[ By STEVE CARPENTER ]

[ BLUE DRAGON SPORTS INFORMATION ]

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson Community College men’s basketball team couldn’t recover from a nightmarish start on Saturday night. But that’s not to say the Blue Dragons didn’t make it interesting.

Falling behind by as many as 19 points, the No. 13-ranked Blue Dragons pulled within two points of No. 15 Seward County with 3:05 remaining in the game. But the Saints took advantage of two missed free throws and a turnover on back-to-back Hutch possessions and defeated the Blue Dragon 87-79.

Hutchinson falls to 18-5 overall and 9-5 in the Jayhawk West. Hutch slips to third place in the West, two games behind first place Seward County. The Saints improve to 18-5 and 11-3 in league play.

The Dragons suffered through a miserable start, not getting their first field goal until 4 1/2 minutes into the game. By that time, Seward County had built a 14-2 lead. Hitting four 3-pointers in the first 9 1/2 minutes, Seward County built a staggering 19-point lead at 30-11.

That deficit was trimmed to 12 after a Boubacar Kamissoko layup in the final minute of the half. But Montrevion Flower nailed Seward County’s seventh 3-pointer of the first half to take a 45-30 lead at halftime.

A Marco Morency 3-pointer with 11:51 to play, the Saints and rebuilt their 19 point lead at 68-49.

Hutchinson started its comeback with a 12-1 run over the next 3:30 to cut the Seward lead 69-61 with 8:22 remaining. The Blue Dragons extended that run to 23-6 and pulled within 74-72 after two Malique Jacobs free throws with 3:35 remaining.

After two Rheaquone Taylor free throws with 3:05 left pulled Hutch within 76-74, the Blue Dragons got a defensive stop, but faltered with two missed free throws and then a turnover on the next two possessions and Seward took advantage. Seward County finished just its sixth win ever over Hutch in the Sports Arena with a 11-5 run.

Hutchinson shot 51.0 percent for the game (26 of 51), hitting 3 of 11 from 3-point range and 24 of 42 from the free-throw line. The Dragons committed 22 turnovers.

Taylor finished with 17 points and James Rojas had 16 points and seven rebounds before fouling out. D.J. Mitchell had 15 points, hitting 3 of 5 from 3-point range. Saquan Singleton had 10 points and eight rebounds.

Devin Bethely finished with 23 points to lead Seward County. Isiah Small and Flowers had 15 points each.

Seward County shot 47.5 percent for the game (28 of 59) after shooting 53.1 percent in the first half. The Saints were 9 of 22 from 3-point range and 22 of 30 from the free-throw line.

Coach Eck talked about the loss of two players during the game and its effects:

 

Hutchinson plays host to Northwest Tech at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday at t the Sports Arena.

GAME NOTES – Hutchinson is now 76-29, including 45-6 at the Sports Arena. This was the second-straight game that Hutch has shot 50 percent in a game and lost. Hutch is now 9-2 at home this season. The Dragons are now 7-2 when shooting 50 percent or better. The Dragons lose back-to-back games for the first time since the 2015-16 season.

[ By STEVE CARPENTER ]

[ BLUE DRAGON SPORTS INFORMATION ]

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson Community College women’s basketball team’s worst half of the season proved costly and the Blue Dragons’ 22-game winning streak came to an end on Saturday Night.

No. 8 Seward County dominated the second half, allowing only 15 second-half points as the Saints defeated the No. 3 Blue Dragons 70-54 at the Sports Arena.

The Blue Dragons and Saints are now tied for first place in the Jayhawk West with 13-1 record. Hutchinson is 22-1 overall and Seward County improves to 21-2 and extends its winning streak to 15 games. Seward County has won three in a row in the series.

Hutchinson built a 39-33 lead at halftime, but Seward County took over in the second half. The Blue Dragons led 45-41 with 5:30 to play in the third quarter after a Jada Mickens basket. Seward County then outscored the Dragons 29-9 over the final 15:30 of the game.

Tied at 47 after three quarters, Seward County buried the Blue Dragons with a 16-2 run over the first 5:20 of the fourth quarter. The Saints outscored Hutch 23-7 in the final quarter.

The Blue Dragons were held to 6 of 29 shooting in the second half and just 2 of 13 in a seven-point fourth quarter. Seward County shot 13 of 27, including four 3-pointers.

Hutchinson finished the game shooting 22 of 63 (34.9 percent), going 4 of 17 from 3-point range. After starting the game 3 for 4 from distance, the Dragons missed 12 of their final 13 attempts. Hutch was 6 of 11 from the foul line. The Dragons turned the ball over 25 times.

Three players had 11 points to lead Hutchinson.

Mickens had 11 points with seven rebounds. Makayla Vannett had 11 points with three 3-pointers. Abby Ogle had 11 points, five rebounds and five steals.

Silvia Veloso had 23 points to lead Seward County. Lexi Hernandez had 12 points and Karolina Szydlowska had 11.

Seward County shot 38.1 percent (24 of 63), hitting 7 of 20 from 3-point range and 15 of 18 from the free-throw line.

Hutchinson begins the second round of play in the Jayhawk West with Northwest Tech on Wednesday at the Sports Arena.

GAME NOTES – The Blue Dragons trail in the all-time series with Seward County 44-47. Dejanae Roebuck moved up to 12th on the Blue Dragon career rebounds list with 484. Hutch’s 22-0 start is the fifth-best start in team history. The 22 game winning streak is the sixth longest in team history. This was the first time this season that Hutchinson trailed in the fourth quarter.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Hutchinson High lost to Newton High 55-42 in Friday night’s game.

Newton quickly took the lead in the first quarter, but Hutchinson wasn’t too far behind. The Railers went up 9-6 after one.

Hutchinson battled back within one at 14-13.

Moments later, a Tate Webster jumper put the Salthawks ahead. Webster finished the night with 14 points.

That lead was short lived. Newton took back its advantage and maintained control for the remainder of the game.

The Railers hit five 3-pointers and shot 12 for 16 at the foul line. The Salthawks only made one 3-pointer and were 9 of 16 at the foul line.

Newton cruised to a 55-42 win.

Coach Webster talked about the size difference between the teams and how it played a role in Friday’s game:

 

Hutchinson travels to Salina Central on Tuesday, Feb. 5, at 7:30 p.m.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Trinity Celtics defeated the Remington Broncos 47-37 in Friday night’s game.

Trinity and Remington were evenly matched in the first half.

The Celtics finally got some breathing room in the third. Philippe Manga slid past defenders and made a layup with 4:17 left in the third quarter to give the Celtics a 33-16 advantage.

The Broncos went on a 10-5 run to close the third. After three, Trinity led 38-26.

Remington could not close the gap in the fourth quarter. The Celtics finished with a 47-37 victory.

Trinity faces Moundridge at home on Tuesday, Feb. 5, at 7:30 p.m.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Hutchinson’s girls defeated Newton 39-37 in Friday night’s game.

The first half was a low-scoring affair that ended with a Salthawk lead. The Railroaders pushed back in the third quarter.

Newton took the advantage with two minutes left in the third and closed out the quarter with a 28-26 advantage.

The fourth quarter was a back-and-forth battle.

Hutchinson grabbed a layup and a jump shot in a two-minute span and led 30-28.

The last minute saw constant scoring from both sides. The Salthawks managed to score with 30 seconds left to win 39-37.

Hutchinson travels to Salina Central Tuesday, Feb. 5, at 6 p.m.

[ By STEVE CARPENTER ]

[ BLUE DRAGON SPORTS INFORMATION ]

GREAT BEND, Kan. — With nearly flawless execution, the Hutchinson Community College women’s basketball team put together its best half this season and produced the largest winning margin in series history against the Barton Cougars.

Shooting almost 64 percent in the first half, the No. 3-ranked Blue Dragons led by as many as 37 points in the late in the second quarter and sprinted to a 93-48 victory over the Jayhawk West third-place Cougars at the Barton Gym, Hutch’s eighth-straight win over the Cougars.

The Blue Dragons, now 22-0, maintained their one-game lead over the No. 8-ranked Seward County Saints at 13-0 in league play. Hutchinson and Seward will meet at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday at the Sports Arena. Barton falls to 14-7 and 7-5.

The Blue Dragons scored the first six points of the game and immediately pulled away from there. Hutch’s first 20-point lead came with 2:43 left in the opening quarter after an Abby Ogle three-point play gave the Blue Dragons a 23-3 lead. Hutch hit 12 of 17 shots in the opening quarter and held Barton to 2 of 16 shooting to lead 31-8 after the first period.

The Dragons scored the first nine points of the second quarter to boost the lead to 40-8 with 6:12 remaining in the half. Roebuck, who had 18 points in the first half, converted a three-point play to give the Blue Dragons their largest lead of the half of 37 with a 51-14 lead with 2:25 left. The Cougars did score the final seven points of the period, but Hutchinson led 53-23 at halftime.

Hutch finished the first half shooting a blistering 63.6 percent (21 of 33) in the first two quarters and held Barton to 25 percent shooting and nine turnovers.

The 53 points were the second-most points scored in a half this season. The previous largest margin of victory over Barton was 40 points.

Roebuck finished with a game-high 24 points on 9 of 13 shooting, and nine rebounds. Roebuck jumped four spots on the Blue Dragon career scoring list to 17th place with 793 points.

Milan Schimmel had 15 points on 3 of 4 shooting from 3-point range with four assists and two steals. Tia Bradshaw hit 3 of 4 from distance and finished with 13 points and five assists. Makayla Vannett hit a pair of 3s and had 10 points.

Abby Ogle had seven points, four rebounds, five assists and three steals.

The Blue Dragons finished shooting 50.7 percent for the game (35 of 69), going 11 of 21 from 3-point range and 12 of 12 from the foul line. Hutchinson held a 43-34 rebounding advantage and had 25 assists on 35 makes.

Barton was held to a season-low offensive output and 26.2 percent shooting (16 of 61). The Cougars were 2 of 17 from 3-point range and 14 of 16 from the foul line.

Hutchinson’s largest lead of the game was 53 points in the fourth quarter.

GAME NOTES – The Blue Dragons are now 36-54 all-time vs. Barton and have won 18 of the last 20 meetings. This was all-time win No. 965 for the Blue Dragons. With 336 wins as the Blue Dragon coach, John Ontjes is now four wins away from moving past Darin Spence into fifth place on the all-time Jayhawk Conference and Region VI coaching wins lists. With 481 career rebounds, Dejanae Roebuck is alone in 13th place on the career rebound charts. Jada Mickens is now tied with Cheryl Jenkins (1982-84) for 18th place on the Blue Dragon career rebounds list with 421.

[ By STEVE CARPENTER ]

[ BLUE DRAGON SPORTS INFORMATION ]

GREAT BEND, Kan. — The Hutchinson Community College men’s basketball team shot nearly 58 percent on Wednesday night and still suffered its worst loss of the season.

The Barton Cougars rallied from a 17-point deficit in the first half with a huge run that covered the end of the first half and rolled into the second. The No. 13 Blue Dragon never recovered and dropped a 102-87 Jayhawk West matchup at the Barton Gym.

Hutchinson falls to 18-4 overall and 9-4 in the Jayhawk West. The good news for Hutch was that first-place Seward County was upset at Northwest Tech, so Hutchinson trails the Saints by one game heading into Saturday’s nationally ranked matchup. Barton remains right in the thick of the Jayhawk West title chase with a 17-4 overall record and 8-4 league mark.

Powered by 14 first-half points from D.J. Mitchell, the Blue Dragons overcame an early 16-4 Barton run to with a 30-9 run of their own and led 44-27 with 5:56 remaining.

Then the Cougars took over and defeated Hutch for the first time on its home floor since 2015.

Barton closed the first half on a 20-3 run to take a 48-47 lead at halftime. The Cougars made it a 30-3 run by scoring the first 10 points of the second half to lead 58-57 with 17:29 to play.

The Blue Dragons chipped away several times in the second half, pulling within 61-55 after a James Rojas drive to the bucket with 15:44 to play and within five at 81-76 after a Boubacar Kamissoko layup with 7:48 left in the second half. Barton answered that challenge with a 10-2 run and Hutch never got the deficit back to single digits again.

Hutchinson shot 62.1 percent in the first half and finished the game at 57.9 percent (33 of 57), but couldn’t overcome 18 turnovers – Barton scored 24 points off turnovers – and 15 Cougar offensive rebounds that produced 15 second-chance points. The Blue Dragons were out-rebounded for the fifth time in six games, this time 37-30.

Mitchell finished with a team-high 23 points on 5 of 8 shooting from 3-point range. He was 7 of 11 shooting overall.

Rojas finished with 19 points and seven rebounds. Rheaquone Taylor was the third Blue Dragon in double figures with 16 points on 6 of 8 shooting. Saquan Singleton finished with nine points, seven rebounds and four assists. Kamissoko had eight points.

The Blue Dragons hit 6 of 16 from 3-point range and 15 of 23 from the free-throw line.

Akeem White became the first opponent to score 30 or more points against Hutch in a full calendar year. He had 31 points on 14 of 20 shooting with six rebounds to lead the Cougars. Diovante Caldwell had 16 points, Elijah Ford had 14 points.

Barton is only the second team to shoot 50 percent or better against Hutchinson this year, shooting 50.6 percent (41 of 81). Barton hit 10 of 21 3-pointers and 10 of 14 from the foul line.

Coach Eck commented on the Cougars’ perseverance that lead to the Blue Dragons loss:

 

GAME NOTES – Hutch is now 86-27 vs. Barton, 34-16 in Great Bend. This is the fifth time ever that Barton scored 100 or more points against the Dragons. Barton’s Akeem White is the first opponent to score 30 or more points since Cowley’s Jeremiah Starks on Feb. 20, 2018. This was Mitchell’s team-high seventh 20-point game this season. The Dragons are now 7-1 when shoot 50 percent or better. Hutch allowed 10 or more 3-pointers in a game for the eighth time this season. The 17-point lead is the largest ever blown in a game in the Steve Eck era.