By Sam Ojeda / Staff writer
The Blue Dragons Women’s Basketball team returns to the court after a highly successful 2021-2022 campaign. The “Lady Dragz” return after a 29-6 record last season and their return to the NJCAA national tournament. They come in ranked #9 overall in the NJCAA rankings. Head Coach John Ontjes and his staff hope for another great season.
Mya Williams, who stood out as a Freshman last season, returns for her Sophomore season. Last year Williams, the Waxahachie, Texas native, averaged 18.7 points per game(PPG) which led the team and was good enough to be 16th best in the whole country. She also shot an impressive 37.7 percent from behind the three-point line. She expects to be a leader for the team this season.
Williams’s Sophomore counterparts, Ziya Simms and Kali Howard, are expected to step up this season for Ontjes’s team. They were both role players last season but got enough experience that they can produce this season. Simms is from Hutchinson, Kansas, and the locals would enjoy seeing her grow this season. Sophomore Natalie Payne is from Lenexa, Kansas. She was a solid bench piece last season, scoring 4.7 PPG and grabbing 3.7 rebounds per game. She looks like a strong candidate for the starting lineup this season, and those numbers are sure to increase.
Transfers will be helpful for the Blue Dragons this season. Leata Te Nana-Williams from New Zealand is a Sophomore. She averaged 7.6 PPG and 4.6 RPG at Central Maine CC last season. Victoria Lewis from Australia brings in some size at 6’3. She comes to Hutchinson CC after a season at Eastern Florida State College. Morgan Browning is a transfer from NCAA Division 1 school Morehead State. She started 23 games there and hopes to produce for Hutch this season.
The Blue Dragons look to improve upon a successful season last year. This year could be the year for the jump to the late rounds in the NJCAA tournament. Hoping for a Region VI victory and an NJCAA tournament berth, they begin the regular season Tuesday, November 1st, against Bethany College JV at home in Hutchinson.
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