
The first half of the Hutchinson Community College men’s basketball team’s first NJCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament appearance in 16 years was everything it could have wanted.
The second half, not so much.
With a capacity crowd of 7,000 roaring, the fourth-seeded Blue Dragons had an eight-point halftime lead, but saw Jacob Thomas continually bomb away from long, long range to the tune of nine 3-point goals. No. 13-seed Howard scored 62 second-half points and eliminated the Blue Dragons in the second round on Tuesday night with a 92-69 victory.
Making their 17th overall tournament appearance, the Blue Dragons suffered their largest tournament defeat on Tuesday night and are now 12-5 in opening-round games.
“We played a Howard team that got really hot in the second half,” said fourth-year HCC head coach Steve Eck, whose team ended a Region VI championship season at 31-4. (Thomas) was tough to guard. A lot of times we had a hand in his face. We usually do a good job of guarding shooters. We had a hand in his face and we tried to deny him. They ran some screens for him and he got hot. That was the game.”
Thomas finished with 31 points and his nine 3-point goals are the second most ever by a Blue Dragon opponent. Add that to the 26 points and 9 rebounds by forward Cameron Forte, the Hawks had a formidable inside-outside punch the Dragons couldn’t stop.
The Blue Dragons shot 61.5 percent in the first half and closed the first half on a 9-0 run to lead 38-30 at intermission. Sophomore A.J. Spencer led the charge with 18 first-half points.
Howard (30-5) turned up the defensive pressure on the Blue Dragons in the second half, holding Hutchinson to 20.6 percent in the second half, while Howard shot a blistering 62.1 percent (18 of 29) in outscoring the Dragons 62-31 in the final 20 minutes.
“We weren’t making shots in the second half,” said Spencer, who was held to two points in the second half. “They were hitting shots. We turned the ball over couple of times and they hit 3s. We wanted to give our fans more. We never gave up. They hit a lot of tough shots.”
Added sophomore Alex Davis: “In the first half, we had those guys on the edge. We were playing hard. The second half, they got really, really hot. Great shooters make great shots and you have to give (Thomas) a lot of credit. Kadeem (Allen) was playing great defense on him.”
The Blue Dragons shot 38.3 percent overall (23 of 60), only 3 of 16 from 3-point range and 20 of 29 from the foul line. Hutchinson turned the ball over 18 times and Howard parlayed that into a 32-8 advantage in points off turnovers.
Spencer finished with 20 points to lead the Blue Dragons on 9 of 15 shooting. He also had five rebounds and three assists. Allen hit 9 of 12 from the foul line and finished with 17 points.
Davis had 11 points, eight rebounds five assists and four blocked shots. Davis became the first Blue Dragon ever to block 100 shots in a season.
Howard became the first Blue Dragon opponent this season to shoot 50 percent as a team (30 of 60) and scored the most points against the Blue Dragons this season. The Hawks tied an opponent high with 11 3-pointers on 28 attempts. Howard was 21 of 29 from the foul line. The Hawks had 15 turnovers.
DaShaun Wiggins had 14 points and Ladon Carter added 10 for the Hawks.
Rebounding was even at 38-38, but Howard had 16 offensive rebounds.
“The score didn’t indicate how hard we played,” Eck said. “We had the lead at halftime and we knew they would pick up the defensive pressure, but I thought our offense would be able to handle it. They have a good team and can win the tournament. Usually, you play Howard, that’s a semifinal game usually. This was a tough opening opponent.”
The first half featured seven lead changes but early on, it was obvious that Thomas was going to be tough to stop. He hit back-to-back 3s to give Howard a 6-0 lead just 55 seconds into the game. The Forte scored eight-straight points and Thomas added a third 3-pointer, but Howard’s lead was only 17-16 with 11:19 to go in the first half.
HCC went on an 8-2 run, getting back-to-back baskets from sophomore Rozell Nunn and Allen to lead 26-21 with 7:25 to play. A Davis three-point play gave HCC a 29-25 lead with 5:59 to play, but Howard answered with a 5-0 run to take a 30-29 lead with 3:54 to go.
The Dragons then held the Hawks scoreless for the remainder of the half. Spencer scored five-straight points, Davis scored inside and D’Von Campbell had a steal and layup with 9 seconds to play to cap a 9-0 Dragon run and give HCC a 38-30 halftime lead.
Hutchinson had several close-in shots it couldn’t finish in the second half and Howard capitalized. Thomas’ sixth 3-pointer pulled the Hawks within 42-40 with 16:41 to play. Then leading 44-43, HCC went on a 6-0 run and Spencer’s only basket of the second half gave the Dragons a 50-43 lead with 13:54 to play.
Howard finally over-took Hutchinson with a 12-0 run over the next 3 minutes, 12 seconds to lead 55-50 with 11:02 remaining.
Allen then hit 3 of 4 free throws to pull Hutch within 55-53. Thomas and Campbell traded 3-pointers, but Thomas added treys eight and nine to give Howard a 64-56 lead with 7:30 to go.
The Blue Dragons weren’t able to recover from there as Howard closed the game on a 34-14 run over the final 9 minutes of the game.
GAME NOTES – HCC is now 40-22 all-time in the NJCAA Tournament. … The Blue Dragons are now 1-7 vs. teams from Texas in tournament play. … This was the most points allowed in a tournament game since giving up 99 in the seventh-place game against Yuma in 1972. … The single-season and career blocked shots leader, Davis finished his career with 161 rejections. … Davis also became the 22nd Blue Dragon to score 800 career points. He finishes tied with Durrell Peterson for 20th with 810 points … The 31 victories tied for fourth most in program history. … HCC is 27-3 this season when leading at halftime. … HCC is now 1-2 vs. Howard College all time. … Howard’s 11 3-pointers tied Northwest Kansas Tech and Trinidad State for the most 3-pointers allowed by HCC this season.
(By Steve Carpenter, HCC Sports Information Director)
Other Quotes
Head coach Steve Eck
About defending Howard’s Jacob Thomas …
“A lot of times, he had hands in his face and he’s falling out of bounds and he’s still making them. Give him credit.”
Thoughts about his team after the loss …
“We have some good freshmen coming back. The sophomores did a good job of leading. We had a good mix this year. I just wish this game wouldn’t have gotten away from us.”
About missing several close-in shots this season …
“In a one or two point game, you miss chip shots and they get some kickouts. We had some easy baskets to make and they just wouldn’t fall. That can make a close game fade away pretty fast.
Sophomore Alex Davis
About making the tournament …
“We haven’t made the tournament in 16 years and we made it this year. I’m so proud of our team right now.”
On the difference between halves …
“We made some great shots in the first half. We were getting the same looks in the second half and just couldn’t knock them down. Give Howard credit. They are a great team. We are a great team and it was their night.”
Sophomore A.J. Spencer
On getting to the tournament …
“We had a great season and we overachieved, but I wish we could have gave them more. I expected to get here and win. The fans came out and packed the stands and showed us some love and cheered us on. They stayed when we were down and didn’t leave. I just expected to go farther than this.”
BOXSCORE

The Hutchinson Community College men’s basketball team on Tuesday night will make its 17th overall appearance and first in 16 years in the NJCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament at the Sports Arena.
The Region VI champion Blue Dragons (31-1) will play 2010 national champion Howard College (29-5) at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday in a second-round matchup.
The game will be broadcast live on Blue Dragon flagship station KHUT-FM (102.9) and on sister station KWBW-AM (1450) beginning at 6:20 p.m. A live audio stream and live stats will be provided by the Blue Dragon Sports Network and a live videostream will be on NJCAATV at njcaa.org.
The Blue Dragons earned their first trip back to the Sports Arena for the NJCAA Tournament since 1997 after defeating Barton 74-57 in the Region VI Tournament championship game on March 9 at Hartman Arena in Park City.
The No. 9 nationally ranked Blue Dragons are the No. 4 overall seed in the 2013 NJCAA Tournament, one of eight top seeds to get first-round byes in the new 24-team single-elimination tournament format.
Howard was ranked No. 11 in the final NJCAA poll and was seeded No. 13. The Hawks eliminated No. 20 East Mississippi 63-54 in an opening-round game on Monday. The Hawks, who made the tournament field as an at-large selection, are making their eight NJCAA Tournament appearance.
For HCC head coach Steve Eck, this will be his second Division I NJCAA Tournament and third national tournament overall. At Redlands in 2003, Eck’s team won the Division II national championship. One year later, Eck and Redlands played in the 2004 Division I championship game and lost to Southeastern Iowa.
GAME 35 - NJCAA Tournament 2nd Round
No. 9 Hutchinson (31-3) vs. No. 11 Howard College (29-5)
Date: Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Tipoff: 6:30 p.m.
Site: Hutchinson Sports Arena, Hutchinson, KS (Capacity: 7,000)
Radio: KHUT-FM (102.9), KWBW-AM (1450) - Glen Grunwald (PBP); Rusty Hilst (Analysis), 6:20 p.m.
Internet Video, Audio, Live Stats: www.bluedragonsports.com, 6:20 p.m.
Twitter: @bluedragonsport
Blue Dragon history in NJCAA Tournament
Hutchinson will be making its 17th overall appearance in the NJCAA Tournament this year.
That ties Three Rivers Community College for sixth most in tournament history.
The Blue Dragons have a 40-21 NJCAA Tournament record. The 40 wins are sixth most in tournament history. Three Rivers is fifth with 41 wins. Moberly is the all-time leader in tournament wins with 62.
The Blue Dragons have an opening-round record of 11-5 in tournament play. Their last first-round game was a 60-53 loss to San Jacinto in 1997. HCC’s last opening-round victory was 99-83 against Bossier Parish in 1994.
Hutchinson captured NJCAA national championships in 1988 and 1994. The Blue Dragons are the last Region VI team to win a national championship.
The Blue Dragons have played Texas schools seven times in the NJCAA Tournament.
Blue Dragons to be No. 4 NJCAA Tournament Seed
The Region VI champion Blue Dragons drew the No. 4 overall seed for the 2013 NJCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament.
The NJCAA Tournament format went through a major change this season, changing from the 16-team false double-elimination format to the new 24-team single-elimination field.
The 16 district champions, four at-large teams and four zone teams make up the 24-team field. The four at-large teams were non-district champions selected from all over the country. The four zone teams are six randomly drawn regions – the zone qualifiers will rotate to a different set of six regions each year – which make up the final four teams of the tournament.
Iowa Western (31-2) is the No. 1 overall seed this season. Spartantburg Methodist College (32-0) is the No. 2; Central Florida (30-3) and Hutchinson make up the top four seeds. Seeds 5 through 8 are Vincennes University (31-2), Central Arizona (29-4), East Georgia (30-2) and New Mexico Junior College (27-6).
In addition to Howard and East Mississippi, Hutchinson has the No. 12 Hagerstown (29-4)/No. 21 Lee College (24-10) winner and No. 5 Vincennes University.
Blue Dragons No. 2 in NJCAA in all-time wins
With their 76-64 victory over Mesa Community College on Nov. 3, the Blue Dragons reached 1,600 wins in their illustrious history.
The Blue Dragons are 1,628-559, a winning percentage of .744 in their 81st season of men’s basketball.
The Blue Dragons trail only Southeastern Iowa in all-time wins. Southeastern Iowa.
HCC played its 2,100th game on Dec. 4, 2010 vs. Harcum College.
With their 76-69 victory over Seward County on Jan. 3, 2010, the Blue Dragons moved past Moberly Area Community College for second place on the NJCAA all-time wins list.
With a 79-53 victory over Labette on Nov. 1, 2008, the Blue Dragons became only the third NJCAA program to post 1,500 victories. Win No. 1,400 came on Feb. 9, 2004 at Butler.
About the 2012-13 Blue Dragons
+ The Blue Dragons finished the regular season as the Jayhawk West’s No. 1 scoring offense and top shooting team. HCC averaged 80.9 points per game, shooting 47.8 percent overall and 32.9 percent from 3-point range. The Blue Dragons had a league-low 116 3-pointers this season. HCC is the No. 1 free-throw shooting team in the league at 68.0 percent.
+ Defensively, the Blue Dragons ranked last in scoring defense at 67.8 points per game. Opponents are shooting 39.5 percent, fourth best in the league and the eighth-best defensive field-goal percentage in Blue Dragon history. HCC led the Jayhawk West in 3-point defense at 27.5 percent, fourth-best in team history.
+ HCC completed the 2013 Jayhawk West season averaging 77.3 points, shooting 45.8 percent overall. The Blue Dragons didn’t utilize the 3-point shot as much in conference play. Shooting 29.9 percent, the Dragons are just 49 of 164 from distance in league play. Defensively, HCC allowed 68.3 points, 39.5 percent field-goal shooting and 26.0 percent from 3-point range.
+ Freshman guard Kadeem Allen won Jayhawk West Player and Freshman of the Year honors. He posted eight 20-point games and two 30-point games in conference play. Overall, he tied for second in the Jayhawk West in scoring at 17.4 points per game. He has scored in double figures in 31 of 32 games played this season, averaging 19.4 points per game in Jayhawk West games. Allen is shooting 43.8 percent, 33.3 percent from 3-point range and 72.1 percent from the foul line. Allen also has team highs of 120 assists and 81 steals. Allen wound up leading the Jayhawk West in steals at 2.51 per game and was eighth in assists at 4.03 per game.
+ Sophomore guard A.J. Spencer is second in scoring at 15.0 points per game, which was sixth in the Jayhawk West. Spencer ranked third in field-goal percentage at 59.8 percent, while leading the West at the free-throw line (80.8 percent). Spencer averaged 15.4 points in conference play, shooting 59.1 percent. The sophomore is averaging 5.7 rebounds per game. He had four double-doubles.
+ Sophomore forward Alex Davis earned Region VI Tournament MVP honors and he became the program’s career and single-season blocked shots leader. He averages 13.5 points per game with a team-high 7.1 rebounds per game. Davis was 10th in the Jayhawk West in scoring and sixth in rebounding. Davis is shooting 48.2 percent from the field. Davis leads the Jayhawk West in blocked shots at 2.81 rejections per game and is the HCC career blocked shots record with 157.
+ Sophomore point guard D’von Campbell returned to the line-up 13 games ago after missing six in a row because of injury. Campbell is averaging 12.1 points and 3.92 assists. He was fourth in the league in assists. Campbell had a career-high-tying 21 points and four 3-pointers against Colby and followed that with 16 against Cloud County.
+ Sophomore Rozell Nunn is averaging 8.2 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. Nunn broke out of a shooting slump during the Region VI Tournament and is now shooting 46.7 percent from the floor and 74.7 percent from the foul line. Nunn has 99 assists and 32 steals.
+ The Blue Dragon bench is averaging 16.3 points for the season. Freshman Tafari Whittingham is the leading scorer off the bench at 7.3 points per game, shooting 49.7 percent. Sophomore Dre Henley is averaging 5.7 points, shooting 51.9 percent.
+ The Blue Dragons have out-rebounded 20 of 34 opponents this season. HCC is plus 1.9 in rebounding advantage, pulling down 40.5 boards per game. The Blue Dragons are averaging 13.0 offensive rebounds per game.
+ The Blue Dragons average 17.6 assists per game and 8.7 steals.
+ Against Northwest Tech, the 2012-13 Blue Dragons broke the program record for total blocked shots with 177.
+ Hutchinson averages 15.0 turnovers and forces opponents into 17.9 turnovers per game. The Blue Dragons had a season-low six turnovers vs. Garden City on Feb. 6.
+ HCC is 22-1 at the Sports Arena this season, averaging 83.2 points per game.
+ HCC is 7-2 on the road this season, averaging 78.5 points per game.
HCC Postseason Notables
+ HCC is averaging 82.8 points per game offensively and 66.3 points defensively.
+ The Blue Dragons shot 50 percent or better in each of the four Region VI games and shot 54.3 percent overall.
+ HCC was 19 of 45 from 3-point range (42.2 percent). A.J. Spencer was 6 of 9 and D’Von Campbell was 5 of 14 from long range.
+ Defensively, HCC held four Region VI opponents to 40 percent overall shooting, 33.8 percent from 3-point range and 15.5 turnovers per game.
+ Alex Davis was named the Region VI Tournament MVP. He was joined by Kadeem Allen, A.J. Spencer and Rozell Nunn on the All-Tournament Team.
+ Davis averages 18.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and shot 59.2 percent from the field.
+ Spencer averaged 15.5 ppg, Allen 14.0 ppg and Campbell 12.3 ppg.
+ HCC was a plus-5.0 in rebounding margin.
Scouting Howard
+ Howard won the 2010 NJCAA national championship. The Hawks are making their eighth overall appearance (1953, 1956, 1960, 1965, 1969, 2006, 2010).
+ Howard is an at-large selection after losing to District 14 champion New Mexico Junior College 60-59 on March 9. That loss interrupted a nine-game losing streak.
+ Ranked No. 11 in the final NJCAA Poll and seeded 13th in the tournament, Howard defeated East Mississippi 63-54 on Monday. Cameron Forte had 18 points to lead the Hawks. Ladon Carter had 12 and 7-footer Goran Huskic had 10 points and 10 rebounds.
+ Sophomore guard Rico Richardson, a native of Topeka, was a Blue Dragon redshirt in 2011.
+ Offensively, Howard averages 76.6 points per game and shoots 50.7 percent overall. The Hawks are 200 of 580 from 3-point range (34.5 percent) and 71.7 percent from the free-throw line.
+ Defensively, the Hawks are among the best in the nation, allowing 60.8 points per game. Opponents are shooting 40.3 percent overall and 31.6 percent from 3-point range. Howard forces 15.4 turnovers per game.
+ Freshman forward Cameron Forte is the team’s leading scorer at 22.6 points per game. Forte is shooting a staggering 63.4 percent from the floor and 65.6 percent from the foul line. Forte is averaging a team-high 7.5 rebounds.
+ Sophomore guard Jacob Thomas is averaging 14.4 points and 3.1 assists per game. He had 68 made 3-pointers entering the NJCAA Tournament and shoots 39.4 percent from long range.
+ Sophomore guard Phillip Miller is averaging 13.2 points per game. He has 69 made 3-pointers and is shooting 39.4 percent from long range. Miller shoots 82.1 percent from the foul line.
+ Richardson averages 7.3 points and a team-high 4.0 assists per game.
+ Huskic, a 7-foot Serbian, averages 6.9 points and 4.9 rebounds while shooting 69 percent from the field.
Series history against Howard
This will be only the third meeting between Hutchinson and Howard ever and the first since 1993.
The series is tied 1-1. Howard won the 1992 meeting with Hutchinson at the Sports Arena 78-65. The Blue Dragons, one year later, earned a 66-65 victory over the Hawks, also at the Sports Arena.
(HCC Sports Information)

Hutchinson Community College freshman Kadeem Allen swept postseason conference awards this week as the Blue Dragon guard was named both the Jayhawk West Player of the Year and Jayhawk West Freshman of the Year, the league announced this week.
Allen is one of three Blue Dragon players to earn All-Conference and All-Region VI honors, joining sophomores A.J. Spencer and Alex Davis. Spencer is a first-team all-conference and all-region selection. Davis was named to the second team on both postseason teams.
Allen becomes the first Blue Dragon to earn conference Player of the Year honors since Bobby Maze in 2008. He is the Dragons’ first Freshman of the Year since Darius Johnson-Odom in 2009.
KADEEM ALLEN
The 6-foot-3 guard from Wilmington, N.C., was extremely impressive during the Jayhawk West season.
Allen posted eight 20-point games and two 30-point games in conference play. He averaged 19.4 points per game in conference play, shooting 43.6 percent overall and 35.1 percent from 3-point range. Allen averaged 5.7 rebounds, 3.75 assists, 2.56 steals and1.37 blocked shots in conference play. He had 30 points in a come-from-behind win at Butler and 31 points in a home victory over Garden City.
Overall, Allen tied for second in the Jayhawk West in scoring at 17.4 points per game. He scored in double figures in 31 of 32 games played this season. Allen shot 43.8 percent, 33.3 percent from 3-point range and 72.1 percent from the foul line. Allen also had team highs of 120 assists and 81 steals.
Allen wound up leading the Jayhawk West in steals at 2.51 per game and was eighth in assists at 4.03 per game.
Allen had one double-double of 25 points and 10 rebounds against Hill College on Dec. 8.
Allen was named the Jayhawk Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week four times.
Allen is the only freshman on the top two all-conference teams.
A.J. SPENCER
Spencer became the target of opposing coaches trying to take him out of the Blue Dragons’ offensive flow this season and the 6-3, 220-point sophomore from Shawnee kept finding ways to produce.
Spencer was second in scoring on the team this season at 15.0 points per game, which was sixth in the Jayhawk West. Spencer ranked third in field-goal percentage at 59.8 percent, while leading the West at the free-throw line (80.8 percent).
Spencer averaged 15.4 points in conference play, shooting 59.1 percent. The sophomore is averaging 5.9 rebounds per game.
Spencer had four double-doubles this season. He scored a career-high 27 points against Frank Phillips College on Nov. 23.
Spencer was twice honored as the Jayhawk Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week.
ALEX DAVIS
Already signed to play at Fresno State next season, Davis dedicated himself to getting the Blue Dragons to the NJCAA Tournament for the first time since 1997. He did just that, earning MVP honors in the 2013 Region VI Tournament.
Davis was another focal point of opposing defenses, but the 6-foot-9 sophomore from Houston averaged 13.5 points and a team-high 7.1 rebounds per game. Davis was 10th in the Jayhawk West in scoring and sixth in rebounding. Davis shot 48.2 percent from the field.
This season, Davis became the Blue Dragons’ career and single-season blocked shots leader. He led the Jayhawk West in blocked shots at 2.81 rejections per game. Davis has 155 career blocked shots and 96 during his sophomore season.
(HCC Sports Information)
2013 ALL-JAYHAWK WEST TEAMS
Coach of the Year – Bryan Zollinger, Seward County
Most Valuable Player – Kadeem Allen, Hutchinson
Freshman Of The Year – Kadeem Allen, Hutchinson
FIRST TEAM
Kadeem Allen, Hutchinson 6'3 Fr.
Algie Key, Barton 6'4 So.
Kaheem Ransom, Seward County 6'0 So.
A.J. Spencer, Hutchinson 6'3 So.
Andell Cumberbatch, Barton 6'4 So.
SECOND TEAM
Alex Davis, Hutchinson 6'9 So.
Edson Avila, Seward County 6'10 So.
Jabari Peters, Seward County 6'3 So.
Sean Osler, Butler 6'6 So.
Aaron Abram, Pratt 6'4 So.
HONORABLE MENTION
Turon Parker, Barton 6'0 Fr.
Delvon Rencher, Dodge City 6'6 Fr.
Vic Adams, Dodge City 6'3 So.
Kristan Rolle, Colby 6'5 So.
Jeremiah Ingram, Colby 6'7 Fr.
Jade Cathey, Garden City 6'5 Fr.
Shomari Triggs, Butler 5'9 Fr.
Sean Goodwin, Butler 6'6 Fr.
Edward Dyson, Cloud County 6'4 So.
2013 ALL-REGION VI TEAMS
FIRST TEAM
Kadeem Allen, Hutchinson 6’3 FR
Algie Key. Barton 6’4 So.
Kaheem Ransom, Seward County 6’0 So.
TreVaughn White, Independence 6’0 So.
Montel James, Coffeyville 6’7 Fr.
James Milliken, Cowley 6’2 So.
A.J. Spencer, Hutchinson 6'3 So.
Edson Avila, Seward County 6'10 So.
Earl Peterson, Coffeyville 6’3 Fr.
Andell Cumberbatch, Barton 6'4 So.
SECOND TEAM
Gian Clavell, NW Kansas Tech 6’3 Fr.
Jabari Peters, Seward County 6'3 So.
Sean Osler, Butler 6'6 So.
Aaron Abram, Pratt 6'4 So.
Anthony Elechi, Labette 6’8 Fr.
Alex Davis, Hutchinson 6'9 So.
Cameron Craig, Coffeyville 6’0 So.
Turon Parker, Barton 6'0 Fr.
Vic Adams, Dodge City 6'3 So.
Dominique McKoy, Cowley 6’8 So.
HONORABLE MENTION
Jade Cathey, Garden City 6'5 Fr.
Travis Britt, Coffeyville 6’3 Fr.
Jake Stoppel, Neosho County 6’5 Fr.
Delvon Rencher, Dodge City 6'6 Fr.
BLUE DRAGONS ROLL BY COFFEYVILLE, ADVANCE TO FIRST FINAL SINCE 1997
SPENCER, DAVIS POWER BLUE DRAGON SECOND-HALF SURGE PAST CLOUD COUNTY