Hutchinson CC Sports Information
COLBY – The No. 19-ranked Hutchinson Community College men's basketball team sank 11 3-pointers to remain perfect in true road games this season with a decisive Jayhawk Conference victory over the Colby Trojans on Wednesday night.
Dallas Whitney hit a career-high five 3-pointers to lead the Blue Dragons to a 77-56 victory over the Trojans at the Colby Event Center.
The Blue Dragons improved to 17-3 overall and remained one game behind league leaders Barton and Cowley at 12-2. Hutchinson plays host to Independence at 4 p.m. on Saturday at the Sports Arena. Colby fell to 7-14 and 3-12 in league play. The Dragons defeated Colby for the seventh-straight game.
The Blue Dragons are now 6-0 in true road games this season.
Whitney led a 39-18 scoring advantage off the bench with 19 points, his second-highest single-game performance of the season. Whitney hit 5 of 9 3-pointers to place the Blue Dragons. Whitney also tied a career high with seven rebounds.
Kamryn Thomas scored 14 points with a 3-pointer and four rebounds. Valentino Simon had 11 points and seven rebounds with three assists. Kernan Bundy finished with 10 points, hitting a pair of 3-pointers.
The Blue Dragons shot 49.2 percent overall (29 of 59), going 8 of 12 from the free-throw line. The Dragons were 11 of 23 from 3-point range with Whitney hitting five and Bundy and Logan Wagler hitting two treys each.
The Dragons out-rebounded Colby 36-30 and tallied 19 assists, 12 steals and five blocked shots.
Defensively, the Blue Dragons held Colby to the fourth fewest points in series history. The Trojans shot 41.8 percent (23 of 55) overall, 2 of 10 from 3-point range and 8 of 11 from the foul line. The Trojans committed 24 turnovers.
Marko Malekinusic had 16 points to lead Colby. Maxence Massadila, who had 28 points against Hutchinson November, was held to 11 points.
There were four lead changes in the first four minutes of the game. Trailing 8-6, the Dragons tied the game on a J.P. Ricks transition layup and took the lead for good at 10-8 after Bundy scored following an offensive rebound. A Whitney transition 3-pointer gave the Dragons a 13-8 lead with 14:00 to play in the opening half.
After the lead dipped to only one, the Blue Dragons went on a 10-0 run that was capped by a Wagler 3-pointer with 10:24 to play for a 23-12 lead.
Leading 35-24 with a minute to play in the half, the Dragons closed with a flourish. Whitney hit a pull-up 3-pointer with 59 seconds left and Simon scored after an offensive rebound with 27 seconds to go to complete the first half shooting 54.8 percent for a 40-24 halftime lead.
A Thomas layup and two Simon free throws in the first 40 seconds of the second half gave the Dragons their first 20-point lead at 44-24. The closest Colby got in the second half was 17 points.
GAME NOTES – With there steals, Dallas Whitney now has eight games of three or more steals. … Russell Brandt tied a career high with five steals. … The Blue Dragons are now 57-6 all-time against Colby. … This was all-time victory 1,911. … The Blue Dragons had their 10th game this season forcing 20 or more turnovers and sixth game with 10 or more 3-pointers. … Dre Weathers surpassed the career 400-point mark, now with 402 points. … Kamryn Thomas broke the career 500-point mark with 501 points. … Colby's 24 points in the first half was the sixth time this season the Dragons held an opponent to less than 30 points in a half.