HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Hutchinson Community College dropped its second straight game, falling 53-48 to Seward County in Jayhawk Conference play Saturday at the Sports Arena.
Hutchinson slipped to 6-4 overall and 1-3 in league play. The Dragons shot a solid 46.7 percent from the field on 21 of 45 shooting, but went just 3 of 17 from behind the arc and attempted only six free throws. Seward County finished 11 of 24 from 3-point range and 6 of 8 at the line, outscoring Hutchinson by 24 points from long distance.
Bobby Cannon was the offensive bright spot for Hutchinson with a game-high 19 points on 8 of 13 shooting. He added six rebounds and two assists and scored nine of the Dragons’ 25 second half points, including back-to-back dunks that helped keep Hutchinson within striking distance.
Trailing 26-23 at halftime, the Dragons never quite erased the deficit. Seward County’s RJ McKinnie hit a pair of early second half 3-pointers, and the Saints used a 17-10 stretch to build a 43-37 lead. Hutchinson trailed 49-39 after another McKinnie 3 with 5:34 to play, but mounted one last push. Cannon converted a three-point play, buried a 3-pointer and later knocked down two free throws in the final minute as the Dragons closed to 49-48 with 59 seconds remaining.
Seward County answered at the line. Lucas N’Gombo hit two free throws with 29 seconds left to push the margin back to three. Hutchinson had a chance to tie, but a driving layup by point guard Lolo Rudolph rolled off with 14 seconds remaining. McKinnie then hit two more free throws with seven seconds left, and a last-second 3-point attempt by Kordell Williams missed.
Along with Cannon, Hutchinson got seven points, six rebounds and three blocks off the bench from forward Chudier Dorar. Kyrell Shaw scored six points and grabbed five rebounds, while Asher Boney finished with five points, three assists and a block. Rudolph did not score but handed out a team-high seven assists with two steals.
McKinnie led Seward County with 14 points and four 3-pointers. N’Gombo added nine points and seven rebounds, and Bailey Milligan chipped in seven points and five boards. The Saints outrebounded Hutchinson 32-25, including a 15-4 edge on the offensive glass, and turned those extra possessions into enough 3-point looks to steal the road win.
Hutchinson travels to Great Bend on Wednesday to face No. 11 Barton. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.