(HCC Sports Information)

Winners of 10 of its last 11 games, the 19th-ranked Hutchinson Community College men’s basketball team will start its Region VI Tournament with a familiar foe in the Allen Red Devils.

The Blue Dragons and Red Devils will open the 2012 Region VI Tournament one day earlier than the rest of the tournament field because of the Class 3A state basketball tournament starting at the Sports Arena on Wednesday. Tipoff for the opening-round men’s contest will be at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday,  March 6 at the Sports Arena.

All remaining seats not purchased by reserved season and HCC Foundation members go on sale at 8:30 a.m. on Monday morning at the Humiston Athletic Center in the Sports Arena.

This will be the third meeting of the season between the Blue Dragons and Red Devils and it will be the fifth meeting in the last two seasons between the two teams.

Hutchinson defeated Allen 73-60 on Nov. 8 in Iola and knocked off the Red Devils 77-64 at the Sports Arena on Dec. 9.

This will be the fifth meeting in the Region VI Tournament between Hutchinson and Allen.HCCis 3-1 vs. the Red Devils; the only loss was a 60-56 setback in the opening round in 2006, the only time the Blue Dragons have ever lost in a first-round home game.

Hutchinson(24-6) will be the No. 2 seed from the Jayhawk West and the No. 4 overall seed in the Region VI Tournament. The Blue Dragons secured second place in the Jayhawk West on Saturday with a come-from-behind 73-68 victory over Jayhawk West champion Seward County at the Sports Arena.

Allen (14-16) enters play on a two-game winning streak for second-year head coach Anwar Perry. The Devils defeated Jayhawk East Division II teams Highland and Johnson County to close out the regular season. Allen went 5-9 against Division I teams in the Jayhawk East, dropping 3 of 4 against Division I teams following three-game winning streak against Kansas City, Fort Scott and Neosho County.

The Hutchinson-Allen winner will play the Colby-Cowley winner in the men’s quarterfinals at Hartman Arena inWichitaon Sunday.  Quarterfinal times aren’t yet determined.

2012 REGION VI MEN’S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT OPENING PAIRINGS

Pratt (13-17) atCoffeyville(27-3),8 p.m., Wed. March 7

Neosho County (17-13) at Barton (24-6), 7 p.m., Wed. March 7
Colby (19-11) at Cowley (21-9), 8 p.m., Wed. March 7
Allen (14-16) at Hutchinson (24-6), 7:30 p.m., Tues. March 6
Garden City (18-12) at Independence (17-13), TBA, Wed. March 7
Labette (20-10) at Cloud County (23-7), 8 p.m., Wed. March 7
Dodge City (19-11) at Kansas City (19-11), TBA, Wed. March 7
Fort Scott (2-28) at Seward County (24-6), Wed. March 7