DRAGONS DROP LEAGUE MATCHUP WITH FORT HAYS TECH NORTHWEST

Hutchinson CC Sports Information

The Hutchinson Community College men's basketball team dropped its second-straight game on Saturday as Fort Hays Tech Northwest came into the Sports Arena and earned a second-straight win over the Blue Dragons.

Despite outshooting the Tigers and going plus-1 in turnover margin, the Blue Dragons were out-rebounded by 17 boards in a 73-60 loss to Fort Hays Tech Northwest.

The Blue Dragons fell to 10-8 overall and are 5-7 through the first round of the 2025-26 Jayhawk Conference schedule. Hutchinson travels to play at Garden City at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Fort Hays Tech Northwest is now 10-7 and 6-6 in the league.

The Dragons were out-rebounded 48-31, which included a 14-3 advantage in offensive rebounds. That led the Tigers to owning a 15-2 advantage in second-chance points. The Tigers also outscored the Dragons 30-6 from the 3-point line and 11-4 at the free-throw line

Sophomore Bobby Cannon led the Blue Dragons with 17 points and a team-high-tying six rebounds. Cannon was 7 of 17 from the field, including a pair of 3-pointers.

Sophomore Kyrell Shaw closed with 16 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals. Lolo Rudolph, Anthony Alston and Chudier Dorar were next with seven points each.

Freshman Kordell Williams had a game-high six assists.

The Blue Dragons shot 45.6 percent for the game (26 of 57), going 4 of 18 from 3-point range and 4 of 12 from the free-throw line. The Dragons committed 11 turnovers.

Fort Hays Tech Northwest shot 39.4 percent overall (26 of 66), but knocked down 10 of 36 3-pointers and 11 of 16 from the free-throw line.

Marquintez Dixon had a game-high 20 points to lead the Tigers. Keleel Kelly had 11 points and Mantija Otasevic had a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds.

The Blue Dragons didn't score for the first 5 minutes, 26 seconds and the Tigers scored the first eight points of the game. Starting the game missing 16 of their first 25 shot attempts, the Blue Dragons trailed the Tigers 21-6 with 9:23 remaining in the first half.

Hutchinson responded with a 9-0 run to pull within 21-15 on a Jonathan Ogunfuye second-chance field goal with 6:19 remaining and pulled within 24-19 with 4:52 remaining after a Shaw jumper.

Fort Hays Tech Northwest followed that with a 6-0 run to push the lead back to 11 and took a 30-21 lead at halftime.

A Cannon dunk to start the second half got the Blue Dragons within seven points, but the Tigers reeled off a 7-0 run to lead 37-23 with 17:50 remaining.

The closest the Blue Dragons got to the Tigers in the second half was 12 points after a Rudolph free throw cut the deficit to 50-38 with 10:43 remaining. The Dragons trailed by 23 points at 70-47 with 3:55 to go and closed the game on a 13-3 run over the remainder of the game.

GAME NOTES – The Blue Dragons are now 16-3 vs. Fort Hays Tech Northwest, including 9-2 at the Sports Arena. … This was the sixth game this season the Dragons have allowed 10 or more 3-pointers. … Bobby Cannon surpassed the career 600-point mark with 603 points.