Lady Dragons ranked No. 1

By Bailey Terry

Protecting their No. 1 ranking, the Lady Dragons squeaked out a win Jan. 28 against Seward County.

They won at the buzzer, 62-61, as a Seward player drove to the basket and put up a shot that rimmed out.

It was their 21st win for the season. Days earlier, they won their 20th game, for the ninth consecutive season and for the 25th time in HCC women’s basketball history.

They played the Pratt Beavers on Jan 21., and won 85-34, making their record 20-0 overall and 6-0 in the Jayhawk West Conference.

Kalani Purcell, Hamilton, New Zealand, scored 23 points and pulled down 18 rebounds, completing her 31st double-double on her career.

She had five assists, three steals, and two blocked shots. During the game, Purcell passed a former HCC player into second place in the record books with 591 total rebounds for her career here at HCC.

Clemence LeFebrve, St. Martin, France, ended the game with 16 points and eight rebounds. Sydney Benoit, Smith Center, scored 10 points, six rebounds, and had four assists.

The Dragons all together made 30 of 55 shots, making 6 of 15 from three-point range, and 19-24 from the free throw line. The also out-rebounded the Beavers 58-19.

Starting off the game the Dragons started off with an early lead 8-2 just five minutes into the game; with a growing lead the score 17-7 just two minutes later.

The score was 29-17 with six minutes remaining in the half.

After ten turnovers from the Lady Dragons, the Beavers were able to start closing the gap making the score 29-22. The Dragons closed the half with a ten point run, 39-22.

As the second half started, the Dragons scored the first eight points. Overall in the second half the Dragons hit 17 of their 28 shots. Also outscoring the Beavers 46-12. Just 12 points in a half is the lowest scoring half for an opponent this season.

For the fourth annual pink out night the Lady Dragons played the Cloud County Thunderbirds in the Sports Arena on Jan. 24. HCC beat the Thunderbirds 104-46, which improved the Lady Dragons record to 21-0 overall and 7-0 in the Jayhawk West Conference.

Cynthia Petke, Yaounde, Cameroon, scored 16 points, six rebounds, and tying the season-high of five assists. She went seven for 10 from the field.

Alyx Bloom, Clay Center, tied a career-high of 15 points, going six for eight from the field.

Mandy Madden, Topeka, came off the bench scored a season-high of 12 points, while Sydney Benoit made 100% of the shots she took, going five for five overall, making two three-pointers. LeFebvre also had 12 points.

Taylor Jones, Collierville, Ten., scored 11 points, while Parfitt McNair, Manhattan, scored 10 points.

Overall the Lady Dragons out-shot the Beavers 57-30. HCC hit 35 of 62 shots. They went 50% from three-point range and made 28 of 37 from the free throw line.

The Dragons hit eight of nine shots to start off the half. They had a 40-point lead with just four minutes remaining.

The Beavers were able to score a few points to lessen their deficit, making the halftime score 59-22. During the second half, the Lady Dragons were able to jump ahead by at least 60 points twice in the second half.

Next, the Lady Dragons are going back on the road, to play Jan. 31 against Dodge City.

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