DRAGONS DOWN COWLEY FOR 6TH-STRAIGHT VICTORY

Hutchinson CC Sports Information

ARKANSAS CITY – Mya Williams scored 27 points and Mele Kailahi posted her seventh double-double of the season as the Hutchinson Community College women's basketball team Saturday extended its current winning streak to six games.

The Blue Dragons evened their road record at 4-4 after an 84-74 victory over the Cowley Tigers at Scott Auditorium. The Dragons improved to 19-4 overall and 13-4 in the Jayhawk Conference. Second-place Hutchinson remains 1.5 games behind first place in league play. The Blue Dragons travel to Butler on Wednesday in El Dorado.

The Jayhawk Conference's leading scorer, Williams posted her eighth 20-point game of the season and tied for her second-highest output of the season with her 27-point outing against the Tigers. Williams was 6 of 12 overall, including three 3-point goals. She had a career-high 12 free throws in 15 attempts.

Kailahi hit a career-high four 3-point goals going 4 of 6 from distance to finish with 16 points and 11 rebound. Kailahi added four assists and a pair of steals.

The Blue Dragons used a 16-5 run early in the second quarter to break open a two-point lead. A Williams' 3-pointer with 5:43 to play capped the Dragon run and gave Hutchinson a 32-19 lead.

Cowley closed to within 46-43 on a Jana Radovanovic 3-point goal with 2:28 to play in the third quarter. Hutchinson quickly grabbed control with a 9-0 run capped by a Kalyn Ervin 3-pointer that gave the Dragons a 55-43 lead just 27 seconds into the fourth quarter.

Sophomore Tor'e Alford finished with 17 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Ervin finished with 12 points – all 12 coming in the second half – and four assists. Chanteese Craig came off the bench to score eight points.

The Blue Dragons shot 48.9 percent (23 of 47) overall, hitting 10 of 22 from 3-point range and 28 of 36 from the free-throw line. The Dragons out-rebounded Cowley 34-31.

Baylee Fincher, the KJCCC's second-leading scorer, finished with a team-high 26 points, going 9 of 19 from the field. Shamahra Henderson had 12 points and Carson Dean had 10 points.

The Tigers were 25 of 59 (42.4 percent) overall, shooting 8 of 21 from 3-point range and 16 of 22 from the free-throw line. The Tigers were only 9 of 30 shooting in the first half.

Trailing 10-7 in the opening quarter, an Alford layup with 2:21 to play in the period started a 7-0 run over the next 1:40 to take a 14-10 lead after two Williams free throws with 1:03 remaining. Fincher hit two free throws with 40 seconds left in the period to cut the Hutchinson lead to 14-12 after one quarter.

Leading 14-12 early in the second quarter, the Blue Dragons took control of the game with a 16-5 run a span of 4:10. Williams hit a 3-pointer with 5:43 to play gave Hutchinson a 32-19 lead. The Dragons then went scoreless for 3:50 and Cowley scored six unanswered points and pulled within 32-25 on a Martyna Kowalska jumper with 1:55 to play. Janaya Washington and Craig scored back-to-back buckets to up the Dragon lead to 36-25. The Dragons led 36-26 at halftime.

Twice in the third quarter Cowley drew to within three points. The first was 36-33 with 6:46 to play. Hutchinson fended that Cowley run off with four free throws from Alford and Ervin. Hutchinson didn't have a free throw for the first 5:47 of the third quarter. Radovanovic's 3-pointer drew Cowley to within 46-43 with 2:28 to go in the period. Kailahi hit a 3-pointer with 2:03 to go to stop that Cowley advance and start a 9-0 run. The Dragons led 53-43 after three quarters.

Ervin's 3-pointer with 9:33 to play in the fourth quarter capped that 9-0 Dragon run for a 55-43 lead. Cowley pulled within 61-55 after a Fincher layup with 5:51 to play. The Dragons answered that challenge with a 14-5 run. The Dragons outscored Cowley 32-31 in the fourth quarter.

GAME NOTES – The Blue Dragons won their fifth-straight over Cowley and now leads the all-time series with the Tigers, 30-23. … Tor'e Alford jumped up five spots on the Blue Dragon career scoring list to No. 13 with 862 points. … Head coach John Ontjes coached his 499th game at Hutchinson and moved within two wins of surpassing Craig Brookover for third place on both the KJCCC and Region VI Coaching Wins list.