By STEVE CARPENTER ]

[ BLUE DRAGON SPORTS INFORMATION ]

PARK CITY, Kan. — The Hutchinson Community College men’s basketball team scored on nine-straight possessions as part of a huge second half to advance to the Region VI Tournament.

The Blue Dragons shot 60 percent in the second half en route to a 91-74 victory over the Pratt Beavers in the Region VI quarterfinals on Sunday at Hartman Arena.

The Blue Dragons (24-7) advance to the regional semifinals for the 43rd time in team history to meet the No. 3-nationally ranked Coffeyville Red Ravens at 5 p.m. on Monday at Hartman Arena. The Blue Dragons will battle to advance to the Region VI finals for the seventh-straight year.

Tied at 44 just 2 1/2 minutes into the second half, Tyler Brown nailed his second 3-pointer of the game. That started a 19-4 run over the next six minutes capped by a James Rojas alley-oop dunk that gave the Blue Dragons a 65-48 lead with 11:42 to play in the second half.

That run grew to 31-9 when Brown and Boubacar Kamissoko drilled back-to-back 3-pointers to lead 75-53 with 9:06 remaining.

During that decisive run, the Blue Dragons scored on nine-straight possessions and hit 12 of 13 shot attempts. Hutchinson started the second half hitting 14 of its first 18 field-goal attempts and wound up shooting 60 percent for the half (15 of 25).

Sophomore forward James Rojas tied a career high with a game-high 28 points to lead the Blue Dragons to their 10th consecutive victory over Pratt, including the third this season. Rojas was 8 of 15 shooting and 11 of 13 from the free-throw line. Rojas added nine rebounds, four assists and two steals.

Freshman Malique Jacobs hit a career-high 14 free throws in 16 attempts on the way to a 22-point night against the Beavers. The 14 free throws are the most by a Blue Dragon this season.

Brown hit 3 of 4 from 3-point range and finished with 13 points. Kamissoko chipped in 10 points with three assists and three steals. Saquan Singleton had nine points.

The Blue Dragons finished shooting 28 of 53 (52.8 percent) for the game. Hutch was 5 of 11 shooting from 3-point range and 30 of 43 from the foul line. The Dragons had a 42-30 rebounding advantage. Both teams turned the ball over 19 times.

Teddy Fifer scored 25 points to lead Pratt (15-17). Fifer was 10 of 10 from the free-throw line – which tied an opponent individual season high – but 6 of 19 shooting from the field. Blake Furcron had 18 points and Tyvon Taylor had 17 points.

The Beavers finished 20 of 56 (35.7 percent), including 9 of 26 from 3-point range and 25 of 33 from the foul line.

The Blue Dragons did a much better job defending Pratt’s 3-point shooting in the second half.

Pratt was 7 of 13 from distance in the first half, which included eight lead changes and five ties. Hutch led 43-39 at halftime. The Blue Dragons held Pratt to 2 of 13 from the 3-point arc in the second half. The Dragons outscored Pratt 49-35 in the final 20 minutes.

GAME NOTES – The Blue Dragons are now 136-47 all-time in the Region VI Tournament, including 43-10 in the quarterfinal round. … The Blue Dragons defeated Pratt for the 10th consecutive time and are now 146-24 all-time against the Beavers, including 12-2 in the Region VI Tournament. … This was all-time win No. 1,805 for Hutchinson. … Hutch shot 50 percent or better for the 13th time this season. … Fred Odhiambo had one block to move into third place on the Blue Dragon single-season blocks list with 75. … This was the 16th time this season to hold an opponent to less than 40 percent shooting.

By STEVE CARPENTER ]

[ BLUE DRAGON SPORTS INFORMATION ]

PARK CITY, Kan. — The No. 8-ranked Hutchinson Community College women’s basketball team won its 11th-consecutive Region VI Tournament quarterfinal on Saturday, but had to grind to get there.

The Blue Dragons jumped out to a 15-point lead in the first half and then withstood an Independence comeback to eliminate the Pirates 74-62 at Hartman Arena.

The Blue Dragons, now 30-2, will play the Butler/Pratt winner at 1 p.m. on Monday in the semifinals. Hutchinson snaps Independence’s 11-game winning streak. The Pirates end their season at 19-10.

Hutchinson reached the 30-win plateau for the seventh time, all under head coach John Ontjes. The 2018-19 Blue Dragons tie the 2010-11 team for the sixth-most wins in program history.

Playing Independence in the Region VI Tournament for the 10th time in 12 seasons, the Blue Dragons raced out to a 27-12 lead with 7:18 to play in the second quarter after a Dejanae Roebuck free throw. Hutchinson went the next 4 minutes, 26 seconds with only one point as Indy cut the lead to 28-20.

The Blue Dragons were only 3 of 12 shooting in the second quarter and saw an 11-point lead after one quarter dwindle to 32-26 at halftime.

Indy got a 3-pointer from Jessica Goodluck with 7:49 to play to cut the Dragon lead to 35-31. Jada Mickens knocked down a 3-pointer for a seven-point lead with 7:11 to play. Indy later pulled within 40-38 when Vannett nailed her third 3-pointer of the game. That gave Hutch a 43-38 lead with 3:07 to play in the third.

That 3-pointer was Vannett’s 75th trey of the season, which ties her with Tessa Morrow and Wendy Fehrenbach for ninth on the single-season 3-point list and ties Morrow for third on the freshman 3-point list.

With the Dragon in foul trouble, Makayla Johnson came up big late in the third quarter. Leading 47-43, Johnson converted a three-point play with 26 seconds left in the quarter. Then Abby Ogle‘s had a three-point play 3 seconds to play to give the Dragons a 53-43 lead after three quarters.

The closest Independence got in the fourth quarter was eight points.

Vannett and Roebuck scored 17 points each to lead the Blue Dragons. Roebuck was 6 of 12 from the field and 7 of 9 from the free-throw line. Vannett hit 3 of 7 3-pointers.

Jada Mickens scored 13 points to join the 800 career point club. Ogle and Tia Bradshaw had seven points each.

The Blue Dragons finished shooting 23 of 52 (44.2 percent) overall, hitting 6 of 21 from 3-point range and 22 of 32 from the free-throw line. The Dragons out-rebounded Independence 39-24, but had to overcome 22 turnovers.

Independence was 18 of 48 shooting (37.5 percent), going 4 of 14 from 3-point range and 22 of 30 from the foul line. The Pirates had 19 turnovers.

Fatarah Kinnard had 14 points and Goodluck had 13 points to lead the Pirates.

GAME NOTES – The Blue Dragons are now 10-6 all-time in Region VI Tournament games against Independence and 35-12 against Indy all-time. With one blocked shot on Saturday, Jada Mickens now has 63 career blocked, which ties Ariella McGhee and Mandy Madden for eighth on the career list. Dejanae Roebuck now has 228 career free throws, which is seventh on the career list. This was the 28th time the Blue Dragons the Blue Dragons held an opponent to less than 40 percent shooting. With 218 3-pointers this season, the 2018-19 Blue Dragons have the third-most 3-pointers in team history. With 403 steals, the Blue Dragons are seventh all-time. With 146 blocked shots this season, the 2018-19 Dragons are tied for sixth most in team history.

By STEVE CARPENTER ]

[ BLUE DRAGON SPORTS INFORMATION ]

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — In a season of milestone wins, the Hutchinson Community College men’s basketball team added another on Wednesday night at the Sports Arena.

Hutchinson earned its 200th all-time postseason victory after defeating the Allen Red Devils 98-88 in the opening round of the 2019 Region VI Tournament at the Sports Arena.

The Blue Dragons captured their 12th consecutive Region VI opening-round victory and advance to Sunday’s 5 p.m. quarterfinal against the Pratt Beavers at Hartman Arena in Park City. The third-seeded Blue Dragons are 24-7. Allen closes its season at 16-15.

The victory gives Hutchinson a 200-79 all-time postseason record and improved to 135-47 all-time in the Region VI Tournament.

Hutchinson led 52-38 at halftime after a D.J. Mitchell 3-point buzzer-beater to end the half. That lead grew to 21 points at 76-55 after a Malique Jacobs field goal with 9:58 left in the second half. From that point, things got close. Led by the 30-point effort of Darius Love, the Red Devils pulled within five points three times, the final coming with 14 seconds left after a Perry Carroll free throw just the Hutch lead to 93-88.

The Dragons clinched the victory with a Tyler Brown three-point play with 10 seconds left to give Hutch a 96-88 lead.

Jacobs had another huge game against Allen. He finished with a game-high 24 points, hitting a career-high 12 of 17 free throws. Jacobs tied James Rojas for the season individual single-game lead for free throws.

Rojas had his sixth 20-point game in the last seven with 21 points on 6 of 11 shooting and 8 of 9 from the free-throw line. Rojas also had six rebounds.

Saquan Singleton had 12 points, Boubacar Kamissoko had 11 points and Mitchel had 10 points for Hutchinson.

The Blue Dragons shot just 42.1 percent for the game (32 of 73), hitting 4 of 14 from 3-point range and 30 of 42 from the free-throw line. The Dragons were out-rebounded 47-44, but Hutch had just nine turnovers to Allen’s 17.

Love was 12 of 17 shooting overall, including 4 of 6 from 3-point range to become the second opposing player to score 30 against Hutchinson this season. Love also had seven rebounds and six assists. Carroll and Jamaal Clifton had 12 points each and Malik Hardmon had 10.

The Red Devils shot 32 of 69 (46.4 percent), hitting 13 of 30 from 3-point range and 11 of 21 from the free-throw line.

Trailing 11-10 not even 3 minutes into the game, the Blue Dragons went on a 17-6 run to lead 27-17 after a Jacobs bucket with 9:43 to play in the first half. Brandon Gray hit a 3-pointer with 5:47 left to cut the Hutch lead to 35-29, but the Blue Dragons answered with a Singleton dunk and Josh Perkins putback to lead 39-29 with 4:56 to go in the first half.

Hutch hit the final shot of the half after moving the ball up the court fast after a missed free throw and Mitchell buried a 3-pointer from the right corner at the buzzer for a 52-38 halftime lead.

A Rojas tip-in gave Hutch a 61-49 lead with 15:22 to play. That started a 14-4 run and the Blue Dragons built a 73-53 lead after a Kamissoko 3-pointer. The lead was stretched to 21 at 76-55 with 9:58 left after a Jacobs score.

Allen used five 3-pointers in the final 10 minutes of the game to start the comeback. A 7-0 Red Devil run, a Wesley Anderson 3-pointer and back-to-back Love layups cut the lead to 86-79 with 2:48 left. Love then hit a 3 with 1:02 to play to cut the Dragon lead to 90-85.

The Dragons held off the Devils after Brown’s three-point play with 10 seconds left. Rheaquone Taylor hit a pair of free throws for the final margin.

GAME NOTES – The Blue Dragons are now 43-9 all-time against Allen, including 6-1 in Region VI meetings. The Dragons are 40-8 in opening round/second-round games. This was all-time win No. 1,804. Malique Jacobs scored a combined 50 points in two games against Allen. The Blue Dragons were 13-2 in games played at the Sports Arena this year.

By STEVE CARPENTER ]

[ BLUE DRAGON SPORTS INFORMATION ]

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The No. 8-ranked Hutchinson Community College women’s basketball team won its 13th consecutive Region VI Tournament opening-round game Wednesday at the Sports Arena.

The third-seeded Blue Dragons shot better than 50 percent and rolled to an 89-40 opening-round victory over the shorthanded Allen Red Devils.

Hutchinson improves to 29-2 overall and advances to Saturday’s Region VI Tournament quarterfinals to take on the Independence Pirates at 5 p.m. at Hartman Arena in Park City. Allen, which dropped its 14th-straight game, closes its season at 3-28.

Sophomore Dejanae Roebuck led the Blue Dragons with her ninth double-double of the season and 23rd of her career with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Roebuck moved past Jackie Patterson into seventh place on the Blue Dragon career scoring list with 926 points. She nearly had a double-double in the first half with 10 points and nine rebounds in the first two quarters.

Five Blue Dragons scored in double figures. Tia Bradshaw finished with 14 points on 5 of 7 shooting. Jada Mickens had 12 points and eight rebounds. Milan Schimmel and Makayla Vannett had 10 points each.

Tijuana Kimbro had eight points and eight rebounds. Lauryn Mapusua had seven points, three rebounds and a career-high four blocked shots.

The Blue Dragons shot 50.7 percent for the game (36 of 71), hitting 8 of 21 from 3-point range and 9 of 13 from the free-throw line. The Dragons had a 52-37 rebounding advantage.

Allen, which played only five players through the entire game, got a team-high 14 points from Jakira Wilson. Paige Jensen had 11 points.

The Red Devils shot just 21.2 percent for the game (14 of 66), going 3 of 15 from 3-point range and 9 of 15 from the free-throw line.

The Blue Dragons had an 11-7 lead with 4:59 to go in the first quarter. Back-to-back 3-pointers from Bradshaw and Roebuck gave Hutch a 17-7 lead, but a Tunmi Amusa score with 1:37 left cut the Dragon lead to just 19-15. The Dragons finished out with a Kimbro layup and a Vannett jumper to lead 23-15 after one quarter.

Allen made 6 of 16 field goals in the opening quarter. The Red Devils had eight field goals over the final three quarters.

The Dragons had a 29-19 lead with 6:45 to play when they started to completely take control of the contest. The Dragons closed the first half on a 15-3 run to build a 44-22 lead after a Vannett 3-pointer with 18 seconds to play. The Dragons outscored Allen 21-7 in the second quarter to build a 22-point lead at halftime,

Hutchinson outscored Allen 45-18 in the second half.

GAME NOTES – The Blue Dragons tied the 2009-10 team for the seventh most wins in a season with 29. The Dragons are 30-3 all-time against Allen, including 4-0 in Region VI Tournament meetings. Hutchinson is now 60-34 all-time in the Region VI Tournament, including 28-9 in the opening round. This was all-time win No. 972. Hutch finished 15-1 at the Sports Arena this season. Hutch shot 50 percent or better for the ninth time this season. The Dragons held an opponent to less than 30 percent shooting 14 times and less than 50 points in a game 12 times.