NO. 18 DRAGONS RALLY TO TOPPLE GARDEN CITY

 

Hutchinson CC Sports Information

GARDEN CITY – The Hutchinson Community College women's basketball team rallied from its largest deficit to the season in a victory, doing so on Wednesday night to earn a season sweep of the Garden City Broncbusters.

Trailing by as many as nine points in the opening quarter, the Blue Dragons came back to defeat Garden City 68-61 at Conestoga Arena. 

The Blue Dragons improved to 15-4 overall and 10-3 in the KJCCC. Hutchinson plays host to No. 8 Butler at 2 p.m. on Saturday at the Sports Arena. Garden City fell to 12-6 overall and 7-6 in the league.

The Blue Dragons trailed 13-4 with 5:43 remaining in the first quarter. They sliced the deficit down to seven points (23-16) at the end of the first quarter, five points at halftime (35-30) and two points after three quarters (47-45).

The key sequence to the Blue Dragon comeback came early in the fourth quarter. Trailing 49-48, after KaMyra Barber grabbed an offensive rebound, she kicked the ball out to a wide-open Delora Precop, who hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 7:17 remaining for a 51-49 Hutchinson lead. Then, after two more offensive rebounds, Barber nailed a 3-pointer with 6:24 to play for a 54-49 lead. 

That sequence was part of a game-clinching 15-4 Blue Dragon run over a stretch of 5 minutes, 48 seconds. Barber, who had eight points in the fourth quarter alone, capped the run with a three-point play at the 1:29 mark for a 63-53 Hutchinson lead.

Sophomore Jaden Wilson scored a career-high 14 points on 5 of 6 shooting to lead the Blue Dragons. Wilson tied a career high with eight rebounds. 

Sophomore Jamya McPherson gave the Blue Dragons a huge spark of the bench to begin the comeback. McPherson hit a pair of 3-pointers and was 4 of 4 from the line to finish with 12 points and three assists.

Barber had 10 points, Noelle Anthon finished with nine points and five rebounds. Katie Duncan had eight points and Kaia Smith had six points.

Sophomore Katie Duncan had a career-high eight steals in the game, which ties for eighth most in single-game Blue Dragon history.

The Blue Dragons shot 36.1 percent (22 of 61) for the game, hitting 5 of 17 from 3-point range and 19 of 25 from the free-throw line. The Dragons out-rebounded Garden City 33-29.

London Turner had a game-high 16 points to lead Garden City. Deija Robinson had 12 points.

The Busters shot 48.9 percent (22 of 45), including 6 of 12 from 3-point range and 11 of 16 from the free-throw line. Garden City committed 23 turnovers.

Anthon had the only two points early for Hutchinson as Garden City built a 13-4 lead with 5:42 remaining in the opening quarter. With a spark provided by McPherson, the Blue Dragons went on a 10-2 run. McPherson hit a 3-pointer and Wilson hit a floater in the paint to cut the Garden lead to 15-14 with 1:53 to play in the period. Garden City led 23-16 after one quarter.

The Dragons pulled within one point on three different occasions in the second quarter. Two McPherson free throws with 5:42 to go cut the Garden lead to 27-26. A McPherson layup with 3:54 to go cut the lead to 29-28 and a Smith jumper with 58 seconds to go cut the Garden lead to 31-30. The Busters scored the final four points of the half for a 35-30 lead.

Hutchinson trailed 38-32 with 7:34 remaining in the third quarter. The Dragons countered with a 8-2 run and tied the game at 40-40 after two Wilson free throws with 2:51 remaining. Wilson converted a three-point play after an offensive rebound with 1:35 to go to give Hutchinson its first lead at 45-44. Garden City got a 40-point buzzer-beating 3-pointer to give Garden a 47-45 lead after three quarters.

The Blue Dragons outscored Garden City 23-14 in the fourth quarter to take control of the game.

GAME NOTES – The victory was the 17th-straight for Hutchinson over Garden City. … The Blue Dragons lead the all-time series with Garden City 84-19 overall and 37-13 in games played in Garden City. … This was Hutchinson's first win this season when trailing at halftime. The Dragons are now 1-4 when down at halftime. … The Dragons are 5-2 in true road games this season.