HUTCHINSON, Kan. — No. 18 Hutchinson used a dominant second quarter and a balanced scoring attack to open its 24-game Jayhawk Conference schedule with a 64-47 win over Garden City on Wednesday night at the Sports Arena, the Blue Dragons’ fourth straight conference-opening victory.
Leading 16-15 after a back-and-forth first quarter, Hutchinson took control with a 19-4 run in the second. The Blue Dragons held the Broncbusters to two field goals in the period and forced a string of turnovers that turned defense into offense. Katie Duncan’s three-point play started the surge, KaMyra Barber scored in transition, and Delora Pricop converted a three-point play of her own as Hutchinson built a 32-19 cushion. A late three by Whitney Brown sent the Blue Dragons to halftime with a 35-21 lead.
Hutchinson never trailed after Duncan’s go-ahead layup early in the second quarter. The Blue Dragons limited Garden City to six points in that frame and just nine more in the third, taking a 41-30 advantage into the fourth despite an uneven offensive stretch. Hutchinson’s defense forced 28 Garden City turnovers and held the Broncbusters to 37 percent shooting, including 5 of 15 from three-point range.
Sophomore guard Dylan Alexander anchored Hutchinson inside with 12 points and 11 rebounds, helping the Blue Dragons to a 36-28 edge on the glass. Duncan added 12 points, three assists and two steals, while Barber finished with eight points, four rebounds and two steals. Off the bench, Pricop supplied 10 points, three rebounds and two blocks, and Kaia Smith added 11 points as Hutchinson’s reserves outscored Garden City’s bench 25-15. Brown chipped in five points and four assists while helping direct an offense that assisted on 18 of 25 made field goals.
Garden City stayed within reach thanks to reserve guard Elektra Mjoll, who scored a game-high 15 points, all in the fourth quarter, on five three-pointers. Her late shooting flurry cut into what had grown into a 20-point Blue Dragon lead, but the Broncbusters could not get the margin back to single digits. Forward Sokhna Ndiaye added 11 points, while London Turner scored eight points and grabbed six rebounds.
Hutchinson (6-1, 1-0) will travel to El Dorado to face Butler (6-0, 1-0) on Saturday afternoon for a 2 p.m. tipoff. You can hear the game on KWBW-AM/FM (1450/98.5) with pregame coverage starting at 1:45 p.m.