Hutchinson CC Sports Information
The No. 1-ranked Hutchinson Community College women's basketball team depended on its defense to win its 28th consecutive game to start the season on Wednesday.
The Blue Dragon defense held Coffeyville to 17 points in the first half – season-low-tying four in the second quarter – while Hutchinson's offense got going in the second half for a 65-53 victory over the Red Ravens on Sophomore Recognition night at the Sports Arena.
The Jayhawk Conference champion Blue Dragons are now 28-0 overall – the third-best start to a season and fourth-longest winning streak in the program's 50-year history – and 22-0 in the conference. The Dragons travel to Barton on Saturday. Coffeyville fell to 17-11 and 12-10.
Hutchinson's defensive effort was needed in the first half because the Blue Dragon offense suffered its lowest-scoring half of the season. The Blue Dragons trailed 13-10 after the first quarter and by as many as five points early in the second quarter. The Dragons outscored Coffeyville 12-4 in the second quarter – The Red Ravens went scoreless for 9 minutes, 10 seconds of the quarter – to take a 22-17 halftime lead despite shooting a frigid 22.9 percent in the first half.
Four Blue Dragon starters scored in double figures led by Akaysha Muggeridge, who finished with 15 points with three rebounds and two assists.
Kiki Smith finished with 14 points, hitting three 3-point goals. Monae Duffy had 10 of her 13 points in the second half, hitting a pair of key second-half 3-pointers. Duffy finished with seven rebounds. Journey Armstead had 10 points and four rebounds.
The Blue Dragons finished the game shooting 32.2 percent (19 of 59), hitting 9 of 33 from 3-point range and 18-28 from the free-throw line,
Hutchinson out-rebounded Coffeyville 37-30 and had 13 turnovers.
Kyleigh Ortiz hit four 3-point goals and finished with 14 points to lead the Red Ravens. Bailey Layman had 11 points. Coffeyville shot 40.0 percent (19 of 46), going 5 of 16 from 3-point range and 12 of 12 from the free-throw line. The Ravens had 22 turnovers.
The Blue Dragons had quick buckets from Muggeridge and Duffy to force an early Red Raven timeout. Coffeyville took its first lead at 8-7 on a Layman steal and layup with 1:16 to play in the period. Smith hit a 3-pointer with 1:03 to play for a 10-8 Dragon lead, but the Ravens scored four straight to close the quarter with a 13-10 lead.
Layman scored with 9:35 to play in the second quarter for a 15-10 Dragon lead. Hutchinson then used its defense to go on a methodical 12-0 run, holding Coffeyville scoreless for the next 9:10 of the period. The Dragons grabbed a 17-15 lead after an Armstead 3-pointer with 5:13 to play in the period. They pushed the lead to five at 22-15 after a Smith 3-pointer with 1:11 to play. The Ravens, who shot 2 for 8 in the period with eight turnovers, broke its scoring drought with 29 seconds to play on a Natalya Jones layup to cut the Dragon lea to 22-17 at halftime.
The offenses gained a little more traction in the second half. The Dragons took a 28-21 lead after a Muggeridge basket with 6:23 to play in the third quarter. The lead grew to eight after a Madi Denison three-point play with 2:27 to play gave the Dragons to 33-25 lead. The Ravens scored the next five points, but the Dragons maintained their lead, taking a 40-33 lead to the fourth quarter after Muggeridge hit a buzzer-beating 3-point shot on the final possession of the period.
The Dragons finally pushed the lead to double figures for the first time with 8:08 to play after an Armstead free throw gave the Dragons a 44-33 lead. Coffeyville cut that lead to seven on two different possessions, the second at 56-49 with 3:11 to play. The Blue Dragons hit 12 of 16 free throws in the fourth quarter to seal the victory.
GAME NOTES – The Blue Dragons are 20-14 overall vs. Coffeyville, 10-3 in games played in Hutchinson. … The four points allowed in the second quarter tied a season low for a quarter. Labette had four points in the third quarter and Coffeyville had four points in the second quarter on January 13. … The Dragons are 7-0 when trailing after the first quarter.