By Steve Carpenter

HCC Sports Information Director

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Freshman Darius Johnson-Odom snapped out of a three-game offensive malaise and the Hutchinson Community College men’s basketball team rebounded from a tough loss just three days earlier as the Blue Dragons defeated Pratt 83-66 in a Jayhawk West battle on Wednesday night at the Sports Arena.

Johnson-Odom, which had averaged only eight points per game over his last three games, broke out with 37 points on 10 of 15 overall shooting and a team and individual season-high 14 of 19 from the free-throw line.  Johnson-Odom snapped an 0 of 15 slump from behind the 3-point are by hitting 3 of 5 from distance.

The 37 points ties for the sixth-best single-game effort by a Blue Dragon. Tyrone Jones (1987), William Davis (1988) and Ben Davis (1994) all had 37-point games.

“This was an important game,” Johnson-Odom said. “Not playing hard against Colby hurt us, hurt the fans, and hurt the coaches. We needed to get this win.”

HCC (16-5, 5-2 Jayhawk West) proved right from the opening tip that it was ready to play on Wednesday night.

The Blue Dragons held Pratt scoreless for the first 6 minutes, 2 seconds and to just 20 first-half points on 9 of 44 shooting (20.5 percent). Meanwhile, HCC shot a little better than 48 percent (25 of 47) in the first 20 minutes and built leads as large as 23 points before taking a 41-20 lead at halftime.

Pratt managed to make things interesting for HCC in the second half. Using full-court pressure, the Beavers forced 15 second-half turnovers and pulled within 68-60 with 5:04 to play. Hutch finished off the Beavers with a 10-2 run over the final 2:34 of the game.

“We came out and defended really well right off the bat,” HCC head coach Ryan Swanson said. “It was a very good job defensively early. We let up a little bit and Pratt had a lot to do with that. They have good players and started making plays. We knew they were going to make a run in the second half and did. We didn’t do a very good job handling their pressure. That was a credit to them.”

Added Johnson-Odom: “We were rushing and they were full-court pressing and managed to rush our offense. They got some turnovers and a lot of offensive rebounds. Other than that, we played hard and we got through and got a win.”

Sophomore Devon McBride had 15 points and freshman Dominique Rutledge had his fifth double-double of the season with 10 points and a season-high-tying 13 rebounds. Sophomore Cliff Dixon added nine points.

The Dragons shot 50 percent of better for the eighth time this season, shooting 53.2 percent (25 of 47), including 5 of 12 from 3-point range. HCC struggled from the line, hitting only 28 out of a season-high 48 attempts. The Dragons outrebounded Pratt 53-45, but committed 25 turnovers and surrendered 24 offensive rebounds.

Pratt was limited to a Blue Dragon defensive season-best 28.7 percent shooting (35 of 87) and was only 3 of 28 from 3-point range. The Beavers (13-8, 3-4) were 13 of 19 from the free-throw line and committed just 13 turnovers and forced 15 steals.

Michael Tyler had a double-double with 18 points and 15 rebounds. Tyrone Gordon also had 18 points and Dernodo Eiland had 12 points for Pratt.

HCC opened the game on a 9-0 run over the first 5:36 of the contest and increased its initial run to 16-2 after two Rutledge free throws with 9:32 to play. The Beavers finally started to have some offensive success, but could not slice into the Dragon lead. HCC took its largest lead of the half at 23 when Johnson-Odom scored to give the Dragons a 39-16 lead with 1:22 to play. Hutch led 41-20 at halftime.

The Blue Dragons continued their strong play through the first 4 minutes of the second half. A McBride field goal with 16:26 to play gave HCC a 51-27 lead.

Pratt began to press and crash the offensive glass and went on a 16-1 run to pull within 52-43 on Illiwa Baldwin’s putback hoop with 11:34 to play. Pratt inched even closer on two Tyler free throws with 5:04 to go to get within 68-60 with 5:04 to go.

But the Blue Dragons weathered the storm, getting a key 3-pointer by Dixon with 4:13 to go to boost the lead to 73-60. Pratt once again got within nine at 73-64, but HCC closed out the win with a 10-2 run over the final 2:34.

The Blue Dragons now go on the road for three of the next four games, traveling to Cloud County for a 4 p.m. tipoff at the Thunderdome in Concordia. The game time was changed from 8 p.m. to 4 p.m. to accommodate both teams having to travel on Monday.

GAME NOTES – This was HCC’s 14th-straight Jayhawk West victory at the Sports Arena, which dates back to the 2007 season. … HCC won its third-straight over the Beavers. … Hutch is 125-22 vs. Pratt, 59-11 in Hutchinson. … The 125 wins are the most against any Blue Dragon opponent. … HCC is 13-2 at the Sports Arena this season. … HCC is 8-0 when shooting 50 percent or better. … This was Johnson-Odom’s fourth 30-plus point game. … Pratt’s 20 first-half points are a season-low for the HCC defense.

 

BOXSCORE

PHOTO GALLERY

 

OTHER QUOTES

Head Coach Ryan Swanson

On building the early lead …

“Dominique was being aggressive offensively and doing a good job inside. It made a big difference in getting their big guy in foul trouble. In ways though, with him out of the game, it made Pratt tougher to guard.”

 

On playing zone defense …

“We thought we would have some trouble defensive their 6-4, 6-5 athletic fours and five. By going zone, we thought it would help us keep them in front of us. You just hope they wouldn’t make a bunch of threes. If we got in foul trouble, it would help protect them.”

 

On Darius Johnson-Odom …

“He had some nice baskets and nice assists for us. We need him to play well for us to have a chance to win games. It was good to see him get back on track again.”

 

On Pratt climbing back into the game …

“It’s human nature to let off the gas a little bit when you are up 20 at halftime. We are dealing with kids and a lot of them are freshmen. You also have to credit Pratt. They could have quit, but they battled back and were really scrappy. Once you give a team momentum, it’s tough to turn around.”

 

Freshman Darius Johnson-Odom

On the overall defense …

“Our defense was great. It’s always great in the first half and it decreases a little in the second half. But we picked it up at the end. Defense won this game.”

 

 

Freshman Dominique Rutledge

On Pratt’s comeback …

“They are a pretty good team. They started pressing us and it helped them. They came out in the second half intense.”

 

On rebounding from the Colby loss …

“We had a couple of tough practices. It was just about being prepared mentally. We weren’t on the same page mentally at Colby. We have to be prepared to get this win.”