BLUE DRAGON MEN'S BASKETBALL |
No. 25 Hutchinson (12-3, 11-3) vs Northwest Tech (1-13, 1-13) |
| When: Wednesday, March 17, 2021 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. Video: Blue Dragon Sports Network, 7:15 p.m. Twitter: @bluedragonsport Tickets: Remaining tickets go on sale at 4:30 p.m. CLICK FOR GAME NOTES |
CLICK FOR GAME ROSTERS SHEETS |
One year ago, the Hutchinson Community College men's basketball team faced a last-place Northwest Tech team - and lost to the Mavericks in overtime.
The 2021 Blue Dragons know the story and aren't about to overlook Northwest Tech again as the two teams meet in exactly the same scenario as last season.
Tipoff for the Jayhawk West contest - the second meeting of the season between the Blue Dragons and Mavericks - is at 7:30 p.m. in the Sports Arena.
Now ranked No. 25 in the NJCAA Division I Men's Rankings, the Blue Dragons are in firm control of the Jayhawk West with a three-game lead over Dodge City and a 3.5 game lead over third-place Barton.
The Blue Dragons (12-3, 11-3 overall) accomplished that with a come-from-behind 100-89 overtime victory on Monday at Dodge City. Josh Baker poured in a career-high 31 points, Matt Mayers posted his ninth-straight double-double and Isaiah Bujdoso dished out a career-high 10 assists.
Hutchinson tied the game with 9.1 seconds to play in regulation and then scored the first nine points of overtime, outscoring Dodge City 15-4 in the extra session for its seventh-straight victory.
Northwest Tech enters play on Wednesday with a 1-13 record. The Mavericks' lone victory was a 69-61 win over Neosho County on March 8. Since the Mavericks have dropped three straight to Seward county, Garden City and Colby, albeit by a grand total of 18 points.
The Blue Dragons rolled to a 94-61 victory over the Mavericks in the season's first meeting on February 24 in Goodland. The 33-point margin of victory is the largest by the Blue Dragons this season and largest in series history.
Shooting 44.9 percent for the game, the Blue Dragons outscored Northwest Tech 56-32 in the second half. Stephan Gabriel scored a game-high 18 points to lead the Blue Dragons. Donovan Taylor scored a career-high 17.
Jacari Chambers is the Mavericks' leading scorer at 12.0 points per game. He shoots 37 percent from distance. Arthur Cox averages 10.7 points and Tyrecke Francois averaged 10.3 points per game.