most in team history.
(HCC Sports Information)
– See more at: https://www.bluedragonsports.com/news/102336#sthash.B2nNMUUs.dpuf
Blue Dragons Down Busters to claim first Jayhawk Conference Crown since 2004
by Steve Carpenter-HCC Sports Information
GARDEN CITY – The seventh-ranked Hutchinson Community College men’s basketball team needed two things to happen to win the program’s 35th Jayhawk Conference championship on Monday night.
The most important part came when the Blue Dragons out-gunned Garden City 93-82 at the Perryman Athletic Complex. The second part of the equation came from Iola where Allen upset Neosho County. The Blue Dragons and Panthers started the night tied for the Jayhawk Conference lead.
The Blue Dragons claim their first Jayhawk Conference title since 2004 and also punched their ticket to the 2016 NJCAA Tournament as a zone qualifier. Hutchinson will also receive a bye in the opening round of the Region VI Tournament, which begins on Thursday around the state. The Blue Dragons will play in the Region VI Tournament quarterfinals at 1 p.m. on Sunday at Hartman Arena.
Ahmed became the seventh Blue Dragon in history to score 1,200 career points with his 26-point, 12-rebound performance on Monday. Ahmed posted his 11th double-double of the season going 12 of 19 from the foul line.
Akbar Hoffman was a perfect 10 of 10 from the foul line and finished with 18 points. Juiston, Samajae Haynes-Jones and Keanu Pinder scored 10 points each.
Offensively, the Blue Dragons were 26 of 63 from the floor (41.3 percent), including a season-low 1 of 10 from 3-point range. The Dragons were 40 of 51 – the most free throws this season – from the line. The Dragons had a slim 43-42 rebounding advantage, but turned the ball over only 12 times.
Jones knocked down 3 of 4 3-pointers to lead Garden City with 19 points. James McNeal and Brandon Jones had 13 points each. The Busters were 27 of 72 shooting (37.5 percent), hitting 8 of 27 from long range and 22 of 27 from the free-throw line.
Hutchinson claimed its 11th-straight victory in somewhat strange fashion.
HCC led 17-7 in the first quarter, but Garden City stormed back with a 17-4 run to take a 24-21 lead after a Diontae Young 3-pointer with 9:29 to play in the half. The Dragons immediately remained the lead with a 9-0 run and took a 42-37 halftime lead on Larry Dennis’ tip-in as the buzzer sounded.
The Blue Dragons then opened the second half on a 13-2 run to build a 56-39 lead on a Bashir Ahmed three-point play. Garden City scored the game’s next nine points and drew as close as seven.
When Shakur Juiston scored with 8:07 to play, the Dragons led 71-60. From that point, HCC had just one more field goal in the game, but sank 31 free throws in the second half – a team record for free throws in one half – in 40 attempts. Twenty of Hutchinson’s last 22 points came at the free-throw line.
GAME NOTES – The Blue Dragons now have a 130-47 all-time series advantage over Garden City, going 49-35 in Garden City. … This was HCC’s fifth-straight win over the Busters, the longest win streak over Garden City since nine-straight wins from 1995-99. … This was HCC’s all-time victory no. 1,711. … Bashir Ahmed now has 1,202 career points. … Keanu Pinder and Moataz Aly are now tied for sixth on the career blocked shots list with 1100. … The Dragons are 10-1 on the road this season. … Ahmed posted his 28th career double-double. … HCC now has 23 seasons with at least 26 victories in team history.
(HCC Sports Information)