DRAGONS ROLL PAST PRATT FOR VICTORY NO. 1,000

Hutchinson CC Sports Information

Sophomore Abby Ogle had a huge 27-point effort in a milestone victory Monday night for the Hutchinson Community College women's basketball team.

No. 6-ranked Hutchinson extended its winning streak to 10 games after a 75-41 Jayhawk West victory over the Pratt Beavers at the Sports Arena.

The victory was the 1,000th in the 46-year history of Blue Dragon women's basketball. Hutchinson reached the magical 1K in 1,383 games. The program started in the 1974-75 season.

The Blue Dragons improve to 24-2 overall and 16-1 in the Jayhawk West heading into Wednesday's road contest at Dodge City. Pratt falls to 14-12 and 8-9 in league play.

The start down the road to the milestone was a slow one for the Blue Dragons, playing a Pratt team riding an emotional high of snapping a 54-game losing streak to Seward County on Saturday night.

Only Ogle and Brooklyn Bethem scored in a first quarter that ended in a 16-16 tie. Starting with the final basket of the first quarter, the Blue Dragons used a 12-0 run to lead 28-18 after two Betham free throws with 6:54 to play in the second quarter. The Beavers scored five unanswered to pull within five, but the Blue Dragons finished the second period with eight unanswered points. The Dragons held Pratt to 2 of 12 shooting in the second and led 36-23 at halftime.

Hutchinson outscored Pratt 59-25 in the final three quarters.

Ogle knocked down three 3-pointers and led Blue Dragons with 17 first-half points. Ogle posted her fifth 20-point game of the season with a game-high 27 points on 9 of 13 shooting, 3 of 6 from 3-point range. Ogle added seven rebounds, five steals and four assists.

Ogle became only the second Blue Dragon in team history to reach 200 career steals (201) and the sixth Blue Dragon to reach 100 steals in a season (102).

Hutchinson shot 26 of 56 overall shots (46.4 percent), going 12 of 29 from 3-point range and 11 of 16 from the free-throw line.

Sophomore Lauryn Mapusua finished with 12 points on a career-high four 3-pointer. She added seven rebounds and three assists. Freshman Tor'e Alford had four 3-pointers and finished with 12 points and six rebounds. Betham had seven points and a team-high nine rebounds. Gelecia Cooper and Sasha Francis has six points each.

The Blue Dragons had 23 assists on 26 made field goals. Francis had a career-high and game-high nine assists. The Dragons outrebounded Pratt 41-39.

No Pratt player scored in double figures. Rachel Tippens had nine points and Tytiana Haamid had seven.

Holding Pratt to 24.2 percent in the first game on January 18 in Pratt, the Blue Dragons' No. 4 nationally ranked defense did even better against Pratt on Monday. Pratt shot only 22 percent (13 of 59), behind held to just 7 of 41 shooting in the final three quarters. The Beavers were 4 of 28 from 3-point range and 11 of 16 from the foul line. Pratt committed 16 turnovers.

GAME NOTES – The Blue Dragons are now 80-11 all-time against Pratt, including 40-5 at the Sports Arena. … The only other Blue Dragon with 200 or more steals beside Abby Ogle is career leader Kalani Purcell (259). … This was Ogle's 22nd game scoring in double figures, the 16th consecutive game with 10 or more points scored in a game. … Ogle had her ninth season and 17th career game of five or more steals in a game. … The 12 3-pointers by Hutchinson tied for the third most made 3s this season. … This was Hutchinson's five game of the season with 10 or more 3-pointers.