By STEVE CARPENTER - Hutchinson CC Sports Information
The No. 20-ranked Hutchinson Community College women's basketball team bids for a 10th Region VI Tournament championship game appearance on Friday when the Blue Dragons take on the Independence Pirates in the first of two semifinal matchups.
Tipoff is at Noon at the Garvey Physical Education Center on the campus of Friends University in Wichita. The Hutchinson-Independence winner - the teams are seeded No. 1 and No. 4, respectively - will play the Butler/Barton winner at 6 p.m. on Saturday for the Region VI championship.
The Blue Dragons (19-4) advanced with an 85-65 quarterfinal victory over Cowley on Wednesday at the Sports Arena. The Blue Dragons nailed a single-game school record 18 3-pointers en route to a 13th-straight quarterfinal-round victory. Sophomore guard Tor'e Alford had career highs of eight 3-pointers and 26 points against the Tigers.
Independence pulled away in the fourth quarter of its Region VI quarterfinal game on Wednesday against Seward County, defeating the Saints 70-61.
Independence won the only meeting of the season with the Blue Dragons, winning 70-64 on February 10 in Independence. The Pirate duo of Maisa Marcel and Miriam Bazylewicz combined for 41 points in the regular-season game. The Blue Dragons shot only 36.4 percent for the game. Yana Grassity and Alford had 12 points each to lead the Blue Dragons, which had the lead at the end of three quarters. Marcel had 21 points to lead Independence and Bazylewicz hit four 3-pointers and finished with 20 points.
This will be the 17th Region VI meeting all-time against Hutchinson and Independence. The Blue Dragons have a 10-6 all-time postseason series advantage over the Pirates. The last postseason meeting between the Blue Dragons and Pirates was 2019, a 76-62 quarterfinal Hutchinson victory. The last Pirate postseason win over Hutchinson was a 2018 semifinal triumph.
Hutchinson is 9-9 all-time in the Region VI Semifinals. Last season, the Blue Dragons were eliminated in the semifinals when Barton stunned the Blue Dragons 58-57 on a Vanessa Oduah buzzer-beater.