Hutchinson CC Sports Information
GOODLAND – Freshman Mya Williams posted her third-straight huge game led the Hutchinson Community College women's basketball team to a 10th-straight victory.
Williams scored 28 to lead the 20th-ranked Blue Dragons to an 87-68 win over Northwest Tech on Monday night at Max Jones Fieldhouse.
The Blue Dragons improved to 23-4 overall and 16-4 in the Jayhawk Conference. Second-place Hutchinson still trails first-place Independence by 0.5 games. The Blue Dragons play host to Seward County at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday in the Sports Arena.
The Blue Dragon freshman guard and Jayhawk Conference's leading scorer, Williams hit 11 of 20 total shots, hitting 4 of 10 from 3-point range. Williams added seven rebounds and two assists.
Williams broke the 500-point mark for the season moving into 12th place on the Blue Dragon single-season scoring list and fourth on the freshman scoring list with 509 points. Over her last three games, Williams has scored 94 points with 16 3-pointers.
The Blue Dragons posted their second-highest field-goal percentage of the season at 57.1 percent. The Dragons started the game hitting 10 of their first 14 shots in building a 26-10 lead after one quarter. The Dragons had five 3-pointers in the opening 10 minutes.
For the game, the Blue Dragons hit 12 of 25 3-point attempts with five different players sinking at least two each. In addition to Williams, Kalyn Ervin, Janaya Washington, Mele Kailahi and Tor'e Alford had two 3-pointers each.
The Dragons led by 30 points at 52-22 after an Ervin 3-pointer with 8:24 to play in the third quarter. The Mavericks, powered by six second-half 3-pointers, trimmed 20 points off that lead and pulled within 76-66 with 3:03 remaining. The Blue Dragons finished the game on a 10-2 run.
Ervin finished with 14 points and four rebounds for the Blue Dragons. Alford closed with 13 points, six assists and four steals. Kailahi had 10 points and 10 rebounds. Kali Howard had eight points.
Hutchinson out-rebounded Northwest Tech 34-24 and finished with 18 turnovers.
Alonna Harvey-Williams scored 14 points to lead the Mavericks. She hit 3 of 5 3-pointers after having five treys all season long. Natalie Lara finished with 12 points and Fanta Daffe had 11 points.
The Mavericks shot 43.8 percent (26 of 60), hitting 9 of 21 from 3-point range and 7 of 10 from the foul line. The Mavericks had 22 turnovers. Tech shot 52.9 percent in the second half.
The Blue Dragons steadily built its 16-point first-quarter lead. Back-to-back 3-pointrs by Alford and Williams built a 10-2 lead. A Howard inside bucket gave the Dragons a 21-10 lead. Another Howard layup and Kailahi 3-pointer pushed the lead to 26-10 after one quarter.
The Dragons scored the first five points of the second quarter and lengthened the lead to 31-10 after back-to-back buckets by Williams. The Dragons extended the lead to 44-20 at halftime with another Williams 3-pointer and two Erin free throws in the final 1:07 of the opening half.
Hutchinson started the third quarter on an 8-2 run with a Natalie Payne layup and 3-pointers from Kailahi and Ervin for a 52-22 lead. Northwest Tech started to find the range from distance with five 3-pointers in the third quarter. A Tyla Treleaven bucket late in the third cut the Dragon lead to 65-48, but Ervin scored just before the buzzer to help the Dragons carry a 67-48 lead into the fourth quarter.
Tech started the fourth quarter with a 7-2 run and pulled within 69-55 on two Chloe Andrew free throws with 7:44 left in the fourth quarter. A 7-0 run capped by a Moniek Merringa 3-pointer drew the Mavericks within 76-66 with 3:03 to play. The Blue Dragons closed strong with an 11-2 run down the stretch.
GAME NOTES – The Blue Dragons are 9-1 all-time vs. Northwest Tech and have won eight in a row. … Blue Dragon head coach John Ontjes won his 417th game with the Blue Dragons and is now just two wins' shy of surpassing Jim Littell for second on the all-time KJCCC and Region VI coaching wins' lists. … Mya Williams led the Blue Dragons in scoring for the 14th time this season and she had her 15th 20-plus point game of the season. … The Blue Dragons had their eight game scoring 80 or more points and ninth with 10 or more 3-pointers. … The 2021-22 Blue Dragons are up to fifth in Blue Dragon single-season history with 225 makes.