BLUE DRAGONS FIGHT OFF NORTHWEST TECH RALLY

Hutchinson CC Sports Information

GOODLAND – The No. 19 Hutchinson Community College men's basketball team shot better than 50 percent for the second time this season and took a big step in clinching one of the top four places in the Jayhawk Conference with a KJCCC road victory at Northwest Tech on Monday night.

The Blue Dragons led by as many as 26 points in the first half and had to hold off a huge Maverick rally to complete a 92-89 victory at the Max Jones Fieldhouse.

The Blue Dragons reached the 20-win plateau for the 54th time in team history and improved to 20-6 overall and 14-6 in the Jayhawk Conference. Now in third place in the KJCCC, the Blue Dragons are 2.5 games ahead of fifth-place Colby and Coffeyville with four games to play to secure a top-four league finish. Hutchinson plays host to Seward County on Wednesday at the Sports Arena.

The Blue Dragons tied a season high with 14 3-pointers, knocking down 10 3-pointers in the first half. Sophomore Kaimen Lennox hit 5 of 7 from long range and sophomore Nate Goodlow hit a career high four 3-pointers, all in the first half, to lead the Blue Dragons.

The Blue Dragons blistered the Mavericks early with their 3-point shooting and built a 52-26 lead after a Jayden Garrison 3-pointer with 4:48 to play in the half. Northwest Tech answered with a 16-2 run over the remainder of the first half to cut the Hutchinson lead to 54-42.

Northwest Tech continued to surge in the second half and got within 90-89 after a Timothy Moore 3-pointer with 3.9 seconds to play in regulation. Kobe Campbell hit two free throws with 2.2 seconds left and the Dragons survived a close final shot by the Mavericks at the buzzer.

Lennox hit 8 of 12 shots to finish with a team-high 22 points to lead the Blue Dragons. Campbell finished with 20 points and Garrison tied a career high with 29 points. Cecil Lee added 14 points.

The Blue Dragons shot better than 50 percent for the second time this season, shooting 51.8 percent for the game (29 of 56). Hutchinson was 14 of 31 from 3-point range, tying a season high set in Game 1 against Fort Scott. The Dragons were 20 of 30 from 3-point range. The Dragons were out-rebounded 32-29 and turned the ball over 16 times.

Hantz Louis-Jeune had 27 points to lead the Mavericks. Moore finished with 22 points and seven rebounds.

The Mavericks shot 42.9 percent (27 of 63), hitting 7 of 16 from 3-point range and was 28 of 33 from the free-throw line.

Northwest Tech started the game with a 7-0 run in the first 1:22 of the game. The Blue Dragons immediately answered that with an 18-2 run that was capped by a Campbell jumper for an 18-9 lead with 14:04 to play.

Leading 30-24, the Blue Dragons exploded for a 22-2 run, including 17 unanswered points to build a 52-26 lead after a Garrison jumper with 4:48 to go. The Blue Dragons were shooting 62 percent from the floor to that point in the game.

The Mavericks started their comeback with eight unanswered, which was snapped by a Campbell jumper with 2:26 to play and a 54-34 Dragon lead. Tech wound up closing the half on a 16-2 run and trimmed the Dragon halftime lead to 54-42.

Tech extended its run to 20-2 in the first 48 seconds of the second half and the Dragon lead was 54-46 after a Louis-Jeune hoop with 19:12 to go. The Mavericks pulled within 71-66 with 10:32. The Dragons then put together a 9-2 run to take an 83-70 lead after a Campbell 3-pointer and Lee free throw.

The Blue Dragons didn't score another field goal in the final 7:02 of the game. The Dragons hit 9 of 10 free throws over that span. Still, the Mavericks continued to surge, getting a tip-in from Leno Manhorn with 54 seconds left to make it a one possession game. Moore then banked in a 3-pointer with 3.9 seconds left to cut the Dragon lead to 91-90. Campbell hit two free throws with 2.2 seconds left for their final three-point lead.

GAME NOTES – The Blue Dragons are now 10-1 all-time against Northwest Tech. … This was all-time win No. 1,868 for the Blue Dragons. … The Blue Dragons are 14-1 when leading at halftime. … The Dragons are 5-0 when outshooting an opponent this season.