DRAGONS CLINCH REGION VI HOME GAME WITH WIN AT SEWARD COUNTY

Blue Dragon freshman Kernan Bundy had 17 points, eight assists and five rebounds to lead the Blue Dragon men to a 76-71 victory over Seward County on Wednesday in Liberal. (Sammi Carpenter/Blue Dragon Sports Information)

February 22, 2023

Hutchinson CC Sports Information

LIBERAL – Aaron Franklin posted his ninth double-double of the season and freshman Kernan Bundy snapped out of a recent scoring slump to lift the Hutchinson Community College to a key 76-71 Jayhawk Conference victory over Seward County on Wednesday night at the Green House.

With the victory, the Blue Dragons clinched a Region VI Tournament first-round home game on March 4. The Dragons could still finish sixth, seventh or eighth in the KJCCC standings, but are assured of a home game for the opening round of the regional.

Winning its third game in a row, the Blue Dragons are now 18-11 overall and 12-11 in the Jayhawk Conference. The Dragons will have it second KJCCC season bye on Saturday and will close out the regular season next Wednesday against Garden City at 7:30 p.m. in the Sports Arena.

Franklin led the Blue Dragons with 21 points on 9 of 16 shooting with three 3-pointers and 10 rebounds to lead the Blue Dragons. Going 3 of 6 from 3-point range, Franklin moved up to No. 4 on the Blue Dragon single-season 3-point list with 77 treys.

Bundy scored in double figures for the second time in his last six games, scoring 17 points on 3 of 8 3-point shooting and 8 of 8 shooting from the free-throw line. Bundy also tied his season high with eight assists. Bundy added five rebounds.

Ra'Sean Frederick added 15 points, seven rebounds, five assists and two steals. Kieran Carr finished with eight points and five rebounds.

The Blue Dragons shot 50 percent for the game (29 of 58), hitting 7 of 23 from the 3-point line and 11 of 15 from the foul line. The Dragons dominated the boards, out-rebounding Seward County 45-19 with 18 offensive rebounds. The Dragons had to overcome 21 turnovers.

Mario Whitley had 22 points and Wilson Dubinsky had 16 points to lead the Saints, who shot 50 percent (28 of 56) overall. The Saints were 8 of 16 from 3-point range and 7 of 14 from the foul line.

The Blue Dragons scored the first four points of the game and never relinquished the lead in the opening 20 minutes. Back-to-back Bundy 3-pointers pushed the early Dragon lead to 10-4 with 16:12 to play in the first half.

Franklin's 3-point goal with 6:04 to go gave Hutchinson its first 10-point lead at 28-18 with 6:04 to play in the first half. That basket started a 10-2 Dragon run that was capped by two Bundy technical free throws with 3:07 to play in the half and pushed the Dragon lead to 35-20.

The Saints got within 39-29 late in the half, but a Frederick putback at the buzzer gave the Dragons a 41-29 halftime lead. The Dragons held an opponent to less than 30 points in a half for just the second time this season.

Frederick's layup with 16:00 to play gave the Dragons a 47-35 lead. Led by Whitley, the Saints climbed back into the game. Whitley hit a jumper with 7:57 to play to give Seward County its first lead at 54-53. Dubinsky then drilled a 3-pointer with 7:20 left to give the Saints a 47-53 lead. Dubinsky's 3-pointer capped a 22-6 Seward run; Whitley scored 11 points during the run.

Down 59-56, the Dragons went on a 12-2 run. Franklin hit a 3-pointer to give the Dragons a 61-59 lead and another trey for a 64-61 lead with 3:10 left. That second Franklin 3-point started a 7-0 run. Franklin and Carr both scored on transition layups to give the Dragons a 68-61 lead with 1:52 remaining.

Seward County got the game to one possession twice after that, but Bundy was 6 of 6 from the foul line in the final 34 seconds to clinch the victory for the Blue Dragons and complete the season sweep of the Saints.

GAME NOTES – This was all-time win No. 1,892 for the Blue Dragons. … Hutchinson is now 84-31 all-time against Seward County, including 34-20 in Liberal. … This was Hutchinson's 850 all-time regular-season Jayhawk Conference victory in program history. … The Dragons have won eight in a row against Seward County. … Now with 320 3-point goals for the season, the Dragons need two 3-pointers to break a single-season program record for 3's. Last season, the Dragons had 321 3-point goals. … The Dragons are now 6-5 in road games this season. … Ra'Sean Frederick has 14 assists in his last three games. … The Dragons are 4-1 when shooting 50 percent this season.