Six years after finall bringing it to Hutchinson, the NJCAA national championship trophy returned to the Salt City.

Hutchinson Community College took the lead for good late in the first half and held off a frantic Three Rivers, Mo., comeback for a 78-74 victory in the 1994 NJCAA Tournament championship game at the Sports Arena.

Ben Davis had 20 points, including two decisive free throws with 4.1 seconds left, to lead the Blue Dragons, who finished the season with a 35-4 record, the second-most wins in school history.

Tournament Most Valuable Player Roy “Pooh” Hairston added 18 points, while John Sweet had 13 and Craig Duerksen had 12 points for HCC.

For Three Rivers, coached by legendary junior college coach Gene Bess, Willie Walker had 17 points. Sunday Adebayo had 12 and Lonzell Gowdy had 11 for the Raiders, who finished 33-5.

“It’s a relief it’s over,” said Hutchinson head coach Steve McClain, who was an assistant coach for the Blue Dragons’ 1988 national championship team coached by David Farrar. “This one feels a lot better right now.

“I’m awfully proud of these kids. This is a great accomplishment. They beat a good ball club. They had a lot to prove to people who doubted them, but they never stopped believing in the system, the coaches and each other.”

The Dragons led by 11 points, 60-49, when Hairston hit a 3-pointer – HCC’s only one of the game – with 10 minutes, 8 seconds left in the game.

But Three Rivers battled back and had a chance to tie the game with 7.9 seconds left when Lucas Wagler fouled out, sending Adebayo to the line. Adebayo missed both free throws and the ball went out of bounds off Gowdy.

Hutch got the ball to Davis, who was fouled with 4.1 seconds left and the Dragons leading 76-74. Davis, who moved on to the University of Arizona after his days at Hutchinson, made both foul shots.

“I knew I was going to make it,” Davis said. “I smiled when I went up there because I knew I was going to make both of them. I think Coach (McClain) knew I was going to make them, too.”

Davis had missed the second of two three throws with 1:07 left after putting HCC up 74-72, but Three Rivers turned the ball over. Hairston hit a pair of foul shots with 47.4 seconds on the clock, giving the Dragons a four-point cushion.

After Anthony Rodebush converted a 15-foot jumper for Three Rivers, Wagler missed inside for Hutch. Wagler then fouled Adebayo with 7.9 seconds to go, setting up the Three Rivers’ All-American’s two misses from the line.

Hutchinson, which led 33-32 at halftime, took command with a 10-2 run late in the period.

Hairston’s free throws with 4:52 left put HCC in front, 27-26, and sparked the Dragons’ spurt. It was the fourth lead change of the half, which also had three ties.

Hairston gave Hutch a three-point advantage with a pull-up 8-foot bank shot at the 4:30 mark of the first half, and after James Jones answered for Three Rivers, the Dragons scored five straight points to lead by eight.

Sweet hit from 12 feet in the lane and converted a three-point play on a fast-break pass from Courtney Morgan. Hairston then put the Dragons ahead 36-28 with 2:30 to go.

Hutch had an early 13-7 lead, when Duerksen followed a Sweet miss with 13:26 left in the half. But Three Rivers came back to take its first lead at 17-16 on Walker’s 3-point bank shot from the right wing with 10:30 remaining.

Once Hutchinson’s second national championship was locked up, a wild celebration ensued. Once that calmed down, the celebrating wasn’t over as the Dragons started pulling in post-tournament honors.

Hairston was named the Tournament’s Most Valuable Player. He finished second in tournament scoring with 72 points. Hairston and Davis, who was ninth in scoring with 66 points, were named to the 12-member all-tournament team.

McClain was named the Coach of the Tournament and Wagler earned the Sesher Sportsmanship Award.

Hutch’s journey to the 1994 national championship game was entertaining to say the least.

After a thrilling Region 6 championship game victory over rival Butler County a week prior to the NJCAA Tournament, the Blue Dragons opened the ’94 tournament with Bossier Parish, La.

Playing in their first NJCAA Tournament game since winning the 1988 crown, HCC forced five Bossier turnovers in the first three minutes of the second half and cruised to a 99-83 victory. Hairston scored 31 points, including a pair of 3-pointers during a decisive 14-4 run, to lead the Dragons. Hairston added nine rebounds and five assists. Davis and Duersken had 16 points each.

The next day, Davis turned in an overpowering 32-point, 17-rebound performance in Hutch’s 81-67 second-round victory over Chatahoochee Valley, Ala. The Dragons, who led by only three points at halftime, opened the second half with runs of 9-2 and 12-0 to stretch their advantage to 65-44 with 10:35 remaining. Hairston added 21 points and Sweet had 18, which limited Chatahoochee Valley to 38-percent shooting.

With the Sports Arena packed for the Friday night semifinals, the capacity partisan Blue Dragon crowd was getting nervous because HCC trailed for most of its Final Four battle with Connors State, Okla. But the Dragons led when it matters the most and came away with an 80-79 victory to move into its fourth NJCAA Tournament championship game.

Wagler hit a free throw with 14.7 seconds left to give the Dragons their slim, but decisive margin. He was the third Hutch hero in as many games, scoring a career-high 24 points to go with 10 rebounds and four assists.

Connors State had built a 14-point first-half lead before the Dragons rallied to trail just 42-40 at halftime.