Hutchinson CC Sports Information

Just 48 hours after winning a thriller at Seward County, the No. 16-ranked Hutchinson Community College women's basketball team faces another immediate challenger for first place in the Jayhawk West.

The first-place Blue Dragons play host to the second-place Barton Cougars at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday at the Sports Arena.

Riding a seven-game winning streak, the Blue Dragons (11-2) have sole possession of first place in the Jayhawk West. The Cougars are right on the Dragons' heels at 8-3.

The Blue Dragons put themselves alone in first place with a thrilling 73-72 win on Monday night at Seward County. Hutch led by as many as 12, but trailed by as many as eight in the fourth quarter. With the game tied, freshman Ishante Suttington made a move to the hoop and was fouled with 0.7 seconds left to play in regulation. Suttington, who had 14 points in the game, made the first free throws and intentionally missed the second to run the final time off the clock.

Last season, Hutchinson dominated the two regular-season meetings with Barton 67-43 at the Sports Arena and 86-67 in Great Bend. But the Cougars had the final say with the Dragons last season when Vanessa Oduah hit a long 3-point shot off an inbound play with 2.3 seconds to play and upended Hutchinson 58-57 in the Region VI Tournament semifinals.

Barton has won five in a row losing to butler 61-54 on Feb. 17. The Cougars defeated Pratt 73-60 on Saturday.

Cougar Coach Alan Clark has six players returning from the team that upset the Blue Dragons in the postseason last year, including Oduah and Queen Ulabo, who are third and second leading scorers, respectively. Tiffany Dortland leads Barton at 15.7 points per game. Ulabo averaged 15.3 points and 8.1 rebounds. Oduah averages 14.4 points per contest.

Wednesday's game will conclude a four-game-in-eight-day stretch for the Dragons, who in the middle of playing nine games in 18 days.