Hovpensports.com - Top ranked Lady Dragons take on Pratt

January 22, 2013

Steve Carpenter, HCC-SID
Special to Hovpensports.com

TOP-RANKED LADY DRAGONS TAKE ON PRATT IN MID-WEEK BATTLE AT SPORTS ARENA

The NJCAA No. 1-ranked Hutchinson Community College women's basketball team returns to the Sports Arena on Wednesday night to face the Pratt Beavers.

Tipoff for the Jayhawk Conference Western Division matchup will be at 5:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on Blue Dragon flagship station KHUT-FM (102.9) and on sister station KWBW-AM (1450) beginning at 5:20 p.m. A live videostream and audio-only stream are both available on the Blue Dragon Sports Network (www.bluedragonsports.com) beginning at 5:20 p.m.

Hutchinson's defense dominated on Sunday in Colby as the Lady Dragons (19-0, 5-0 Jayhawk West) held Colby to defensive season lows of 28 points, eight total field goals and 16.3 percent shooting in an 81-28 victory over the Trojans.

The Lady Dragons' league-leading defensive numbers dropped to 45.7 points per game, 29.5 percent field-goal shooting and 22.3 percent 3-point shooting by opponents this season. HCC now ranks No. 3 nationally in scoring defense.

HCC's defense will be challenged by Pratt on Wednesday. The Beavers are averaging 66.2 points per game.

The Beavers (12-7, 1-4) have slumped recently, dropping two straight and 4 of 5 in Jayhawk West play after a strong 11-3 non-conference season.

The Lady Dragons will be in search of their 74th consecutive win at the Sports Arena, as well as their 20th-striaght win to start a season, 60th regular-season victory in a row and 32nd Jayhawk West win in a row. Hutchinson has also reeled off eight-straight victories over Pratt and eight-straight over the Beavers at the Sports Arena.

HCC women's basketball is nearing a milestone victory. Coming into play on Wednesday, HCC has 798 all-time victories in 39 seasons.

HCC's Sports Arena winning streak up to 73 games

A 65-56 victory over Barton last Wednesday extended the Lady Dragons' team-record home-court winning streak to 73 games.

The current streak started with an 80-26 victory over Pratt on Jan. 28, 2009. The last team to defeat the Lady Dragons at the Sports Arena was Barton.

HCC has won 87 of its last 89 games at home and are 100-3 at the Sports Arena under head coach John Ontjes.

HCC has had 13 streaks of at least 10 or more consecutive home victories.

Current winning streak now program's 3rd longest

Hutchinson's current 19-game winning streak is now the third-longest winning streak in team history.

The 2012-13 Lady Dragons surpassed the 1977-78, 1989-90 and 2004-05 teams for the third-longest start in team history.

The longest winning streak in team history is 36, set by last season's NJCAA national runner-up team who started the season 36-0 before losing in the national championship game.

The second-longest streak in team history was also snapped in the NJCAA Tournament. The 1976-77 Lady Dragons reeled off 26-consecutive wins before falling in the national semifinals.

2012-13 Lady Dragons off to 3rd best start ever

Now 19-0 to start the season, the 2012-13 Lady Dragons have tied the third-best start in program history.

Last year's NJCAA national runner-up team holds the record by winning its first 36 games before dropping the national championship game.

The 1976-77 Lady Dragons, which finished fourth in the NJCAA Tournament, started that season with 24-straight wins before losing the final two games of the national tournament.

HCC's women have had 11 starts to seasons of at least 10-0.

HCC working on other impressive streaks

+ Regular-season streak - The Lady Dragons won 60 consecutive regular-season games entering play vs. Butler.

The last regular-season loss came on Jan. 15, 2011 at El Dorado, a 55-51 loss at Butler.

The current regular-season winning streak is the longest since HCC reeled off 25 straight regular-season wins from 1977-79.

+ Jayhawk West regular-season streak - Hutchinson has won 33-consecutive games in the Jayhawk West regular season. That streak dates back to Jan. 15, 2011 when Butler defeated HCC 55-51.

+ Road regular-season streak - The Lady Dragons have reeled off 18-consecutive victories on opposing courts. This streak does not count neutral-court games. This streak dates back to a 55-51 setback on Jan. 15, 2011 at Butler. HCC's record road-game winning streak is 23 games, set from 1976-78.

+ Non-Conference regular-season streak - With its 81-52 victory over Neosho County on Jan. 2, the Lady Dragons have reeled off 35-straight non-conference victories dating back to a 69-63 loss to South Plains on Nov. 20, 2010.

+ Opponents shooting less than 50 percent - Opponents have not shot 50 percent or more from the field in 83 consecutive games.

The last time an opponent shot 50 percent or better came in the sixth game of the 2010-11 season when South Plains shot right at 50 percent (23 of 46) from the field. That's the only time in the John Ontjes era that an opponent has shot 50 percent.

Before that, the Lady Dragons went 117 straight games without allowing a team to shoot 50 percent or better.

Lady Dragons in the NJCAA National Poll

The Hutchinson Community College women's basketball team remained No. 1 this week, one week after making history, climbing to No. 1 in the NJCAA Women's Division I basketball poll for the first time in the program's 39-year history.

The Lady Dragons (18-0) made the move to the top rung on the NJCAA ladder on Jan. 9 after former No. 1 North Idaho lost to Salt Lake.

The Lady Dragons become the first Jayhawk Conference Division I team to be ranked No. 1 since Seward County opened the 2007-08 poll as the nation's top team. HCC is the first Jayhawk Conference team to be ranked No. 1 during a regular-season poll since Cloud County held the top spot for three weeks in the 2006-07 season.

The No. 1 ranking is the highest mark ever achieved by the Lady Dragons, surpassing the No. 2 ranking reached this season and matched by an eight-week run at No. 2 during last seasons' 36-1 national runner-up season.

HCC has been a part of the NJCAA poll for 43-straight and 53 of the last 55 polls.

2013 Sophomores cementing legacy in HCC history

The 2013 Lady Dragons sophomores are currently ranked in a tie for fourth team history in wins by a sophomore class with 55.

As freshmen, this group of sophomores - Jasmine Patterson, Aja Sorrells, Jade Herl, Kyrsten Crawford and Chrisstasia Walter (redshirt) - won 36 games and went all the way to the NJCAA championship game.

The 2013 sophomores became only the fifth sophomore class in team history to win 50 games. That came in an 81-52 victory over Neosho County on Jan. 2.

This group ties the 2009 sophomores with 55 victories. The 2012 sophomores lead all HCC sophomore classes with 66 victories.

Ontjes now third on HCC coaching wins list

Five of HCC's six women's basketball coaches have been at the post for at least 146 games. That means it's tough to quickly move up the program's coaching charts.

Sixth-year head coach John Ontjes is doing just that, now ranking third on the coaching wins' list with 169 victories.

Ontjes trails Tom Worthing (1982-93) who had 225 victories and Rob Edmission (1993-2002), who has 192 wins.

Ontjes' 88.5 winning percentage ranks first among HCC's six head coaches.

He has coached in 191 games, third most in team history. Tom Worthing holds the record with 341 games coached.

About the 2012-13 Lady Dragons

+ The Lady Dragons rank No. 1 currently in the Jayhawk West in scoring offense, field-goal percentage and 3-point percentage. HCC is currently averages 77.4 points per game, while shooting 45.9 percent overall and 37.5 percent from 3-point range. HCC shoots 63.2 percent from the foul line.

+ Hutchinson leads the Jayhawk West and is third in the nation in scoring defense, allowing 45.7 points per game. The Lady Dragons lead the league in field-goal defense at 29.5 percent. Opponents are shooting 22.3 from 3-point range, which ranks second in the league.

+ In conference play, HCC is averaging 73.4 points per game, shooting 44.2 percent from 3-point range, 34.6 percent from 3-point range and 64.4 percent from the line. Defensively, HCC is allowing 44.6 points, 29.0 percent field-goal shooting and 22.4 percent from 3-point range.

+ Freshman guard Jamie Patrick is tied for the HCC scoring lead at 13.3 points per game, which is fifth in the Jayhawk West. She leads the West in field-goal percentage at 57.4 percent and 3-point field-goal percentage at 50.0 percent. Patrick has a team-high 38 3-point goals, and she is averaging 5.7 rebounds per game. Patrick is averaging 14.4 points in KJCCC games.

+ Sophomore point guard Chrisstasia Walter also tied for the team scoring lead at 13.3 points per game. She is leading the Jayhawk West in steals (3.89/game) and assists (5.95/game). Walter is now eighth in single-season steals and is 26 assists away from joining the HCC single-season Top 10 assists list. She averages 5.6 rebounds per game.

+ Sophomore Jasmine Patterson averages 11.9 points and a team-high 7.0 rebounds. She also has a team-high 23 blocks, which is fifth in the Jayhawk West. Patterson is tied for ninth in the Jayhawk West in scoring and tied for sixth in rebounding.

+ Coming off a career-high 20 points vs. Barton, sophomore Aja Sorrells is fourth on the team at 9.8 points per game, shooting 49.7 percent. She is averaging 5.5 rebounds. Sorrells is second in the KJCCC West in free-throw percentage at 81.1 percent. She is sixth in steals at 2.53 per game.

+ The Lady Dragons average a league-best 21.5 assists per game. Walter has a team-high 113 and freshman Jen'Von'Ta Hill has 78. Hill is fourth in the league with 4.11 assists per game. Both Walter and Hill have 10-assist games this season.

+ The Lady Dragons are out-rebounding opponents with a plus-11.5 rebounding margin. HCC is pulling down 45.2 rebounds, while giving up 33.2 boards. HCC is averaging 15.7 offensive rebounds per game. HCC has broken the 60-rebound mark twice this season.

+ HCC turns the ball over 16.4 times per game, while forcing 24.4 turnovers. Sixteen of 19 opponents have had 20 or more turnovers this season.

+ The Lady Dragons are scoring 23.6 points per game off the bench. Freshman Bri Starks is averaging 7.0 points and 5.1 rebounds.

+ Starks ranks fifth in the Jayhawk West in field-goal percentage at 53.0 percent.

+ Hutchinson is 3-0 vs. nationally ranked opponents, defeating No. 25 NEO, No. 4 Iowa Western and No. 11 Garden City.

Scouting Pratt

+ Pratt got off to its best start under fifth-year coach Stephanie Thompson, starting the season 11-3. But the Beavers have dropped two straight and 4 of 5 since opening league play. The only Jayhawk West victory was an overtime 84-80 victory against Dodge City on Jan. 12

+ The Beavers are middle of the pack statically in the Jayhawk West. Their highest statistical ranking is third in free-throw shooting (66.7 percent). Pratt is averaging 66.2 points per game, shooting 40.2 percent overall and 30.8 percent on a league-low 53 3-pointers.

+ Defense has been a struggle in the league season as Pratt is allowing 62.2 points overall, but 70.3 points in Jayhawk West games. The Beavers are allowing 35.1 percent overall shooting and 27.2 percent from 3-point range. In league play, opponents are shooting 37.1 percent.

+ Sophomore Hayli Jo Smith is the seventh-leading scorer in the Jayhawk West at 13.1 points per game. She is shooting 47.2 percent overall and 64.4 percent from the foul line. Smith averages 6.5 rebounds and has a team-high 19 blocked shots.

+ Point-guard Maddie Pendry is second in scoring at 11.5 points per game. She has a team-high 27 3-pointers and shoots 38.0 percent from distance, which is fifth best in the league. Pendry is now second in the Jayhawk West in free-throw shooting at 79.3 percent. Pendry is sixth in the Jayhawk West in assists at 3.42 per game.

+ Tatiana Grant is third in scoring at 10.3 points per game, shooting 45.1 percent and is 10th in the league in free-throw shooting at 74.1 percent. She averages 6.0 rebounds and has a team-high 40 steals.

+ Elle Stein averages 7.4 points and a team-high 7.5 rebounds.

+ Pratt is turning the ball over 21.6 times per game and 17.4 takeaways per game.

+ The Beavers are a strong-rebounding team at 46.8 boards per game. Pratt allows 36.5 rebounds.

+ Pratt averages 8.5 steals per game and 3.3 blocked per game

+ Away from home this season Pratt is 3-6 in road games and 3-0 on neutral sites, including two victories at the Sports Arena against Labette and the Ottawa JV on opening weekend.

+ Pratt is 2-1 in overtime games this season.

Series History vs. Pratt

This will be the 75th meeting between Hutchinson and Pratt in a series that began in 1975.

Hutchinson owns a decisive 65-9 series advantage; the 65 wins against Pratt are the most against any opponent in Lady Dragon history. Hutchinson has won eight straight games against the Beavers.

The Lady Dragons are 33-4 vs. Pratt at the Sports Arena, 31-5 in games played at Pratt, 1-0 on neutral floors and 2-0 in Region VI competition. The last Region VI game between HCC and Pratt came in 1986.

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