NO. 6 BLUE DRAGON MEN TOPPLE THUNDERBIRDS

Hutchinson CC Sports Information

The Hutchinson Community College men's basketball team overcame sluggish play midway through the first half on Wednesday night against Cloud County to rebound from its first loss of the season.

The Blue Dragons trailed Cloud County by seven points with 3:36 left in the first half and outscored the Thunderbirds by 27 points the rest of the way for a 90-75 Jayhawk Conference victory at the Sports Arena.

Hutchinson closes the first semester of play with a 12-1 record and a 4-1 mark in the Jayhawk West. The Blue Dragons next play on Saturday, January 4 against the Allen Red Devils at 7:30 p.m. in the Sports Arena. Cloud County falls to 6-6 overall and 1-4 in the Jayhawk East.

The Blue Dragons led 24-15 with 10:45 to play in the opening half. The Thunderbirds, backed by nine first-half 3-pointers answered with a 22-6 run over the next 7:09 to lead 37-30 after a DJ Sims layup with 3:36 left in the half. The Dragons answered that surge with a half-ending 17-5 run to take a 47-42 lead at half on a buzzer-beating Josh Baker 3-pointer.

Hutchinson then shot 48 percent in the second half and outscored Cloud County 43-33 in the final 20 minutes, building leads as large as 19 points in the second half.

Five players scored in double figures for the Blue Dragons.

Sophomore Saquan Singleton posted his second double-double of the season scoring a game-high 20 points with 11 rebounds, four assists and a pair of blocked shots.

Tyler Brown finished with 16 points as did Baker, who knocked down a pair of 3-pointers.

D.J. Mitchell had 13 points and eight rebounds. Majok Kuath had 10 points and five rebounds.

The Blue Dragons shot 44.3 percent for the game (27 of 61), hitting 6 of 16 from 3-point range and 30 of 42 from the free-throw line. The Dragons out-rebounded the Thunderbirds 48-36.

Sims had 18 points and Dyelan Reed had 16 points to lead Cloud County. The Thunderbirds shot 39.4 percent (26 of 66), hitting 12 of 27 3-pointers. The T-Birds hit 9 of 16 from distance in the opening half. Cloud was 11 of 22 from the foul line. Cloud County committed 16 turnovers.

Trailing 10-9 in the early going, Singleton scored to spark a 15-5 run that gave the Blue Dragons a 34-15 lead after two Kuath free throws with 10:45 remaining in the half. Cloud County then hit seven 3-point goals in a 22-6 run over the next 7:09 and Cloud County led 37-30 after a Sims' layup with 3:36 to play in the period.

Kuath then put the Blue Dragons on his back by scoring seven points in a first-half closing 17-5 run. Kuath's layup with 47 seconds left gave the Blue Dragons their first lead since the 5:40 mark of the period. Baker then drilled a 3-pointer with 4 second remaining in the half to complete the run and give Hutchinson a 47-42 lead at halftime.

A Brown free throw with 17:02 to play in the second half gave Hutch its first 10-point lead at 53-43. Reed later scored with 15:08 remaining to cut the Dragon lead to 56-50. A Singleton tip-in on the next possession stopped that Thunderbird advance and start a 9-1 Hutch run which was capped by a Baker three-point play with 12:34 left to give the Dragons a 65-51 lead.

Cloud County got the deficit to within nine points twice, the final time at 75-66 after a Reed jumper with 5:36 to go. Jaden Okon hit a jumper at the 5:09 mark to push the Hutch lead to double figures for the remainder of the game. The Dragons had another 11-1 run to officially put the game away, building an 86-67 lead with 1:05 left on an Okon free throw.