STRONG FINISH CARRIES DRAGONS TO OUTRIGHT WEST TITLE

Hutchinson CC Sports Information

Looking for any kind of momentum heading into the postseason after losing 2 of the last 3 games, the Hutchinson Community College men's basketball team found some with a strong final 13 minutes against Colby Wednesday night.

The Blue Dragons clinched an outright Jayhawk West championship after a 78-64 victory over the Colby Trojans at the Sports Arena. The conference crown is the first since the national championship season of 2017 and the 37th in the illustrious history of Blue Dragon basketball and the third in the Steve Eck era.

Getting to the net-cutting turned out to be a rough road. After building a three-game lead in the Jayhawk West after a March 17 win over Northwest Tech, the Dragons lost road games at both Pratt and Barton, losing the momentum of an eight-game winning streak.

The Blue Dragons led 26-13 with 7:31 to play in the first half on Wednesday. Colby roared back with a 22-10 run over the remainder of the first half, but the Dragons still led 36-35 at halftime.

The Trojans kept on charging in the second half and took a 52-47 lead with 13:37 to play on a Jayrese Williams 3-pointer.

The Blue Dragons immediately responded with an 11-0 run over the next 2:02. Bryant Selebangue's inside hoop started the run, and it was capped by a Josh Baker 3-pointer with 11:35 to play, which gave the Dragons a 58-52 lead.

Leading 63-58, Chris Robinson followed his own miss with a putback. That play sparked a game-clinching 15-6 run over the final 6:28. The Blue Dragons shot 50 percent (15 of 30) and held Colby to 25.6 percent (10 of 39) in the second half and outscored the Trojans 42-29 in the final 20 minutes.

Baker reached a couple of statistical milestones on Wednesday night after his game-high 27-point performance, which included 5 of 7 from 3-point range with five rebounds and two assists. Baker surpassed the 600 career-point mark (617 points). Baker also became the 14th Blue Dragon in program history to reach 100 career 3-point goals. Now with 103 made 3s, Baker surpassed Akbar Hoffman (2014-16) for 12th place on the Hutchinson career list.

Three other Blue Dragons scored in double figures. Robinson and Selebangue had 12 points each. Selebangue added eight rebounds. Isaiah Bujdoso had 10 points and four steals.

The Blue Dragons shot 48.3 percent for the game (29 of 60), hitting 7 of 13 from distance and 13 of 16 from the foul line. The Dragons were out-rebounded 43-40 and committed 17 turnovers.

Hutchinson did have 10 blocked shots, getting four from Majok Kuath and three from Selebangue.

Colby was held to 31.1 percent shooting for the game (23 of 74), hitting 6 of 17 from distance and 12 of 14 from the foul line. The Trojans had 12 steals in the game.

Tyrone Marshall had 14 points, while Anthony Marshall had 12 and Rasheet Wilson 10.

Hutchinson and Colby played only once this season because the Trojans were off nearly three full weeks. The March 13 game in Colby was canceled. The Dragons snapped Colby's two-game win streak over Hutchinson and lead the overall series 51-6.

The 16-5 Blue Dragons (15-5 Jayhawk West) will have Monday off as the Region VI Men's Basketball Tournament begins around the state with six opening-round matches. The Blue Dragons will play host to a tournament quarterfinal matchup on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. against an opponent to be determined. Official Region VI Tournament pairings should be announced on Saturday.