NO. 8 BLUE DRAGONS START KEY STRETCH WITH CLOUD COUNTY

Honey Cooney and the No. 8 Blue Dragons play host to the Cloud County Thunderbirds at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Sports Arena. (Andrew Carpenter/Digital Fox Photography)
Honey Cooney and the No. 8 Blue Dragons play host to the Cloud County Thunderbirds at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Sports Arena. (Andrew Carpenter/Digital Fox Photography)

Hutchinson CC Sports Information

Back into a first-place tie in the Jayhawk Conference, the No. 8-ranked Hutchinson Community College women's basketball team opens a key stretch of six games with the Cloud County Thunderbirds.

The Blue Dragons (22-2, 16-2 KJCCC) meet the Thunderbirds (15-8, 10-8) at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Hutchinson Sports Arena.

BLUE DRAGON WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
No. 8 Hutchinson (22-2, 16-2) vs. Cloud County (15-8, 10-8)
When: Saturday, February 15, 2025
Where: Hutchinson Sports Arena, Hutchinson, KS
Tipoff: 2 p.m.
Radio: KHUT-FM (102.9); KWBW AM/FM (1450/98.5), 1:45 p.m. - Sean Boston (PBP); Dan Naccarato (Analyst)
Video: Blue Dragon Sports Network, 1:45 p.m.
X: @bluedragonsport
Game Sponsor: Tech, Inc
CLICK FOR FULL BLUE DRAGON GAME NOTES (PDF Format)

The game will be broadcast live on Blue Dragon flagship station KHUT-FM (102.9) and on sister stations KWBW-AM/FM (1450/98.5) beginning at 1:45 p.m. with Sean Boston (play-by-play) and Dan Naccarato (analyst) calling the action. The game will be streamed on the Blue Dragon Sports Network at 1:45 p.m.

Five of Hutchinson's final six opponents are KJCCC upper division teams.

The Blue Dragons and No. 7 Dodge City are tied atop the Jayhawk with 16-2 league records. Just 1.5 games behind is third-place Coffeyville at 14-3 and Butler is fourth at 13-5. Cloud County, which is riding a three-game winning streak, is currently in seventh place in the KJCCC at 10-8. The Thunderbirds are in a battle to secure a Region 6 Tournament opening-round home game. They have a 2 1/2 game lead over their closest pursuers in Barton, Colby and Garden City.

The Blue Dragons have a short turnaround for Saturday's game coming off a Thursday 66-53 road victory at Garden City. Sophomore Hailey Jackson had a career-high 32 points to lead the Blue Dragons. Leading by only four points at halftime, Jackson scored 12 points in a decisive 21-10 third-quarter surge.

Despite its three-game winning streak, Cloud County is 5-5 in its last 10 games. The Thunderbirds earned a 64-50 victory over Independence last Saturday. Their Wednesday game with Coffeyville was postponed until Monday. Against the Pirates, the Thunderbirds were led by Talasia Thomas' 22 points. Defensively, Cloud County held Independence to 31.0 percent shooting.

The Blue Dragons won the first meeting with Cloud County this season, earning a 77-53 decision on December 14 in Concordia. Jackson had a double-double with 23 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Dragons. Dylan Alexander added 18 points. Thomas had 16 points and Bre Frazier had 14 to pace the Thunderbirds.