Hutchinson CC Sports Information

The No. 2-ranked Hutchinson Community College women's basketball team returns to the Sports Arena on Saturday for another matinee, squaring off against the Cloud County Thunderbirds in the second meeting of the season.

Saturday's game will be the Blue Dragons' annual Pink-Out Game. The Blue Dragons (22-0, 16-0 Jayhawk Conference) and the Thunderbirds (12-10, 8-9 KJCCC), will tip off at 2 p.m.

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

Last Wednesday, the Blue Dragons tied for the fifth-best start and sixth-longest winning streak in the program's 50-year history after a 92-62 road victory at Pratt. Kiki Smith poured in a career-high 33 points and six 3-pointers to pace the Blue Dragons. Hailey Jackson and Journey Armstead scored 17 and 10 points, respectively.

Hutchinson had 24 assists and a season-low five turnovers against the Beavers.

With the victory, the Blue Dragons a 2 1/2-game lead over second-place Dodge City and have a four-game lead over third-place Butler.

Cloud County enters the game on a three-game losing streak, dropping a 91-72 decision to No. 11 Dodge City on Wednesday in Concordia. Dodge City blitzed the Thunderbirds with 15 3-pointers. Josephine Igherighe had 23 points and Bailey Burns had 20 points to lead Cloud County on Wednesday.

Hutchinson rolled to a 23-9 lead after one quarter on the way to a 77-50 over Cloud County in the first meeting of the season on December 6 in Concordia.

Kiki Smith scored 26 points to lead the Blue Dragons, who shot 47.0 percent while limiting Cloud County to a frigid 27.9 percent from the floor. Jackson was the only other Blue Dragon in double figures with 11. Destiny Smith led the Thunderbirds with 11 points. Igherighe finished with 10 points.

As always when Hutchinson and Cloud County get together, the Jayhawk Conference's top-two winningest coaches meet. Hutchinson head coach John Ontjes is second in KJCCC women's basketball history with 468 coaching wins. Cloud County's Brett Erkenbrack is the all-time league leader with 668 KJCCC wins and 736 Region VI wins.