Connors State’s Kevin Stubblefield Jr. (10) scored 11 points in the Cowboys’ 63-62 upset win over No. 1-seed Snow College (Utah) in an NJCAA Division I men’s national tournament second-round game Monday at the Hutchinson Sports Arena. (Connors State Sports Information).
By John Mesh
Snow College, Utah, the No. 1-seeded team in the 77th NJCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament, went down to Connors State, Okla., on Sam Butterfield Court at the Hutchinson Sports Arena 63-62 in the noon second-round game Monday afternoon.
No. 17 seed Connors State, Warner, Okla., called the “Cardiac Cowboys” by the team’s radio play-by-play announcers, knocked off top-seed Snow College on a buzzer-beating 27-foot 3-pointer by Cowboys’ point guard DJ Dormu.
In Tuesday’s second second-round game, the No. 2-seed Cowley College Tigers from Arkansas City survived an upset bid by No. 15-seed Triton College, Ill., 58-57 on a jump shot by Marcus Zeigler Jr. with 8 seconds left. The Trojans missed a layup and a tip-in as the buzzer sounded.
The Connors State Cowboys led Snow College 33-28 in the first half. The score was tied 60-60 with 47 seconds left. There were seven lead changes in the game.
Snow College’s Mark Brown Jr. hit two free throws to give the Badgers a 62-60 lead with 5.4 seconds left.
Former Hutchinson Blue Dragons’ player Edwin Daniel, a 6-foot-9 sophomore center from the Bronx, N.Y., put Connors State on his back against Snow College. He finished with 13 points, 18 rebounds and 5 blocked shots.
Dormu led all scorers with 16 points, including three 3-pointers. Aric Walls added 13 points and Kevin Stubblefield Jr. 11.
Chance Trujillo led the Snow College Badgers with 15 points. McCaden Adams added 12 points. Isaac Finlinson had 8 points and 8 rebounds. Brown and Isaac Garrett both scored 7 points, with Garrett grabbing 13 rebounds.
This is the second year in a row that Connors State has reached the NJCAA Tournament Elite Eight. Connors defeated another Utah team, Salt Lake, in the second round last year. Cowboys’ coach Bill Muse posted his 801st career victory.
“It feels good to be back in the Elite Eight,” Muse said during a postgame interview on ESPN+ and Youtube. “Man, I am proud of our guys.”
Muse, who has been named the Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference Coach of the Year 11 times during his 25 seasons at Connors State, complimented the effort of Daniels, the former Hutchinson Blue Dragon.
“Edwin has been really good for us this year,” said Muse, noting that Daniel had a 22-rebound effort in the year. “He works very hard. When the lights get brighter (in the big games), he’s at his best.”
Connors State (30-3), snapped Snow College’s 25-game winning streak and sent the Badgers back to Ephraim, Utah, with a 32-2 record. In an Elite Eight quarterfinal game at noon Wednesday, Connors State will play Cowley College.
Cowley College 58, Triton College 57
Cowley College, whose biggest lead was 6 points, trailed Triton College, Ill., at halftime 30-18. The Tigers opened up the second half with a 21-3 run to open up a 39-33 lead en route to the 58-57 victory.
Cowley College men’s coach Donnie Jackson was asked during his postgame interview on ESPN+ and Youtube about what was said during halftime in the Tigers’ locker room.
“The first five minutes of the second half are the most important five minutes of the season,” Jackson told his team.
When asked about getting the win, Jackson said “It feels pretty dang good. I asked maintenance if they could take the lids off the rims (at halftime when the team trailed by 12 points). It’s all about the resilience of the team. Fortunately, we’re on the right side of the balance sheet.”
The Triton Trojans battled back to tie the score at 50-50 with 4:49 left in the game. Triton led 52-50 and 57-56 late in the game.
Shamarrie Huglie led the Cowley Tigers with 17 points. Marcus Whitlock Jr. scored 12 points and Zeigler 9.
Former Hutchinson Blue Dragon Dallas Whitney scored 7 points, grabbed 4 rebounds, had 3 steals and blocked 3 shots for the Tigers.
Peitok Machar led the Triton Trojans with 17 points and Vijay Wallace scored 16. Machar had 11 rebounds and Dayjaun Anderson added 10.
The Cowley College Tigers, the Region 6 regular-season and postseason tournament champions, improved to 30-4. Triton College, the NJCAA Tournament runner-up in 2024, finished the season with a 29-6 record.
No. 4 South Plains, Texas 91, No. 20 Monroe College 71
No. 4-seeded South Plains Texans defeated the No. 20 Monroe College Mustangs 91-71 in the third second-round game Monday night at the Hutchinson Sports Arena.
South Plains, improved to 28-6. Monroe College, from New Rochelle, N.Y., finished the season with a 26-8 record.
Monroe College led at halftime 44-42, but the Texans outscored the Mustangs 49-27 in the second half.
Caleb Blackwell led the Texans with 26 points, including five 3-pointers. Arterio Morris added 21 points and 7 rebounds. Isaac Taveras scored 13 points and grabbed 14 rebounds. Jalen Ricks scored 13 points.
The Mustangs’ Qingfang Pang was fouled with 2 seconds left in the first half on a 3-point attempt and hit three free throws to give Monroe the 2-point advantage at intermission. He finished with 20 points to lead Monroe.
Ryan Williams scored 19 points, including four 3-pointers. Eric Mejia had 11 points, 6 rebounds and 8 assists.
Indian Hills vs. Vincennes University
No. 3 Indian Hills Community College, Centerville, Iowa, (27-5) played No. 14 Vincennes University, Ind. (27-4) in the late second-round game Monday. Details will be in Wednesday’s Hutchinson Tribune.
Barton CC plays Daytona State in 2nd-round NJCAA game on Tuesday
In a second-round game on Tuesday, Barton Community College, winners of 14 straight games at the Hutchinson Sports Arena (including five double-digit wins in the NJCAA Tournament), will play Daytona State, Fla., (27-5) at noon Tuesday.
In other second-round games Tuesday:
• Trinidad State, Colo., (19-14) will play Trinity Valley, Texas (30-3) at 2:30 p.m.
• The Angelina College Roadrunners (27-6) from Lufkin, Texas, will play the Jones College Bobcats (30-3) from Ellisville, Miss., at 5:30 p.m.
• In a Texas showdown, Frank Phillips (25-8, from Borger) plays Panola College (27-6, from Carthage) in a second-round game at 8 p.m.
The quarterfinals (Elite 8) will be played at noon, 2:30 p.m., 5:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Wednesday.
No games are scheduled on Thursday.
The semifinals will be played at 5:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Friday. The championship game will be played at noon Saturday and will be televised on ESPNU.
NJCAA DI Men’s Championship Luncheon slated for Thursday
The NJCAA announced the second rendition of the 2025 Credit Union 1 NJCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship Luncheon, presented by Hutchinson Regional Healthcare.
The luncheon will occur at noon Thursday in the historic Crystal Ballroom at The Burt in Hutchinson. Each ticket includes a seat, lunch and the program.
Thursday is the off-day during the tournament.
A press conference featuring all four semifinal teams will begin at 10:30 a.m. Central time on the first floor of The Burt.
The Burt building is located in the historic antique district on the corner of West Avenue B and South Main Street in downtown Hutchinson.
Tickets for the 2025 Championship Luncheon are $25 and are now available to purchase in limited capacity.
The event will include lunch and an opportunity to hear from the coaches of the Final Four teams at the 2025 Credit Union 1 NJCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship.
Each team that reaches the Final Four will receive approximately 30 tickets to the luncheon.
Tickets can be purchased online at njcaa.org/tickets. They can then be downloaded to a mobile device or printed at home immediately after purchase.
NJCAA Division I women’s tournament starts Tuesday
The NJCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Tournament tips off Tuesday at the Ford Wyoming Center.
This is the second year in a row that Casper, Wyo., has been the host for the NJCAA DI women’s national tournament.
Last year, Hutchinson Community College defeated Northwest Florida State College 88-80 in overtime to claim the program’s first national championship.
Both teams return this year, along with semifinalists Wabash Valley (Ill.) College and Eastern Arizona College and six other teams from last year’s field (including Dodge City CC, the Region VI Tournament champions in 2025).
Blue Dragon women play first-round NJCAA game on Wednesday
The Hutchinson Blue Dragons (28-4) are the No. 11 seed at the NJCAA Division women’s basketball tournament.
HutchCC will play a first-round game (Game 8) at 5:45 p.m. central time/4:45 p.m. Mountain time Wednesday at the Ford Wyoming Center in Casper, Wyo., against No. 22 South Georgia Tech College (25-6).
The Blue Dragons are led by 5-foot-11 sophomore Hailey Jackson, the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference Player of the Year. Jackson averages 18.3 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.3 steals per game.
Jackson was a five-time KJCCC Player of the Week this season and was a two-time NJCAA Player of the Week.
Jackson ranks fifth on the HutchCC women’s all-time scoring list with 1,062 points.
The top four scorers in Blue Dragon women’s history are Kalani Purcell (1,176 points in 2013-2015), Mya Williams (1,163 in 2021-2023), Jamie Patrick (1,098 in 2012-2014) and Heather Robben (1,072 in 2008-2010).
Landon Forbes averages 9.1 points per game for the Blue Dragons, followed by Brynne Katcher 7.3, Katie Duncan 7.1, Kahlen Norris 6.3 and Jade Pleasant 6.3.
Forbes leads the team in assists at 4.1 per game and steals at 2.8 Including a 9-steal game).
The Blue Dragons and DCCC Conquistadors split their two games during the regular season.
Hutchinson lost to the Conqs 67-41 on Jan. 18 at the DC3 Student Events Center in Dodge City. HutchCC defeated the Conqs 75-67 in overtime on March 5 at the Hutchinson Sports Arena.
Dodge City women’s basketball team seeded 4th at NJCAA DI tournament
Dodge City (29-4) is the No. 4 seed at the NJCAA Division I women’s basketball tournament.
The Conquistadors will play a second-round game (Game 11) at 3:30 p.m. Central time Thursday at the Ford Wyoming Center in Casper, Wyo., against the winner of Tuesday’s Game 3 (No. 13 Arizona Western College 25-4 vs. No. 20 State Fair CC 24-6).
The Dodge City women’s basketball team will be playing in the NJCAA Division I National Tournament for the third year in a row.
In the fourth year under head coach Landon Steele, the Conquistadors’ 29 wins match the win total of the 2022-23 team for the most in a single season.
The Conqs enter the tournament averaging 77.9 points per game, which ranks 18th in the NJCAA DI. On average, the Conqs make 28.4 field goals per game on 45.5% shooting.
The Conqs average 10.8 made 3-pointers per game on 30.5 attempts per game and shoot 35.4% from three-point range, all of which rank second, sixth and sixth in the nation.
The Conqs lead the nation in assists per game at 19.8 and have recorded an assist on nearly 70% of their baskets this season.
The Conqs allow just 53.4 points per game to their opponents on 31.2% shooting. DCCC forces teams into 20.4 turnovers per game and average 5.8 blocks per game.
All games will be broadcast on ESPN+. The championship game will be televised on ESPNU.
NJCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championships schedule
Ford Wyoming Center, Casper, Wyo.
Tuesday, March 25
Game 1: No. 16 Walters State CC (25-5) vs. No. 17 Kilgore College (23-9), 11 a.m. Central/10 a.m. Mountain.
Game 2: No. 15 Casper College (27-6) vs. No. 18 Salt Lake CC (21-10), 1:15 p.m. Central/12:15 p.m. Mountain.
Game 3: No. 13 Arizona Western College (25-4) vs. No. 20 State Fair CC (24-6), 3:30 p.m. Central/2:30 p.m. Mountain.
Game 4: No. 14 Murray State College (28-3) vs. No. 19 Wallace State-Hanceville (28-5), 5:45 p.m. Central/4:45 p.m. Mountain.
Wednesday, March 26
Game 5: No. 9 South Plains College (25-4) vs. No. 24 Monroe University (25-4), 11 a.m. Central/10 a.m. Mountain.
Game 6: No. 10 Eastern Arizona College (25-6) vs. No. 23 Olive-Harvey College (33-1), 1:15 p.m. Central/12:15 p.m. Mountain.
Game 7: No. 12 Florida Southwestern State College (24-5) vs. No. 21 Itawamba CC (25-5), 3:30 p.m. Central/2:30 p.m. Mountain.
Game 8: No. 11 Hutchinson CC (28-4) vs. No. 22 South Georgia Tech College (25-6), 5:45 p.m. Central/4:45 p.m. Mountain.
Thursday, March 27
Game 9: No. 1 Chipola College (30-3) vs. G1 winner, 11 a.m. Central/10 a.m. Mountain.
Game 10: No. 2 Wabash Valley College (30-2) vs. G2 winner, 1:15 p.m. Central/12:15 p.m. Mountain.
Game 11: No. 4 Dodge City CC (29-4) vs. G3 winner, 3:30 p.m. Central/2:30 p.m. Mountain.
Game 12: No. 3 Northwest Florida State College (28-3) vs. G4 winner, 5:45 p.m. Central/4:45 p.m. Mountain.
Friday, March 28
Game 13: No. 8 Shelton State CC (28-4) vs. G5 winner, 11 a.m. Central/10 a.m. Mountain.
Game 14: No. 7 McLennan CC (28-3) vs. G6 winner, 1:15 p.m. Central/12:15 p.m. Mountain.
Game 15: No. 5 New Mexico JC (29-3) vs. G7 winner, 3:30 p.m. Central/2:30 p.m. Mountain.
Game 16: No. 6 Three Rivers CC (28-3) vs. G8 winner, 5:45 p.m. Central/4:45 p.m. Mountain.
Saturday, March 29
Game 17: Game 9 winner vs. Game 13 winner, 11 a.m. Central/10 a.m. Mountain.
Game 18: Game 10 winner vs. Game 14 winner,, 1:15 p.m. Central/12:15 p.m. Mountain.
Game 19: Game 11 winner vs. Game 15 winner, 3:30 p.m. Central/2:30 p.m. Mountain.
Game 20: Game 12 winner vs. Game 16 winner, 5:45 p.m. Central/4:45 p.m. Mountain.
Monday, March 31
Game 21: Semifinal, Game 17 winner vs. Game 19 winner, 5 p.m. Central/4 p.m. Mountain.
Game 22: Semifinal, Game 18 winner vs. Game 20 winner, 7:15 p.m. Central/6 p.m. Mountain.
Tuesday, April 1
Game 23: Championship, Game 21 winner vs. Game 22 winner, 5 p.m. Central/4 p.m. Mountain (ESPU).
HutchCC softball team receives votes in latest NJCAA DI poll
The Hutchinson Community College softball team (19-5) received votes in the latest NJCAA Division rankings released on Tuesday.
The Butler Community College softball team (15-5) is ranked 18th. The Grizzlies are the only Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference and Region VI women’s program listed in the poll.
The Hutchinson CC baseball team (20-8) is not ranked and did not receive votes in the latest NJCAA Division I baseball poll. Johnson County (22-9) is ranked 16th and Barton Community College (17-5) is ranked 23rd.
Cloud County received votes in the baseball poll.
Kaleb Hammeke named to NABC All-District Team for third-straight year
FHSU Sports Information
Kaleb Hammeke of Fort Hays State was named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-District Team for the third-straight year in the Central Region.
Hammeke was a selection on the second team once again. He led the Tigers to their 15th NCAA Tournament appearance and 22-10 overall record in 2024-25.
This is the second all-region award for Hammeke this season after also being named to the D2CCA All-Central Region Second Team. It was his second career regional honor from the D2CCA.
Hammeke finished the season averaging 16.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. He scored in double figures 31 times and dished out three or more assists in games 28 times.
Hammeke is now the all-time leading scorer in FHSU Men’s Basketball history, finishing his career with 2,086 points. He also ranks third all-time in assists with 576 and second all-time in steals with 175.
With 585 career rebounds, Hammeke was the only active NCAA Division II player in 2024-25 with at least 2,000 career points, 500 career assists and 500 career rebounds.
He also ranks second all-time in field goals made (715), third in 3-point field goals made (214), and fourth in free-throws made (442) in FHSU program history.
Hammeke is a five-time All-MIAA selection overall, receiving first-team honors each of the last three seasons. In his first year on the court at FHSU, he was the MIAA Freshman of the Year.
Hammeke was one of 10 players selected to the NABC All-District Team for the Central Region.
He is one of four players to earn the honor from the MIAA along with Jordan Frison of Pittsburg State, Jacob Hanna of Washburn and Jack Bachelor of Washburn.