[ By STEVE CARPENTER ]

[ BLUE DRAGON SPORTS INFORMATION ]

LUBBOCK, Texas — The Hutchinson Community College women’s basketball team snapped its own dubious NJCAA Tournament streak and also snapped a long winning streak of Western Nebraska’s at the same time.

The No. 8-ranked ranked and No. 13-seeded Blue Dragons advanced to the second round of the 2019 NJCAA Women’s National Tournament with a resounding 81-60 win over No. 21-ranked and 20th-seeded Western Nebraska in the opening round at the Rip Griffin Center.

The victory was the first for Hutchinson in Lubbock since the tournament moved to Texas in 2017. The Blue Dragons snapped a three-game national tournament losing streak that dated back to the 2015 national championship game. The Blue Dragons improved to 31-3 overall and will advance to play No. 4-seeded Angelina College at 2 p.m. on Wednesday in a second-round matchup.

Hutchinson also snapped Western Nebraska’s 17-game winning streak. The Cougars end their season at 29-4.

The Blue Dragons did so by frustrating the nation’s top 3-point shooting team and No. 3 leading individual scorer in WNCC’s Merle Wiehl.

Hutch held the Cougars to 9 of 32 shooting from distance, but only five makes came in the first three quarters. By that time the Blue Dragons had a 61-44 lead and built leads as large as 27 points. Hutchinson held the NJCAA’s fifth-highest scoring team 30 points under its season scoring average. Wiehl finished with 17 points, but on 7 of 19 overall shooting and just 3 of 13 from 3-point range.

Hutchinson freshman guard Makayla Vannett knocked down a career-best six 3-point goals on 11 attempts to finish with a career-high 20 points. Now with 85 3-pointers this season, Vannett moved past Heather Robben (2008-10) into seventh place on Hutch’s single-season 3-point list.

Joining Vannett with a career-high performance was freshman Abby Ogle, who had a career-best 16 points on 6 of 8 shooting. Ogle added four steals, three assists and three rebounds. Her momentum-changing play at the end of the first quarter – a steal of the ball from Wiehl and layup in the final 5 seconds of the period – gave Hutch a 21-17 lead and sparked an 11-2 run that helped the Blue Dragon erase an early five-point deficit.

Sophomore Dejanae Roebuck was the third Blue Dragon to score in double figures with 12 points. She moved past Kim Gwinner (1986-88) into sixth place on the Blue Dragon career scoring list with 965 points.

Sophomore Jada Mickens also reached a milestone in the opening game of the national tournament. She had eight points and a season-high 13 rebounds. Her final rebound made her the 11th Blue Dragon ever to reach 500 career rebounds.

Milan Schimmel and Tijuana Kimbro had six points each and Kelsey Brett added five, including a 3-pointer.

The Dragons finished the game shooting 41.2 percent (28 of 68), hitting 7 of 20 from 3-point range and 18 of 20 from the free-throw line. The Dragons out-rebounded Western Nebraska 43-27 and had just nine turnovers, the first time since opening night to have less than 10 turnovers in a single game.

Western Nebraska hit 7 of its first 11 shots, but missed on 31 of its final 47 attempts over the final three quarters. The Cougars finished 39.7 percent (23 of 58) overall and was just 5 of 6 from the foul line. The Cougars committed 12 turnovers.

Tishara Morehouse was the only other Cougar to score in double figures with 13 points.

After five early lead chances in the first six minutes of the game, the Cougars beat the Blue Dragons down the floor for a transition layup by Wiehl to lead 15-10 with 3:03 to play in the first quarter. Vannett started to warmup up at that point with her first made from long range to start what became a 11-2 run to close the opening quarter. Hutch grabbed a 17-15 lead on a Ogle layup with 1:27 left. She then picked Wiehl’s pocked just inside half court and scored with 1 second remaining to give Hutch a 21-17 lead after one period.

The Blue Dragons took their first double-digit lead with 6:37 left in the second quarter when Vannett popped a long-distance shot for a 31-21 lead. The Cougars scored the next five points, but Schimmel’s strong take to the bucket snapped that WNCC run. The Dragons pushed their lead to 37-26 on a heads-up play by Ogle with 1:08 to go. With the shot clock running out, Vannett fired a desperation 3 that missed everything. But as the ball was going out of bounds, Ogle grabbed the ball and dished it to a wide-open Mickens, who hit a 14-footer as the shot clock buzzer sounded. The Cougars had the final points of the half when Morehouse hit a long 3 just before the horn to cut the Hutchinson lead to 37-31 at halftime.

Hutch maintained a safe margin through most of the third quarter and led 46-36 with 6 minutes to play in the period. Getting seven points from Roebuck and six from Ogle in the period, Hutchinson took command with a 18-8 run which lasted into the early stages of the fourth quarter. After Brett hit a 3-pointer from the right corner and Sara Cramer hit a 15-footer transition jumper the Dragons lead 64-44 with 8:08 to play in the game.

Vannett finished off her career game with three fourth-quarter 3-pointers; her fifth of the game gave Hutch its largest lead of 27 at 74-47 with 3:45 to play. Trey No. 6 game with 59 seconds left for an 81-58 Hutchinson lead.

GAME NOTES – The Blue Dragons are now 17-10 all-time in nine NJCAA Tournament appearances, including 4-2 in opening-round games. … The 31 wins this season ties the 2008-09 Blue Dragons four fifth most in team history. … The Blue Dragons are 3-2 against the NJCAA Top 25 this season. … This was the 30th time in 34 games to hold an opponent to less than 40 percent shooting. … The Dragons tied their largest deficit to win a game at five. … The 2019 Blue Dragons became the fifth team in Hutch history to reach 1,000 field goals (1,008). Hutchinson had a 38-18 advantage in points in the paint.

[ By STEVE CARPENTER ]

[ BLUE DRAGON SPORTS INFORMATION ]

PARK CITY, Kan. — The 2019 Region VI Men’s Tournament championship game was one of runs. Unfortunately for the Hutchinson Community College men’s basketball team, Seward County had the final run.

Leading by nine points with 7:02 to play in the second half, No. 3-seed Hutchinson quickly saw that cushion disappear as top-ranked Seward County answered with a quick run and finished the Blue Dragons off with an 11-4 run in the final minutes.

Hutchinson suffered an 81-76 loss to the Saints at Hartman Arena in Park City. Appearing in seven consecutive Region V I Tournament championship games, the Dragons have dropped four in a row. Seward County defeated the Blue Dragons three times this season and won its sixth regional crown and first since 2012.

The Blue Dragons fall to 26-8 and now will await the NJCAA Selection Show on Monday to see if they qualify for a fifth-straight NJCAA Tournament.

James Rojas, who scored 108 points in Hutchinson’s four tournament games, earned All-Tournament honors, as well as freshmen Boubacar Kamissoko and Malique Jacobs.

Rojas posted his second double-double of the season with a game-high 29 points and 11 rebounds. Rojas was 10 of 18 shooting overall with a career-high four 3-point goals in eight attempts. He also added four assists.

The Blue Dragons had several leads against the Saints, but couldn’t sustain momentum.

A Rojas layup gave Hutch a 20-10 lead at the 11:12 mark of the first half. The Saints countered with a 16-3 run to lead 26-23 with 6:31 remaining in the first half.

The Dragons used an 8-0 run early in the second half to lead 50-41 with 14:25 to play. Rojas scored back-to-back inside to bump the Dragon lead to nine. Seward County responded with a 15-6 run to knot the score at 56-all with 8:41 left.

Hutch immediately retaliated with a 9-0 run capped by a D.J. Mitchell 3-pointer and a Jacobs floater in the lane to lead 65-56 with 7:02 remaining in the game. A 7-0 run pulled the Saints within one. Rheaquone Taylor scored for a 67-63 Hutch lead with 5:43 left. Seward extended that run top 13-2 to take a 70-67 lead with 4:15 left after a Reggie Miller 3-pointer.

The Dragons led 72-70 with 2:17 left after a Rojas 3-pointer and two free throws on the next possession. Seward took the lead for good on an Isiah Small three-point play with 2:01 to play. Seward County closed the game on an 11-4 run to finish off the Blue Dragons.

Both teams played tough defense in the championship game.

The Blue Dragons shot 38.8 percent overall (26 of 67), but hit 10 of 24 3-pointers and 14 of 19 from the free-throw line.

Mitchell was the only other Blue Dragon to score in double figures with 11 points, hitting 3 of 9 from 3-point range. Saquan Singleton had nine points and five assists. Tyler Brown nailed 3 of 4 from 3-point range for nine points and Taylor had nine points and 10 rebounds.

The Saints shot 39.7 percent overall (27 of 68), going 4 of 20 from distance and 23 of 33 from the free-throw line.

Seward’s three-headed monster of Montrevion Flowers, Marco Morency and Small combined for 61 points. Flowers had 22 points and eight rebounds. Morency finished with 21 points and Small had 18 points.

The Blue Dragons out-rebounded Seward County 48-42, but had six more turnovers with 18 miscues. Seward had a 25-19 advantage in points off turnovers.

GAME NOTES – The Blue Dragons are 137-48 all-time in the Region VI Tournament and now 18-10 in the championship game. … The Dragons still lead the all-time series with Seward County 76-31, but are 1-5 in Region VI games. … James Rojas moved into 24th place on the Blue Dragon career scoring list with 934 points. … This was Rojas’ 13th 20-point game of the season. … Hutch lost its first game of the season when leading at halftime.

[ By STEVE CARPENTER ]

[ BLUE DRAGON SPORTS INFORMATION ]

PARK CITY, Kan. — Twice on Monday night the Coffeyville Red Ravens made the Hutchinson Community College men’s basketball team sink in their seats with buzzer-beating shots to extend their Region VI Tournament semifinal matchup at Hartman Arena.

The Blue Dragons left nothing to chance in the second overtime.

Sophomore James Rojas scored seven of his career-high 30 points in the second overtime and the unranked Blue Dragons knocked off No. 3 Coffeyville 94-89 to advance to the Region VI Tournament championship game for the seventh straight year. The Dragons snap a three-game losing streak to Coffeyville.

Third-seeded Hutchinson (26-7) will play either No. 1 overall seed Seward County or No. 4 seed Barton at 7 p.m. on Wednesday in the championship game. The Blue Dragons make their 28th all-time Region VI title game appearance.

The Blue Dragons had a chance to win in regulation. After Malique Jacobs scored with 17 seconds left to give Hutchinson a 72-69 lead, the Red Ravens ran the clock for the final play. Coffeyville’s Marvin Johnson got inside to score and was fouled with 0.2 second to play. After a lengthy video review, the shot counted and Johnson hit the free throw to force overtime.

With 13 seconds left in the first overtime, Tyler Brown hit 1 of 2 free throws to give the Dragons an 83-81 lead. Tevin Brewer, who had 15 points in the first win over Hutchinson this season, followed his own missed shot on a drive to the hoop as the buzzer sounded, knotting the score at 83 and forcing a second overtime.

Coffeyville’s Miekkel Murray scored the first points of the second overtime. Trailing 85-84, the Rojas hit a jumper to give the Dragons a lead they didn’t lose again at 86-85 with 3:09 remaining in the second overtime. Rojas went on to two free throws and a dagger 3-pointer with 1:48 to play to give Hutchinson a 93-87.

The Dragons held Coffeyville to 1 of 6 shooting in the overtime No. 2. While Hutchinson was 3 of 5 shooting, and despite missing five-straight free throws in the final minute, the Blue Dragons outscored Coffeyville 11-6 in the second overtime.

Hutchinson is now 4-0 in overtime this season and 20-4 in overtime in the Steve Eck era. The Dragons are 8-3 in overtime all-time in the Region VI Tournament.

Rojas became the first Blue Dragon to score 30 points in a game since last season when J.J. Rhymes scored 30 against Allen. Rojas was 9 of 19 shooting, including a career-high three 3-pointers. Rojas hit 9 of 12 from the free-throw line. He added eight rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Jacobs finished with 13 points, but flirted with a triple-double with career highs of nine rebounds and eight assists.

Rheaquone Taylor scored 10 of his 12 points in the final 10 minutes and the two overtimes. He had seven rebounds and three blocked shots. Brown hit 3 of 4 from 3-point range and finished with 12 points.

The Blue Dragons shot 42.9 percent for the game (30 of 70), knocking down 8 of 15 from 3-point range and 26 of 43 from the foul line. Rebounding was even at 53 and the Red Ravens had one more turnover than Hutch, 17-16.

Johnson scored 20 points on 8 of 20 shooting to lead Coffeyville. Brewer had 19 points, but on 6 of 18 total shooting and 2 of 10 from 3-point range.

Coffeyville shot 36.9 percent (31 of 84), hitting 6 of 24 from 3-point range and 21 of 32 from the foul line.

GAME NOTES – Hutchinson is now 28-21 all-time against Coffeyville, including 11-6 in the Region VI Tournament. … The Blue Dragons are 137-47 all-time in the Region VI Tournament, including 28-15 in the semifinal round. … This was all-time win No. 1,806. … The Blue Dragons are 5-8 when trailing at halftime. Hutchinson trailed 40-39.

[ By STEVE CARPENTER ]

[ BLUE DRAGON SPORTS INFORMATION ]

PARK CITY, Kan. — Now the waiting game begins for the Hutchinson Community College women’s basketball team.

Butler’s Jalise Smallwood hit the second of two free throws with 0.6 seconds to play and the Blue Dragons weren’t able to get a miracle shot off as the Jayhawk East champion Grizzlies stunned No. 8 Hutchinson 61-60 in the semifinals of the Region VI Tournament on Monday at Hartman Arena.

The Blue Dragons are now 30-3 and will have to wait one week until the NJCAA Women’s Division I Basketball Tournament Selection Show to see if they will receive one of the eight at-large bids. Butler (28-4), which defeated Hutchinson for the first time in the Region VI Tournament, will play in the championship game at 5 p.m. on Wednesday.

Hutchinson came out hot from 3-point range, hitting 5 of 6 from deep to lead 26-13 after the first quarter. The shots stopped falling after that as the Dragons were only 2 of 13 from the field in the second quarter as the teams were tied 32-all at halftime. The Dragons went scoreless for 5 minutes, 58 seconds and trailed 32-28. Lauryn Mapusua hit a 3-pointer and Milan Schimmel added a free throw to tie the game at 32.

Hutch led 43-42 after three quarters, but Butler opened the fourth quarter on an 8-2 run to lead 51-45 after two Criste’On free throws with 5:23 remaining. Back came the Blue Dragons with consecutive Makayla Vannett 3-point goals to knot the score at 51 with 4:19 to play. Vannett dropped her third trey of the quarter with 3:07 to play to give Hutch a 54-53 lead.

With Butler leading 56-54 with 2:11 to go, Abby Ogle hit a layup and then sank four-straight free throws on subsequent possessions to give Hutch a 60-56 lead with 1:07 to play. Kyla Callins hit a jumper in the lane with 58 seconds left. Smallwood hit two free throws with 22 seconds left to tie the game. The Dragons committed two straight turnovers and Smallwood was at the line with 0.6 seconds left. She missed the first, but hit the second for a 61-60 lead.

Vannett hit 4 of 11 3-pointers to finish with 14 points to lead Hutchinson. She now has 79 3-poiners for the season  to move into sole possession of third place on the Blue Dragon freshman list and tied Shannon Boor for eighth on the single-season 3-point list.

Dejanae Roebuck finished with 10 points. Ogle had six points, eight rebounds, six assists and three steals.

The Blue Dragons shot 35.8 percent for the game (19 of 53). The Dragons were 10 of 31 from 3-point range. After starting 5 of 6, the Dragons missed 17 of the next 18 before hitting 4 of the final 8 3-point attempts. Hutch was 12 of 17 from the foul line.

Butler was 17 of 52 from the field (32.7 percent), hitting 7 of 24 from 3-point range and 20 of 26 from the foul line. Butler out-rebounded the Blue Dragons 37-34.

Callins had 15 points to lead the Grizzlies. Taylor Burch hit 4 of 9 3-pointers to score 12 points and Smallwood hit 9 of 11 free throws to score 11 points.

GAME NOTES – The Blue Dragons are now 61-35 all-time in the Region VI Tournament, including 9-8 in the semifinals. … The Dragons are now 56-31 all-time against Butler and 3-1 against the Grizzlies in the Region VI Tournament. … The 2019 Blue Dragons are now eighth all-time in total field goals (513) and ninth in assists (633).

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.