NO. 4 BLUE DRAGONS ROLL BY GARDEN CITY

Hutchinson CC Sports Information

Sophomore Jada Mickens led four players in double figures and all 12 Hutchinson Community College women's basketball players scored as the No. 4-ranked Blue Dragons earned victory No. 18 on Wednesday night at the Sports Arena.

The Blue Dragons took advantage of 29 Garden City turnovers and rolled to an 87-56 Jayhawk West victory, avenging last year's stunning home loss to the Broncbusters.

Hutchinson improves to 18-0 overall and 9-0 in the Jayhawk West. Hutch's 18-0 start is the fifth-best start and the 18-game winning streak is the sixth-longest in program history. The Broncbusters drop to 9-9 overall and 4-5 in league play.

A strong inside game and tough defense propelled the Blue Dragons to their 17th double-digit victory of the season.

The inside quartet of Mickens, Dejanae Roebuck, Tijuana Kimbro and Makayla Johnson combined for 36 points and 20 rebounds as Hutch led in points in the paint 54-20.

Defensively, the Blue Dragons held Garden City to 37.3 percent shooting (19 of 51) and forced 29 Broncbuster turnovers. The Dragons held a 32-8 advantage in points off turnovers. The Blue Dragons out-rebounded Garden City 41-30, 17-6 on the offensive glass.

Mickens finished with 15 points on 6 of 8 shooting, including a 3-pointer, and eight rebounds.

Freshman guard Abby Ogle had a tremendous all-around game with 13 points on 6 of 10 shooting – the six field goals were a season high – four rebounds, four assists and a career-high-tying six steals.

Freshman guard Milan Schimmel hit a season-high three 3-pointers and finished with 11 points and five rebounds. Makayla Vannett went 3 of 6 from 3-point range and closed with 10 points. Roebuck had nine points and five assists. Kimbro finished with eight points and seven rebounds.

The Blue Dragons were 36 of 76 from the field (47.4 percent), going 8 of 23 from 3-point range and 7 of 10 from the free-throw line. The Dragons had 24 total assists and just 12 turnovers and racked up 17 steals.

The Busters were 19 of 51 shooting overall, going 6-17 from 3-point range and 12 of 13 from the free-throw line. Garden City hit four 3-pointers in the opening quarter, but went 2 of 10 through the final three quarters.

Jaleah Bellany was 3 of 6 from 3-point range to lead Garden City with 13 points. Daz'Monique Johnson finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds.

The Blue Dragons survived through four early 3-pointers, three of which gave Garden City a 9-6 lead. The Dragons went on a 15-6 run that's to nine Buster turnovers, over the remaining first period to lead 21-12 after one quarter.

The Dragons were 9 of 18 from the field in the second quarter and pulled away for a 41-26 lead at intermission.

Hutchinson will close out a very busy stretch with a Saturday home game against the upstart Pratt Beavers in a 5:30 p.m. tipoff at the Sports Arena.

GAME NOTES – The Blue Dragons are now 69-19 overall against Garden City, including 38-5 at the Sports Arena. … This was all-time victory No. 961 for the Blue Dragons. … The Dragons are 9-0 at the Sports Arena this season. … This was the 16th time this season to hold an opponent to less than 40 percent shooting … Dejanae Roebuck moved into 24th place on the career scoring list with 726 points. … This was the sixth time this season and third game in a row where the Blue Dragons have hit eight or more 3-pointers.