HUTCHINSON, Kan. — For the first four minutes Wednesday night, the Dragons (14-7, 8-7) could do no wrong.
Behind three Jayden Garrison treys (one from nearly 35 feet away), Hutchinson quickly built a 19-6 advantage on the visiting Pratt Beavers (12-8, 9-6).
The Beavers chipped away at that lead as the Dragons took a narrow 57-56 advantage into the locker room.
The first half featured zero ties and zero lead changes.
The second half was a different story.
After 45 minutes of play, the Dragons and Beavers were tied 11 times in a game that featured five lead changes.
With 3:25 to play in regulation, Hutchinson fell behind 105-96. Nearly 1:35 later, Garrison fouled out of the contest with 16 points on 6 of 15 shooting. With less than two minutes remaining, the Dragons still trailed 106-103.
Up 109-106 with 36.6 seconds remaining and eight seconds to shoot, Pratt took its last timeout. The ensuing baseline inbound resulted in a Quintin Metcalf bunny that rolled off the front iron.
Hutchinson rushed to the other end of the court for a quick basket.
With 7.4 seconds remaining, Pratt sent Sage Koelsch into the game for his only possession of the contest. Down 109-108, the Dragons applied full-court pressure, but allowed Koelsch to split the middle of the defense.
He went to the line for bonus free throws. He hit both, but not without some drama. His first free throw hit the iron and caromed high above the rim before glancing off the backboard and back down through the hoop.
His second free throw was pure. Hutchinson had 7.4 seconds left to go the length of the court without timeouts and down 111-108.
Ra'Sean Frederick dribbled up the floor and found Kieran Carr on the wing for three. His shot tickled the twine with 0.4 remaining.
Pratt tried a desperation heave at the buzzer, but the game was headed into overtime deadlocked at 111 — or was it?
Frederick rushed to halfcourt at the regulation buzzer to bark at the Beaver bench. He was immediately assessed a Class A technical foul.
The game was still headed into overtime, but Qai Kellman got to shoot two free throws before the final five-minute frame.
Kellman hit both and Pratt went into OT with a 113-111 advantage.
Frederick finished with a double-double, 33 points and 11 rebounds. He hit 3 of 7 three-pointers, perhaps none bigger than the trey that knotted the game at 119 with 1:50 left in OT.
End-of-regulation hero Kieran Carr fouled out with 41.9 seconds left on a charge to the basket. He finished with 13 points.
Over the next 34 seconds, Pratt went up 128-123.
An Aaron Franklin three pulled the Dragons within 128-126 with four seconds left.
Franklin notched a double-double with 38 points and 14 rebounds.
The Dragons outrebounded the Beavers 51-37, but Pratt scored 78 points in the paint.
The Dragons made good on just 20 of 32 free throw opportunities (62.5%). Meanwhile, Pratt made 30 of 42 tries (71.4%).
Pratt shot 69.1% from the field, including 6 of 10 from distance.
The Dragons shot 45-103 (43.7%) and hit 16 of 46 (34.8%) from three-point land.
The Dragons were forced to foul Sterling Young with two seconds left. He hit both free throws to ice the game.
FINAL: Pratt 130 Hutchinson 126
The win marked Pratt's first in the Sports Arena since 2007.
Six Beavers scored in double figures, led by Quintin Metcalf and Sterling Young (28 points each).
Young was a perfect 8 of 8 from the charity stripe.
DJ Bailey added another 21 points for the Beavers.
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