Courtesy of HutchCC Athletics
No. 1 Hutchinson (30-0, 24-0) vs. Cloud County (15-15, 10-14)
When: Tuesday, March 12, 2024
Where: Hutchinson Sports Arena, Hutchinson, KS
Time: 5:30 p.m.
Radio: KHUT-FM (102.9); KWBW-AM/FM (1450/98.5), 5:15 p.m.
-Sean Boston (play-by-play)
-Dan Naccarato (color)
X: @bluedragonsport
After completing the fourth unbeaten regular season in the 50-year history of the program, the No. 1-ranked Hutchinson Community College women’s basketball team begins its postseason run Tuesday night.
The Jayhawk Conference champion Blue Dragons (30-0) will play the Cloud County Thunderbirds (15-15) in the quarterfinals of the 2024 NJCAA Region VI Tournament at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Hutchinson Sports Arena.
The game will be broadcast live on Blue Dragon flagship station KHUT-FM (102.9) and on sister stations KWBW-AM/FM (1450/98.5) beginning at 5:15 p.m. with Sean Boston (play-by-play) and Dan Naccarato (color) calling the action. The Blue Dragon Sports Network will provide a live and free videostream beginning at 5:15 p.m.
The Blue Dragons make their 47th all-time appearance in the Region VI Tournament. Hutchinson has an all-time tournament record of 66-38, including 28-9 in opening round games. The Blue Dragons earned a first-round tournament bye for the fifth consecutive season.
The Blue Dragons bid for their ninth Region VI Championship and first since 2022. The Dragons will try to avoid a quarterfinal upset for the second-straight season. One year ago, Coffeyville upset the Dragons 73-67 in the quarterfinals at the Sports Arena.
Tuesday’s quarterfinal matchup will be the sixth all-time regional tournament meeting between Hutchinson and Cloud County. The Blue Dragons are 3-2 in the first five meetings. The last time Hutchinson and Cloud County paired up in the regional tournament was in the 2012 semifinals, a 61-55 Blue Dragon victory.
Hutchinson completed its perfect regular season last Wednesday after a 74-64 victory at Garden City. Kiki Smith tied a career high with six 3-point goals and finished with a game-high 28 points.
Cloud County, the ninth seed in the Region VI Tournament, was the only road team to win in last Saturday’s opening round. The Thunderbirds scored a 73-67 opening-round victory at Cowley. Destiny Smith hit seven 3-pointers and finished with 24 points, while Bailey Burns hit four treys and closed with 20 points.
The Blue Dragons earned a season sweep of Cloud County this season and have won 9 of the last 10 games in the series. The Blue Dragons defeated Cloud County 77-50 on December 6 in Concordia and 93-63 on Feb. 10 at the Sports Arena.