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By Steve Carpenter
HCC Sports Information Director
Saturday, January 12, 2008
DODGE CITY – The Hutchinson Community College
men’s basketball team turned in the best defensive performance in a Jayhawk
Conference Western Division game since 2003 on Saturday night against the
Dodge City Conquistadors.
The Blue Dragons allowed season lows in
points allowed and shot percentage against in a physical 60-43 victory over
Dodge City to extend their winning streak eight games and get only their
second win in the Dodge City Civic Center in the last seven games played
there.
“Everybody feels passionate about this game.
Everybody wants to win,” said HCC sophomore Henry Rogers around the superb
defensive and rebounding efforts of the Blue Dragons. “It’s our job to be
more passionate and want to win more than them. We practice hard, so why not
take it over to the game? So we take all the energy and passion to the game
and go out and get a win.”
On Saturday night, the Blue Dragons held a
Jayhawk West opponent to its lowest total since holding Pratt to 39 points
on Feb. 12, 2003. It’s the lowest point total that Dodge City has scored
against the Dragons since scoring 42 in 1989.
Dodge City shot 31.9 percent (15 of 47), just
23.8 percent (5 of 21) in the second half. It’s the 10th game this season
that HCC has limited a team to less than 40-percent shooting and it’s the
27th consecutive game to hold a team to less than 50-percent shooting.
The Conquistadors were held to only 19 points
in the second half and without a field goal for the final 7 minutes, 47
seconds of the game. Dodge City also turned the ball over 20 times. It’s the
fourth-straight game that Hutch has forced 20 or more turnovers and it’s the
12th time this season the Dragons have done so.
The Blue Dragons also dominated on the
boards, outrebounding Dodge City 45-33 and limiting Dodge City to only four
offensive rebounds.
“We did a great job with our block outs,” HCC
head coach Ryan Swanson said. “We were active and we had guys willing to go
and get it. Our guards did a great job of rebounding. Sam Edwards had five
rebounds in 17 minutes. That’s phenomenal for a player of his size.”
“It was very important,” sophomore guard
Bobby Maze said of the team’s rebounding efforts. “Offensive rebounds are
key in games. Today we did a great job not giving up offensive rebounds and
that went a long way to us only giving up 19 points in the second half. We
did a great job.”
The Blue Dragons (13-4, 3-0 Jayhawk West) had
their own offensive struggles against a perennially strong Dodge City
defense. The Dragons tied a season-low 40.3 percent shooting from the field
(27 of 67). HCC had season lows of one 3-point goal and six attempts (15.7
percent) and were under 50 percent from the free-throw line for the first
time (5 of 11).
Maze helped the HCC offense through with a
22-point night with five assists and two steals. It was Maze’s ninth
20-point game this season. Sophomore Ken Bowman was the only other Blue
Dragon in double figures with 10 points and eight rebounds. Rogers had eight
points and seven boards.
Dodge City (10-7, 2-2) was led by Ty
Patterson’s 23 points. Patterson hit 4 of 9 from 3-point range. Jase Herl
was limited to 1 of 5 shooting and finished with eight points. The
Conquistadors were missing their leading scorer, Anthony Harris, who was
serving the first of a two-game league suspension.
Leading 13-10 in the first half, the Blue
Dragons went on an 8-0 run with six points coming from Bowman. His free
throws with 6:22 to play in the half gave HCC a 21-10 lead, its largest lead
of the first half.
Dodge City slowly climbed back into the game
with a methodical 14-5 run and pulled within one at 25-24 on Patterson’s
third 3-pointer in the final 3 minutes of the half. After a defensive stop,
the Dragons quickly moved the ball up the floor as time was running out and
Maze scored in transition with 1 second remaining to give the Dragons a
27-24 halftime lead.
Hutch quickly established another
double-digit lead just 2:49 into the second half, scoring the first seven
points on a Rogers’ inside hoop, a Lamar Falley 3-pointer and a Maze basket
to lead 34-24 with 17:11 to play in the game. Over the next 10 minutes, the
Conquistadors outscored HCC 16-10 and pulled within 44-40 after a Patterson
free throw with 6:59 to play.
The Dragons answered the Conquistador
challenge, holding Dodge City without a field goal for the final 7 minutes,
47 seconds of the game and outscoring the Conqs 16-3 in the final seven
minutes.
The Blue Dragons return home to play host to
Pratt at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday night.
GAME NOTES – The 43 points allowed were the
fewest points to a junior college opponent since allowing 44 to Hesston
College on Nov. 12, 2005 and the fewest allowed to any opponent since
surrendering only 21 points to the Sterling College JV in 2005. … Antonio
Weary had his run of scoring in double figures stopped at six games with
seven points. … The Dragons had a season-low nine assists. … The 15 field
goals by Dodge City tied a season low for the HCC defense. The 47 Conq
attempts were a season low against the Dragons. … Sam Edwards had season
highs in made field goals (3) and rebounds (5) and tied a season high in
steals (2). … Bowman and Maze are the only two Dragon players to score in
double figures in each game this season. … HCC is now 38-32 vs. Dodge City
in Dodge City and 101-58 all time.
<HCC-DODGE CITY MEN'S BOXSCORE>
OTHER QUOTES
Head Coach Ryan Swanson
On answering Dodge City’s challenges for
the lead …
“It was a case of two very competitive teams
going at each other. Our guys answered the bell. It was a good, physical
game on both ends. There were times we would have lost our composure and we
didn’t. It’s tough to win on the floor of the team that’s won the last two
conferences.”
On Bobby Maze’s performance …
“Bobby’s first choice would be to drive the
lane, draw defenders and pass it off for a teammate to score. Dodge was
dropping off a lot of guys into the lane; and the other thing was that we
weren’t finishing as many plays as we need to. He started taking shots and
that’s what we needed to do. He’s pretty good at figuring out what we need
and give it to us.”
On starting 3-0 in the Jayhawk West …
“We are reaping the benefits of playing a
hard schedule early. It was hard on this team to be 1-2. These guys went
through a lot of adversity, not only in practice, but with the competition
they played. We grew from that. We’ve done a great job of recognizing our
roles and we’ve grown from that.”
Sophomore Henry Rogers
On allowing only four offensive rebounds …
“Wow! In practice, the coaches kept telling
us to go hard to the boards and box out. That’s something that we take pride
in. Giving up only four rebounds is great.”
Sophomore Bobby Maze
On playing to the style of game …
“I was just taking what the defense was
giving. We spread the floor and coach has enough faith in me and let’s me
play. I had the ball in my hands and I was able to make some plays today.” |
