HutchCC women get bid to NJCAA Tournament

By The Collegian staff

The Hutchinson Community College women’s basketball team’s season isn’t finished after all.

Monday morning, the Blue Dragons learned they got one of the eight at-large bids to the NJCAA Tournament next week in Lubbock, Texas. The Blue Dragons are the No. 18 seed in the 24-team field and will take on 15 seed San Jacinto at 2 p.m. Monday in Lubbock.

This will be the sixth time in seven years the Blue Dragons will be at the national tournament, and the seventh time overall under coach John Ontjes. They were national runner-up in 2012, 2014 and 2015, and they finished third in 2013.

Last year, the Blue Dragons lost in the second round.

Hutchinson didn’t have one of their stronger teams under Ontjes this season, but they still went 27-6 overall and 21-5 in the Jayhawk Conference. That placed the Blue Dragons second, two games behind Seward County.

Hutchinson’s at-large prospects seemed to take a hit with a 70-50 Region 6 semifinal loss to Independence, which then lost to Seward County in the championship game.

But the Blue Dragons still made it.

The Hutchinson-San Jacinto winner plays again at 6 p.m. March 20 against No. 2 Gulf Coast.

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