Hutchinson CC Sports Information
DODGE CITY – The No. 22-ranked Hutchinson Community College women's basketball team found its offensive touch Monday night to maintain its slim Jayhawk West lead.
The Blue Dragons broke the 80-point mark for the first time since February 22 (8 games), using the offense to outscored Dodge City by 27 points over the final 23 minutes of the game to rout the Conquistadors 82-50 in a Jayhawk West contest at the DC3 Student Activities Center.
Hutchinson improved to 13-3 overall and maintained a slim one-half game lead over Barton, which routed Seward County on Monday in Great Bend. Dodge City dropped to 4-12 overall and 3-12 in the Jayhawk West.
Hutchinson led 29-25 with 2:30 to play in the second quarter. Ishante Suttington scored with a drive to the hoop with 2:12 to play in the quarter. Lojong Gore then scored on back-to-back possessions and Tor'e Alford scored with 1 second to play in the half to cap a quick 8-0 run and extend a four-point margin into a 37-25 lead at halftime.
The Blue Dragons extended the run to 15-2 when Suttington's free throws with 7:37 to play gave the Blue Dragons a 44-27 lead.
Dodge City pulled within 49-38 with 3 minutes to play in the third quarter, but the Dragons used 3-point goals by Kalyn Ervin and Kate Ogle and six points from Gore in a quarter-closing 12-2 run to take a 61-40 lead into the four quarter.
Gore and Ogle led the Blue Dragons with 19 points each. Gore's 19 points was a career high point total. She was 7 of 11 shooting, which included a career single-game best two 3-pointers. Gore added seven rebounds.
Ogle had a perfect shooting night going 7 of 7 from the field, including two 3-pointers and 3 of 3 from the free-throw line. She had four rebounds and a pair of steals.
Suttington tied a career high with 16 points. She had five rebounds and four assists. K.K. Adams had 10 points. Alford returned to the line-up to score nine points, but had seven assists and four steals.
The Blue Dragons shot better than 45 percent for the first time since the Cowley game on February 22, shooting 48.4 percent from the field (30 of 62). Six different Hutchinson players had 3-pointers as the Blue Dragons hit 11 of 32 from 3-point range. Hutchinson was 11 of 17 from the free-throw line. For the second-straight game against Dodge City, the Blue Dragons were out-rebounded, this time 41-36. The Dragons had 13 turnovers to Dodge City's 22.
Emery Maze led the Conquistadors with 13 points. Xenia Cavale had nine points.
The Blue Dragons limited the Conquistadors to 29.0 percent shooting (16 of 62) – this is the fifth time this season the Dragons have held an opponent to less than 30 percent shooting. Dodge City was 5 of 19 from 3-point range and 9 of 14 from the foul line.
The Blue Dragons begin a two-game homestand on Wednesday against Northwest Tech in a 5:30 p.m. tipoff in the Sports Arena.