DRAGONS START 2ND TIME THROUGH KJCCC WITH DODGE

Kernan Bundy and the No. 19-ranked Blue Dragon men's basketball team face off against Dodge City at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday at the Sports Arena. (MacKenzie Franklin/Blue Dragon Sports Information)
Kernan Bundy and the No. 19-ranked Blue Dragon men's basketball team face off against Dodge City at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday at the Sports Arena. (MacKenzie Franklin/Blue Dragon Sports Information)

BLUE DRAGON MEN'S BASKETBALL

No. 19 Hutchinson (15-3, 10-2) vs. Dodge City (7-11, 5-7)

When: Wednesday, January 24, 2024
Where: Hutchinson Sports Arena, Hutchinson, KS
Tipoff: 7:30 p.m.
Radio: KHUT-FM (102.9); KWBW-AM/FM (1450/98.5), 7:15 p.m. (Glen Grunwald-PBP; Dan Naccarato-Color)
Video: Blue Dragon Sports Network, 7:15 p.m.
X: @bluedragonsport
BLUE DRAGON GAME NOTES (PDF Format)

Hutchinson CC Sports Information

The Hutchinson Community College men's basketball team closes a three-game homestand and opens the second trip to through the Jayhawk Conference on Wednesday at the Sports Arena.

The No. 19-ranked Blue Dragons (15-3, 10-2 Jayhawk) entertains the Dodge City Conquistadors (7-11, 5-7 Jayhawk) at 7:30 p.m. in the second meeting of the season.

The game will be broadcast live on Blue Dragon flagship station KHUT-FM (102.9) and sister stations KWBW-AM/FM (1450/98.5) with Glen Grunwald (PBP) and Dan Naccarato (color) calling the action. The game will be streamed live on the Blue Dragon Sports Network beginning at 7:15 p.m.

Hutchinson's first trip through the Jayhawk saw it win 10 of 12 games. The Blue Dragons sit in third place in the KJCCC, just one game behind No. 3 Barton and No. 12 Cowley, the only two teams to defeat the Dragons in conference play this season.

The Blue Dragons averaged 85.8 points offensively in the first half of league play and allowed a solid 74.0 points per game.

The Dragons had a tremendous response to last Wednesday's 22-point loss to now-No. 3 Barton with a resounding 85-64 victory over Garden City on Saturday at the Sports Arena. The Blue Dragons shot 47.7 percent and hit nine 3-pointers, building a 47-30 lead at halftime. Kamryn Thomas popped four 3-pointers and finished with a game-high 22 points. Dallas Whitney, Kernan Bundy and Kobe Smith combined for 39 of Hutchinson's 45 points off the bench. The Dragons limited a hot-shooting Garden City team to 35.6 percent overall, only 6 of 26 from 3-point range.

Dodge City has had a full week off since last playing. The Conquistadors dropped their third straight game after a 109-72 loss to Garden City last Wednesday.

Avnoor Bhullar had 15 points to lead five Conquistadors in double figures against Garden City. The Busters stung Dodge City hitting 16 of 27 from 3-point range.

Thomas nailed a career-high five 3-pointers in the Blue Dragons' 89-73 victory over Dodge City on November 18 at the DC3 Student Event Center. Thomas has 23 points to lead four Blue Dragons in double figures. Valentino Simon had 18 points, J.P. Ricks had 16 points and Zoe Holman had 12 points. Chevalier Emery had 20 points to pace the Conquistadors.

Wednesday's meeting will be the 193rd between Hutchinson and Dodge City in a series that has been continuous since 1935. The Blue Dragons own a 125-68 all-time series record over the Conquistadors, going 59-28 against Dodge City all-time in Hutchinson and 50-23 at the Sports Arena.

Hutchinson will have its second bye week of the KJCCC season on Saturday.