HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The No. 16 Hutchinson Community College men's basketball team had no answer for No. 1 Barton, falling 74-57 in the Region VI Tournament championship game on Saturday evening.
Hutchinson is now 26-6 overall and will await the NJCAA Tournament Selection Show on Sunday evening to see if its season will continue as an at-large bid.
Barton showed why it is the No. 1 team in the country, building a 40-23 lead at halftime.
The Cougars kept the foot down to start the second half, opening the half on a 15-3 run and building a 29-point lead, 55-26.
The Blue Dragons showed they weren't going to go down quietly. Hutchinson went on a 12-4 run to pull within 59-38 with just over 12 minutes to play.
Hutchinson pulled within 12 with 5:58 to play following a Kernan Bundy turnaround jumper to cap a 13-0 Blue Dragon run.
The Blue Dragons then got within 10, 65-55 after a Kobe Smith shot, but HutchCC never got any closer than that.
Barton finished the game on a 7-2 run to pull away and claim the region title.
Hutchinson was led by Valentino Simon and Kam Thomas each with 13 points, while Kernan Bundy had 11.
Barton was led by Hutchinson native, Myles Thompson with 24 points and nine rebounds.