Hutchinson CC Sports Information
The Hutchinson Community College men's basketball team fought back from an early first-half deficit to lead at halftime, but Fort Hays Tech Northwest guard Chase Harris exploded in the second half and the Blue Dragons weren't able to recover.
Harris scored 19 of his game-high 23 points in the second half as the Tigers upset the No. 23-ranked Blue Dragons 75-61 at the Sports Arena.
Hutchinson lost its second-straight game and fell to 13-7 overall and 9-5 in the KJCCC. The Blue Dragons travel to Colby at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Fort Hays Tech Northwest is now 6-12 overall and 4-10 in league play.
The Blue Dragons trailed by as many as six points in the second half, but battled back to lead 31-29 at halftime. The Tigers shot 53.3 percent in the second half and led by Harris' 19 points in the final 20 minutes, they outscored the Blue Dragons 46-30.
Freshman Bo Aldridge scored a team-high 19 points and finished with six rebounds to lead the Blue Dragons. Aldridge was 6 of 11 from the floor with two 3-pointers and 5 of 6 from the free-throw line.
Khalil Arnold finished with 11 points and four rebounds. D.J. Dudley had 10 points, three assists and three steals. Bobby Cannon just missed a double-double with nine points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots.
The Blue Dragons finished shooting 41.1 percent (23 of 56), going 5 of 20 from 3-point range and 10 of 18 from the free-throw line. The Blue Dragons were out-rebounded by Fort Hays Tech Northwest 38-30 and turned the ball over 15 times.
Harris finished 10 of 16 shooting with three 3-pointers to lead the Tigers. Kalik Sharpe finished with 17 points while Harold Thompkins had 10 points.
The Tigers finished shooting 48.1 percent (26 of 64), hitting 9 of 23 from 3-point range and 14 of 22 from the foul line. The Tigers have 15 turnovers.
Idris Williams hit a jumper with 14:18 to play in the first half to give the Tigers a 9-4 lead. The Dragon deficit grew to five points at 11-6 after a Harris score with 13:08 to play. The Dragons went on a 7-2 run and tied the game on a Kobe Smith floater in the paint to tie the game at 13-13. The Dragons also tied the game at 17-all and 20-all.
The Tigers used a 7-1 run to lead 27-21 after a Marquintez Dixon jumper with 4:53 to play in the half. The Blue Dragons answered with a 7-0 run over the next 1:40, taking a 28-27 lead on a Cannon 3-pointer with 3:17 remaining in the half.
Tech Northwest led 29-28 after two Thompkins free throws with 2:06 left. Dudley answered to tie the game at 29 after a Dudley free throw and led 31-29 after a Dudley jumper with 55 seconds to go. The Dragons shot only 38.5 percent while the Tigers shot 41.7 percent in the first half, but Hutchinson led 31-29 at halftime.
The Tigers opened the second half on a 7-2 run and took a 36-33 lead on a Francisco Monreal inside hoop with 17:38 to play. The Blue Dragons never gained the lead again, but trailed from one to five points for the next 12 minutes.
Trailing by two points, the Dragons tied the game at 54-all after a huge Aldridge left-handed dunk with 5:59 remaining in the second half. The Tigers scored the next five points. Aldridge countered with a 3-pointer to pull within 59-57 with 4:41 left. Fort Hays Tech Northwest closed out the game with a 16-4 run over the final 4:03.
GAME NOTES – This was the first time in 11 trips to the Sports Arena that Fort Hays Tech Northwest defeated the Blue Dragons. … Hutchinson leads the overall series with the Tigers at 16-2. … The Dragons scored a season-low 61 points. … The Dragons are 7-4 at the Sports Arena this season and 11-4 when leading at halftime. … This was the first loss by more than six points this season. … Now with 49 blocked shots, Blue Dragon freshman Bobby Cannon moved into ninth on the Blue Dragon freshman blocked shot list.