Hailey Jackson (4) netted 32 points in the No. 8 Blue Dragon women’s 66-53 road win over Garden City Thursday night. The Blue Dragon women are now 22-2 overall and 16-2 in conference play. Next up for the Blue Dragon women’s and men’s teams: Cloud County on Saturday back at the Sports Arena. (Blue Dragon Sports/HutchCC Sports Information).
By John Mesh
Hailey Jackson scored a career-high 32 points to lead the No. 6-ranked Hutchinson Community College women’s basketball team to a 66-53 victory over the Garden City Broncbusters Thursday night at Conestoga Arena in Garden City.
Jackson scored 30 points in wins over Neosho County on Nov. 6 (122-70) and Murray State College on Nov. 9 (69-68).
The Hutchinson Blue Dragon men’s team lost to Garden City 81-73.
The games were regularly scheduled for Wednesday night but were moved to Thursday because of snow.
The HutchCC women improved to 22-2 overall (16-2 Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference, second place). It was the first game the Blue Dragon women played since losing to Coffeyville 64-55 on Feb. 6.
The Broncbuster women’s basketball team dropped to 11-13 overall (8-11 KJCCC).
The Blue Dragon women led 17-10 at the end of the first quarter after opening the game with a 7-0 run.
The Blue Dragons were outscored 13-10 in the second quarter and led at halftime 27-23. Jackson scored 16 of HutchCC’s 27 first-half points. Madi Denison had 5 points and 6 rebounds at the break.
Hutchinson outscored Garden City in the third quarter 21-10 to take a 48-33 lead. The Broncbusters outscored the Blue Dragons 20-18 in the fourth quarter.
In addition to scoring 32 points, Jackson, a 6-foot forward from Tulsa, tied Dension for the team lead in rebounds with 8. Denison scored 5 points.
Jada Pleasant and Brynne Katcher each scored 6 points. Honey Cooney also scored 5 points, Katie Duncan 4, Kahlen Norris 3, Landon Forbes 2, Carley Dameron 2 and Jaden Wilson 1. Zhane Singer played but did not score. Forbes dished off 7 assists.
The Blue Dragon women made 23-of-40 field goal attempts (57.5%).
Ana Ramos Pires led the Broncbusters with 15 points and 9 rebounds. Antonicia Moultrie scored 13 points and grabbed 9 rebounds. Bruna Costa Da Silva had 11 points and 5 assists. Hadiya Kennedy added 7 points.
The first meeting between Hutchinson and Garden City was a defensive battle on Dec. 11. The Blue Dragons won 45-44 when Jackson hit three free throws with 1.5 seconds left in regulation.
Wednesday’s game was the 101st all-time matchup between the Blue Dragons and Broncbusters. The Dragons lead the overall series 82-19 and have won 15 consecutive games in the series.
Jackson has scored 920 career points. She moved up from 14th to 10th on the HutchCC women’s all-time points list. She passed Tessa Morrow (891 in 2005-2007), Amanda Flick (892 in 1994-1996), Penny Fischer (899 in 1984-1986), Jackie Patterson (917 in 2010-2012).
Next on the list are Kim Gwinner (ninth place, 958 in 1986-1988); Dejanae Roebuck (eighth place, 998 in 2017-2019); Janay Vulgamore (seventh place, 999 in 1988-1990); Tor’e Alford (sixth place, 1032 in 2017-2019); and Cian Carvahlo (fifth place, 1034 in 1998-2000).
The top scorers in Blue Dragon women’s history are Kalani Purcell (1176 in 2013-2015), Mya Williams (1163 in 2021-2023), Jamie Patrick (1098 in 2012-2014) and Heather Robben (1072 in 2008-2010).
Hutchinson women’s coach John Ontjes now has 505 career victories in 603 career games over 18 seasons.
The Garden City men’s basketball team led the Hutchinson Blue Dragons 34-33 at halftime and outscored the Blue Dragons 47-40 in the second half.
Bo Aldridge led the Blue Dragons with 15 points. Bobby Cannon and Isaiah Jackson each scored 13 points and DJ Dudley 12. Kahlil Arnold added 8 points, Mikhail Abdul-Hamid 7, Kobe Smith 4 and Amari Davis 1.
Cannon grabbed 13 rebounds, dished off 6 assists and blocked 2 shots. Hutchinson outrebounded Garden City 33-26.
Four players accounted for 77 of Garden City’s 81 points. Antonio Choi scored 24 points, Emmanuel Manuyon 23, Boston Harker 19 and Jace Steinmetz 11. Isahaih Dixon added 4.
Manuyon grabbed 7 rebounds, dished off 10 assists and had 3 steals.
Garden City made 13-of-33 3-point shots and 12-of-14 free throws. Hutchinson made 4-of-18 3-pointers and 11-of-14 free throws.
The Blue Dragon men dropped to 15-9 overall (11-7 KJCCC) and 7-3 on the road. HutchCC’s seven-game road winning streak was snapped as was a four-game winning streak against Garden City.
The Garden City men’s basketball team improved to 14-11 overall (9-10 KJCCC).
The Blue Dragons and Broncbusters played for the 197th time in a series that began in 1929. Hutchinson has dominated the series, owning a 145-52 all-time series lead.
The Blue Dragon men’s team defeated the Broncbusters 83-78 on Dec. 11 at the Sports Arena.
The Hutchinson squads host Cloud County Community College at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Saturday at the Hutchinson Sports Arena.
HutchCC Pinkout slated for Feb. 22, T-shirts available
The 13th Annual Pinkout Games for Hutchinson Community College women’s and men’s basketball teams is Saturday, Feb. 22, against Butler Community College at the Hutchinson Sports Arena.
Tip-off times are 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.
Blue Dragon basketball fans can get their Pinkout T-shirts by visiting the Blue Dragon Athletic Office. The suggested donation is $10.
The T-shirts also will be on sale Saturday at the Hutchinson-Cloud County games.
The purpose of the Pinkout games and T-shirts are to raise awareness and funds for breast cancer research.
Upcoming HutchCC basketball games
The Blue Dragon teams play at Cowley College in Arkansas City next Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
The Blue Dragon women and men host Pratt Community College at 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Feb. 26.
The Blue Dragons play at Seward County Community College March 1 and hosts Dodge City on March 5.
HutchCC football signs Buhler’s Bodey Redenbaugh
Buhler High School senior Bodey Redenbaugh has signed to play football for the NJCAA Division I defending champion Hutchinson Blue Dragons.
Redenbaugh is a 6-foot-3, 305-pound offensive lineman who made several all-state teams and was selected for the 2025 Kansas Shrine Bowl Football West Team. The Shrine Bowl will be played June 21 in Dodge City.
Redenbaugh will be a Blue Dragon and West squad teammate of Terrell King, a 5-10, 180-pound defensive back/wide receiver from Hutchinson High School, who signed with the HutchCC football program on Feb. 5.
“Pack the SAC Night” collects 714 pounds of food for Reno County Food Bank
The recent “Pack the SAC Night” at the Hutchinson-Salina South girls and boys basketball games last Friday at the Salthawk Activity Center resulted in 714 pounds of food being donated for the Reno County Food Bank.
The Salthawk girls and boys teams swept Salina South. The halftime entertainment featured the ICT Aerobelles granny basketball team.
13 Kansas high school basketball teams still undefeated
There are eight undefeated high school boys basketball teams and five unbeaten girls teams as of Wednesday, according to and the KSHSAA and Sports in Kansas.
Undefeated boys teams are:
6A: Derby
5A: Highland Park
4A: Ottawa
3A: Galena
2A: Moundridge, Sacred Heart
1A-I: Zero Undefeated
1A-II: Cunningham, Logan/Palco
Undefeated girls teams are:
6A: Zero Undefeated
5A: Hays, Seaman
4A: Zero Undefeated
3A: Hesston
2A: Zero Undefeated
1A-1: Little River, Centralia
1A-II: Zero Undefeated
Former Blue Dragon assistant Chris Tabor named Buffalo Bills special teams coordinator
The Buffalo Bills have hired Chris Tabor as its next special teams coordinator, according to sources, including ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The Hutchinson Post reported Tabor’s hiring Thursday morning.
Tabor was the running backs coach at HutchCC during the 1994 season for head coach Andy Hill.
Tabor most recently served as the interim head coach of the Carolina Panthers during the 2023 season, after the team had fired Frank Reich.
The 1994 Blue Dragons went 8-4 and finished second in the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference.
The Blue Dragons advanced to the KJCCC Playoff championship game for the first time.
The 1994 season culminated with a 41-37 loss to Mesa Community College in the Valley of the Sun Bowl in Mesa, Ariz.