Hutchinson CC Sports Information

When the Hutchinson Community College men's basketball team takes Sam Butterfield court on Saturday, it will have been 31 days since the Blue Dragons played a game at home.

Mind you, there are only two games played and a holiday break mixed in that month-long span, but the No. 12 Blue Dragons are back at home on Saturday to meet the Cowley Tigers.

Game time is at 7:30 p.m. It will be Hutch Rec Night with the Blue Dragons. All HRC youth basketball players who wear their jersey to Saturday's game will be admitted free.

The game will be broadcast live on Blue Dragon flagship station KHUT-FM (102.9) and sister stations KWBW-AM/FM (1450/98.5) at 7:20 p.m. with Glen Grunwald (play-by-play) and Rusty Hilst (analysis) calling the action. The game will be videostreamed live on the Blue Dragon Sports Network at 7:20 p.m.

The 13-2 Blue Dragons are 4-2 in the Jayhawk West, tied with Barton for second place, one game behind leader Seward County. Hutchinson shot 60 percent from the field one week ago and defeated Allen 102-86 in Iola as six players reached double figures and Malique Jacobs (23 points) and Fred Odhiambo (15 points) produced career highs. The Blue Dragons didn't play on Wednesday.

Cowley is 11-6 overall and 3-4 in the Jayhawk East. The Tigers are currently tied for sixth place in the Jayhawk East, three games behind Coffeyville. Cowley has played two games since returning from the break. They lost to Colby 69-65 on Jan. 5, but rebounded with an 87-78 win over Dodge City on Wednesday in Arkansas City.

Saturday's matchup, which will be the 127th in series history, will be the only time in the regular season that Hutchinson and Cowley will meet.

This will also be the final time the Blue Dragons meet a Jayhawk East team in the regular season. The Dragons open double round-robin play against the Jayhawk West on Monday at Northwest Kansas City. Saturday also starts a stretch of four games in eight days. The Dragons play host to Garden City on Wednesday and Pratt on Jan. 19.

Cowley, which averages 77.7 points offensively and 73.6 points defensively, are led by sophomore forward Brenden Van Dyke, who averages 13.8 points per game and shoots 55.1 percent from the floor. Freshman guard Kenyon Duling is at 12.0 points per game is a major 3-point threat with 2.2 makes per game and 36 percent shooting from distance. The Tigers have five players who average 8.2 points per game or more.

The Blue Dragons are averaging 92.3 points offensively, which is No. 2 in the KJCCC. The Dragons are No. 6 in scoring defense at 72.1 points per game.

Sophomore forward James Rojas leads Hutch in scoring at 17.1 points per game. D.J. Mitchell averaged 14.5 points. Jacobs, Chris Giles and Rheaquone Taylor all average 10 points per game.

The Hutchinson program and head coach Steve Eck are also closing in on a pair of milestones.

The Blue Dragons are seven wins away from becoming the first NJCAA program to 1,800 all-time wins. Eck is five wins away from his 600th victory as a junior college coach.