By John Mesh
The No. 2-seed Hutchinson Community College women’s basketball team fell to No. 3-seed Coffeyville 45-42 in the semifinals of the Region VI tournament Friday at Fort Hays State University’s Gross Memorial Stadium.
The No. 9-ranked Blue Dragons (28-4), the defending NJCAA Division I women’s national champions, will now wait to see whether they will get an at-large bid to the 2025 NJCAA tournament when the tournament pairings are announced Sunday night.
Hutchinson trailed 15-8 at the end of the first quarter, 25-14 at halftime and 38-32 at the end of the third quarter. The Red Ravens outscored Hutchinson 13-10 in the fourth quarter.
Katie Duncan led the Blue Dragons with 11 points, including three 3-pointers. Landon Forbes scored 9 points, Brynn Katcher 6, Kahlen Norris 5, Madi Denison 5 and Jada Pleasant 2.
Hailey Jackson, who was in foul trouble most of the game, did not score her first 2 points of the game until the fourth quarter. She finished with 4 points.
Norris grabbed 7 rebounds, Jackson 5 and Pleasant 5. Forbes had 4 steals, Pleasant 4 and Katcher 2. Denison blocked 2 shots.
Norika Welch led the Red Ravens with 13 points. Karliey Parker scored 10 points. Karys Washington had 9 points and 11 rebounds.
The 20th-ranked Coffeyville Red Ravens (26-5) will play Dodge City (28-4) at 3 p.m. Saturday in the Region VI championship game. Dodge City defeated Butler Community College (23-8) 67-58 in the other Region VI women’s semifinal Friday.
In the Region VI men’s semifinals on Friday at Fort Hays State University’s Gross Memorial Coliseum, Cowley College (28-4) defeated Butler CC (22-11) 58-54 and Barton CC (25-7), the defending NJCAA Division I men’s champions, defeated Coffeyville (23-9) 89-74.
Cowley College will play Barton CC in the Region VI men’s tournament championship game at 5:30 p.m. Saturday.
HutchCC baseball team drops two games to Barton CC at Great Bend
The No. 20 Hutchinson Community College Blue Dragon baseball team was swept in a doubleheader Friday against the Barton CC Cougars at Lawson-Biggs Field in Great Bend.
In the first game, Barton scored 12 runs in the bottom of the second inning and seven in the fifth en route to a 20-10 victory (5 innings, run rule).
In the second game, Hutchinson lost to Barton 10-9 on a walk-off two-run homer by John Connors, who also hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the fifth inning. Ayden Hadley tripled to lead off the inning for the Cougars
Hutchinson is 17-7 overall (4-4 in the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference). Barton is 12-4 overall (7-1 KJCCC).
In the first game, Barton’s Tate Blasi, Hayden Oviatt and Ayden Hadley each drove in four runs in the bottom of the second. Tyler Janssen, Blasi, Oviatt and Kyle Graves each had two hits. Hadley hit a grand slam homer, Oviatt had a two-run homer and Blasi hit two homers.
Hutchinson scored three runs in the top of the third inning and one in the top of the fourth. In the third, Scott Fegen had an RBI double and AJ Mustow belted a two-run homer to center field.
The Blue Dragons closed the gap to 13-10 with one run in the top of the fourth inning and five in the fifth. Mustow had a two-run double in the fifth for the Blue Dragons.
Barton added a run in the bottom of the fifth on a Hutchinson throwing error.
Barton put Game 1 away with seven runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to make the score 20-10. Oviatt had a two-run single and Kyle Walker hit a two-run double.
The teams combined to use seven pitchers. Barton had 14 hits and Hutchinson seven.
In the second game, Hutchinson built a 9-4 lead by the top of the sixth inning. Barton scored one run in the bottom of the sixth, three in the seventh and two in the ninth to win the game.
Barton had 12 hits and HutchCC nine. The Blue Dragons committed three errors.
Mustow and Elias Duncan homered for Hutchinson. Duncan also tripled. Quinn Maher, CJ Reid and Leo Griffin doubled. Hunter Alvord doubled and homered for the Cougars. Hadley doubled and tripled. Blasi doubled.
Hutchinson hosted a doubleheader Thursday against Barton at Hobart-Detter Field in Carey Park in Hutchinson. The Blue Dragons won the first game 8-3 and Barton won the second game 8-7.
Hutchinson plays a four-game series (two 1 pm. doubleheaders) against Seward County Community College. The teams play at Brent Gould Field Thursday in Liberal and Hobart-Detter Field on Saturday.