BLUE DRAGONS’ SEASON ENDS IN NJCAA QUARTERFINALS
Hutchinson CC Sports Information
LAKE CHARLES, Louisiana – The No. 13-seeded Hutchinson Community College women's basketball team saw its season come to an end Saturday after Clarendon College rallied late for a 57-54 victory
in the quarterfinals of the NJCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship at Townsley Law Arena.
Hutchinson (29-7) led for the majority of the contest and built a double-digit second-half advantage, but Clarendon (33-2) closed the game on a 16-4 run to advance to the national tournament semifinals.
Freshman guard KaMyra Barber led Hutchinson in scoring for the second time in three tournament games with a team-high 16 points. Barber hit 5 of 11 shots, including 2 of 5 from 3-point range and 4 of 4 from the free-throw line. Barber added six rebounds.
Freshman Whitney Brown and sophomore Katie Duncan scored 9 points each. Duncan also had a game-high five steals. Sophomore Noelle Anthon closed with eight points and 10 rebounds.
Hutchinson shot 36.4 percent (20 of 55) from the field and hit 10 of 23 3-pointers. The Blue Dragons were 4 of 4 from the free-throw line.
Hutchinson committed 16 turnovers and was out-rebounded 35-32.
Clarendon was led by Armanda Sindalawa with 25 points on 8 of 17 shooting with two 3-pointers. Zainab Olalekan added 11 points and 11 rebounds.
The Blue Dragons held the Bulldogs to 35.0 percent shooting (21 of 60). The Bulldogs were 5 of 24 from 3-point range and 10 of 14 from the foul line.
The Blue Dragons came out strong offensively, shooting well from the perimeter. Hutchinson hit 5 of 8 3-pointers in the opening 10 minutes. Leading 8-7, Kaia Smith hit a 3-pointer with 5:02 to play in the first quarter. The Dragons upped the lead to 14-9 on a Duncan 3-pointer with 4:07 to play. Then leading 16-15, Delora Precop hit a short field goal and Jamaya McPherson dropped a 3-pointer in the final second of the period to take a 21-15 lead after the first quarter.
The Blue Dragons hit only 2 of 11 shots and committed seven turnover in the second quarter as the Bulldogs outscored Hutchinson just 7-4 in the second stanza. The Dragons led 25-22 at halftime.
The Blue Dragons dropped four third-period 3-pointers. Leading 33-26, Barber drained a 3-pointer with 5:04 left to build a 10-point lead. Brown hit a jumper with 4:22 to play for a 38-26 lead, then Anthon hit a 3-pointer that gave Hutchinson a 41-26 lead with 3:09 remaining in the quarter. Still up 45-33 late in the quarter, the Dragons saw Clarendon score the final four points of the period and Hutchinson's lead was 37-31 after 3-pointers.
Two Barber free throws with 8:29 to play to build a 47-37 lead. From that point, Clarendon grabbed the momentum, holding the Dragons to 2 of 14 shooting in the final 10 minutes. The Bulldogs went on a 16-5 run and took their first lead since early in the first quarter on Julianna Dada's 3-pointer with 1:40 remaining. Barber hit two free throws with 48 seconds to play to pull within 56-54. The Dragons got a needed defensive stop on a Smith steal, but couldn't hit the game-tying shot in the final seconds.
GAME NOTES – The Blue Dragons are now 27-14 all-time in the NJCAA Tournament, including 7-1 in the quarterfinal round. … Head coach John Ontjes is now 24-12 in the NJCAA Tournament and he closes his 19th season with the Blue Dragons with a 541-108 all-time record. … The Blue Dragons complete their 52nd season with an all-time record of 1,170-417. … This was the first meeting ever between Hutchinson and Clarendon. … Katie Duncan's five steals tie for the third most steals by a Blue Dragon in the NJCAA Tournament, tying Jen'Von'Ta Hill in 2014 vs. Tyler and Abby Ogle against Angelina in 2019. … Hutchinson's all-time postseason record is 99-55. … The Blue Dragons closed the 2025-26 season winning 14 of their final 16 games.