DRAGONS MOVE INTO TIE FOR 1ST AFTER SHOOTOUT VICTORY

Hutchinson CC Sports Information

The Hutchinson Community College men's basketball team shot better than 50 percent for the fourth-straight game and posted a season-high offensive output for the second-straight game and moved into a tie for first place in the Jayhawk West Monday night.

Sophomore Matt Mayers continued his sizzling offensive play, leading five Hutchinson players in double figures and the Blue Dragons overcame the 39-point effort of Dodge City's Walyn Napper in a 102-95 Jayhawk West victory at the Sports Arena.

The Blue Dragons improve to 6-3 overall and tied Dodge City for first place in the Jayhawk West at 5-3 heading into Wednesday's road contest at Northwest Tech. The Conquistadors dropped their third-straight game and slipped to 6-3 overall.

Mayers followed his 44-point, 16-rebound effort last week against Cowley with 35 points and 13 rebounds against Dodge City on Monday night. Mayers becomes the first Blue Dragon single Kadeem Allen in 2014 to have consecutive games of 30 or more points. Mayers was 13 of 19 from the field, including a 3-pointer, and was 8 of 10 from the free-throw line.

Mayers had nine points during a key 22-0 Blue Dragon run over a 5 minute, 31 seconds stretch that saw Hutchinson turn a one-point game into a 35-12 lead with 7:49 to play in the first half.

Mayers had plenty of offensive help on Monday night.

Sophomore Majok Kuath had 22 points on 9 of 12 shooting. Sophomore Stephan Gabriel had 18 points on 7 of 10 shooting. Sophomores Jaden Okon and Isaiah Bujdoso had 10 points each.

Freshman Chris Robinson had seven points, but dished out a career-high 10 assists, which ties for the eighth most in Blue Dragon single-game history.

The Blue Dragons were 38 of 71 shooting (53.5 percent), going 2 of 11 from 3-point range and 24 of 35 from the free-throw line. The Dragons out-rebounded Dodge city 41-39 and committed only 12 turnovers.

Napper fell just shy of 40 points with a game-high 39 points on 15 of 28 shooting. He had a pair of 3-pointers and was 7 of 8 shooting. Dhieu Deing nailed four 3-pointers and finished with 22 points. Marlow Kilmore had 22 points with four rebounds, four assists and four steals.

The Conquistadors shot 47.9 percent, going 7 of 26 from distance and 18 of 25 from the foul line.

Two Bujdoso free throws with 7:49 to play in the first half capped Hutchinson's longest unanswered scoring run of the season at 22 for a 35-12 lead. Dodge City scored the next 11 points in a row to pull within 35-23 with 5:39 to play in the half. Napper scored with 2 seconds to play cutting the Hutchinson lead to 50-40 at halftime.

The Dragons shot 53.5 percent in the first half and Dodge City shot 50 percent.

A Gilmore dunk with 15:57 to play cut the Dragon lead to 59-53, but Hutchinson responded with a 10-3 run and led 69-56 after two Gabriel free throws with 11:24 to go. The Dragons kept Dodge City at arm's length throughout the second half.

The Conquistadors' final true run came with 4 minutes to play when Napper scored to cut the Dragon lead to 87-71. Once again, Hutch survived that threat with a 7-2 run over the next 2:05. A Bujdoso layup and Kuath tip-in on back-to-back possessions upped the Hutch lead to 94-83 with 1:55 remaining.

Hutchinson travels to Northwest Tech on Wednesday.

GAME NOTES – Over his last two games, Matt Mayers has 79 points and 29 rebounds on 28 of 39 shooting from the floor and 22 of 24 from the free-throw line. … This was all-time win No. 1,835. … This was the eighth time in series history Hutchinson has scored 100 or more points against Dodge City. … The Dragons are now 122-65 all-time against Dodge City. … The Dragons snapped a streak of two-straight games without a 3-point goal. … Walyn Napper is the first Blue Dragon opponent to score 30 or more points since Garden City's Tahlik Chavez had 31 points last season. This was the most points scored by an opponent since Neosho County's Lual Deng had 38 in 2017. … Majok Kuath had his fifth career 20-point game.