DRAGONS ROLL IN 2ND HALF TO ELIMINATE PRATT

Hutchinson CC Sports Information

PARK CITY – 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.