KUATH PUTBACK WITH 1.2 SECONDS LEFT SENDS DRAGONS TO REGION VI FINALS

Hutchinson CC Sports Information

WICHITA – Over the final 19.4 seconds of Friday's Region VI Tournament semifinal game, the emotions of Hutchinson Community College forward Majok Kuath went from the lowest of lows to the highest of highs.

And the result for the Jayhawk West champion and tournament top seed Blue Dragons means a berth in the Region VI Championship match on Saturday night.

Kuath hit a go-ahead shot with 1.2 seconds remaining in regulation to spur the Blue Dragons to a wild 76-75 semifinal victory over No. 5 Coffeyville on Friday at the Friends University's Garvey Center.

The victory bolstered the Blue Dragons' postseason resume and puts Hutchinson into its 29th Region VI Championship game. Hutchinson will play No. 15 Cowley at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Garvey Center. Cowley routed Barton 104-77 in the other men's semifinal on Friday.

Tied at 72, Matt Mayers gave the Blue Dragons a 74-72 lead with 1:51 to play. After both teams traded defensive stops, Coffeyville's Tylor Perry drove to the hoop and was fouled with 19.4 seconds to play. Perry hit the first free throw and Hutchinson called a timeout.

After the timeout, Perry missed his second free-throw attempt. Kuath and Bostyn Holt both went for the rebound. Holt's tip attempt wasn't going to go in, but it did put the ball within the cylinder when Kuath touched the ball. Kuath was called for goaltending and Coffeyville led 75-74.

As Hutchinson's final possession unfolded, Mayers tried to get the ball to Kuath on the low block, but a Raven defender deflected the ball into the corner and Kuath hustled and save the ball from going out of bounds into the hands of Josh Baker. Baker then tried a 3-point attempt from the right wing, which was partially deflected by Holt. Isaiah Bujdoso went for the rebound, but knocked the ball into the hands of Kuath, who wildly spun to his right and banked in an eight-foot shot with 1.2 seconds to play to give the Blue Dragons a 76-75 lead.

That play was the 13th and final lead change of the game. Coffeyville's desperation heave from just outside half court was not close.

Baker led the Blue Dragons with 21 points, hitting 2 of 6 3-pointers. Baker jumped into the career Blue Dragon Top 10 for 3-pointers and is tied with Aaron Lashley for ninth with 108 made 3s. Baker also had five assists to lead the Blue Dragons.

Matt Mayers had 18 point, seven rebounds and three assists. Mayers was 6 of 6 from the free-throw line. Kuath finished with 10 points and seven rebounds. Jaden Okon had eight points and Bujdoso finished with seven.

The Blue Dragons shot 49.1 percent from the floor (28 of 57), hitting 2 of 7 3-pointers and 18 of 22 from the foul line. The Blue Dragons were outrebounded 36-32, but turned the ball over only nine times.

Perry had 19 points to lead Coffeyville, which at 22-3 is in strong position for an NJCAA Tournament at-large bid. Holt had 14 points.

The Red Ravens shot 40.4 percent for the game (23 of 57), going 6 of 16 from 3-point range and 23 of 27 from the foul line.

The Blue Dragons shot 51.6 percent in the first half in building a 42-31 lead at halftime.

Trailing 13-12, a Mayers short jumper started a 16-5 Hutchinson run that pushed the Dragon lead to double figures for the first time at 28-18 on two Stephan Gabriel free throws with 8:14 to play in the half. The lead was pushed to 42-28 when Bujdoso sank a technical free throw with 1:58 to play in the half.

The Blue Dragons led 45-35 with 18:21 to play, when Coffeyville started grinding its way back into the game, eventually tying the game at 61-all on a Perry jumper with 8:32 to play. From that point, there were four lead changes in the game, the final one of Kuath's putback with 1.2 seconds to go.

GAME NOTES – The Blue Dragons are now 29-15 all-time in the Region VI Tournament semifinal round. … Overall, the Dragons are 140-49 in the Region VI Tournament. … Hutchinson is now 12-6 all-time against Coffeyville in the Region VI Tournament and 30-23 all-time against the Red Ravens. … The Blue Dragons had a decisive 23-4 scoring advantage off the bench over Coffeyville.