DRAGONS, TIGERS TO MEET IN SEMIFINAL TOP-20 TILT
BLUE DRAGON MEN'S BASKETBALL |
No. 16 Hutchinson (26-5) vs. No. 11 Cowley (27-4)
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| When: Friday, March 15, 2024 Where: Hutchinson Sports Arena, Hutchinson, KS Time: 7:30 p.m. Radio: KHUT-FM (102.9); KWBW-AM/FM (1450/98.5), 7:15 p.m. - Glen Grunwald (PBP), Dan Naccarato (color) Video: KJCCC Sports Network (PPV), 7:25 p.m. Admission: $10 (all seats general admission) X: @bluedragonsport BLUE DRAGON GAME NOTES (PDF Format) |
Hutchinson CC Sports Information
Following Tuesday night's thrilling come-from-behind overtime buzzer-beating victory over Garden City in the quarterfinals, the Hutchinson Community College men's basketball team is set to make its 46th appearance in the Region VI Tournament semifinals on Friday.
The No. 16-ranked and third-seeded Blue Dragons (26-5) will take on the No. 11-ranked and second-seeded Cowley Tigers (27-4) at 7:30 p.m. at the Hutchinson Sports Arena.
The Hutchinson-Cowley winner will play the Barton-Butler winner in the Region VI Tournament men's championship game at 5 p.m. Saturday at the Sports Arena.
The Blue Dragons play in the Region VI Tournament semifinals for the second time in head coach Tommy DeSalme's three seasons on the Hutchinson bench. Two seasons ago, the Blue Dragons defeated Butler 92-85 in the semifinals at the Tony's Pizza Events Center in Salina.
Hutchinson is 30-15 all-time in the semifinal round of the Region VI Tournament and are 144-52 in 73 regional tournament appearances.
Friday's matchup with Cowley will be the 21st Region VI Tournament meeting with the Tigers. The Blue Dragons lead that series 21-19, but Cowley has won the last two postseason matchups, including a 116-107 loss to the Tigers in the 2021 championship game. The 21 games regional tournament games against Cowley ties 21 regional games against Independence for the most Region VI Tournament games against a single opponent in program history.
The Blue Dragons advanced to the 2024 semifinals when Kamryn Thomas hit a game-winning shot at the buzzer in overtime to defeat Garden City 88-87 at the Sports Arena. Thomas banked in a 3-pointer with 6.1 seconds remaining regulation to force overtime. Thomas had 20 points, while Valentino Simon had 11 points and 13 rebounds and J.P. Ricks added 12 points and nine assists in the victory over the Broncbusters.
Friday's game will be the third-straight nationally ranked matchup between the Blue Dragons and Tigers this season.
Cowley game into the Sports Arena on December 9 and stung the Blue Dragons 83-70. Corey Thomas has 21 points and nine rebounds to lead the Tigers. Thomas had 14 points, but Hutchinson shot a season-low 32.9 percent in the loss.
The Dragons returned the favor on February 14 winning 88-86 at Scott Auditorium in Arkansas City. Trailing by 14 points with 9:42 to play in the second half, Kobe Smith hit the game winner with 1.6 seconds to play to give the Dragons a series split with Cowley.
The Blue Dragons are 3-4 against NJCAA-ranked opponents this season.