BLUE DRAGON MEN'S BASKETBALL |
Hutchinson (20-11) at No. 20 Barton (22-8)
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| When: Tuesday, March 7, 2023 Time: 7:30 p.m. Radio: KHUT-FM (102.9), 7:15 p.m. - Glen Grunwald (PBP), Sean Boston (Color) Video: Cougar Sports Network, 7:15 p.m. (Pay-per-view) Twitter: @bluedragonsport CLICK FOR FULL BLUE DRAGON GAME NOTES (PDF Format) |
Hutchinson CC Sports Information
The Hutchinson Community College men's basketball team looks to continue its late-season surge on Tuesday as the Blue Dragons travel to play the Barton Cougars in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Region VI Tournament.
Tipoff between the sixth-seeded Blue Dragons (20-11) and third-seeded Cougars (22-8) is 7:30 p.m. at Barton's Kirkman Activities Center in Great Bend.
Blue Dragon flagship station KHUT-FM (102.9) will broadcast the game with Glen Grunwald (play-by-play) and Sean Boston (color) calling the action. The game will be streamed by the Cougar Sports Network on a pay-per-view stream beginning at 7:15 p.m.
The Blue Dragons are 143-51 all-time in the Region VI Tournament. Hutchinson is 45-11 all-time in quarterfinal games in tournament history.
Hutchinson and Barton meet for the 15th time in Region VI Tournament history. The Blue Dragons are 11-3 in previous Region VI meetings. The last regional tournament matchup came in 2018, a 74-69 semifinal victory over the Cougars. This is the earliest Hutchinson and Barton have met in a Region VI Tournament game since a 2009 quarterfinal matchup.
The Blue Dragons won their 16th-straight Region VI Tournament opening game on Saturday, eliminated Northwest Tech 102-79 at the Sports Arena. The Blue Dragons shot 52.0 percent against the Mavericks, getting a career-high-tying 22 points from guard Aaron Potter off the bench to lead the way. Aaron Franklin and Dre Weathers had 14 points each in the opening-round victory.
Over their five-game winning streak, the Blue Dragons have been solid defensively. Hutchinson has put together its best five-game defensive span of games together, allowing only 70.2 points per game and 46.7 percent shooting. Offensively, the Dragons are averaging 92.4 points per game, shooting a sizzling 53.8 percent.
The Blue Dragons lost to Barton in the two regular-season encounters this season.
Barton dominated the game at the Sports Arena on November 26, winning 101-75 as Joseph Locandro scored a game-high 30 points. Aaron Franklin had 17 points and the Dragons had 22 turnovers.
The game in Great Bend was much closer, but Barton pulled away late for a 97-89 win. The game was tied at 75 with 7:08 to play, but Barton outscored the Blue Dragons 22-14 down the stretch.
Hutchinson's Franklin has climbed to No. 13 on the Blue Dragon single-season scoring chart with 691 points. His 80 3-pointers rank third in Blue Dragon single-season history.