CONCORDIA – Two first-half scoring droughts that combined for 9 minutes, 58 seconds were too much for the Hutchinson Community College men’s basketball team to overcome on Saturday in its KJCCC road trip to Cloud County.
Cloud County scored 21 unanswered points in those two runs and went on to defeat Hutchinson 75-55 at Cloud County’s Arley Bryant Gym.
The Blue Dragons drop to 11-15 overall and 6-14 in the Jayhawk Conference. Hutchinson plays host to Colby at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday at the Sports Arena. Cloud County is now 14-11 overall and 9-10 in the KJCCC.
The Dragons led 9-8 with 13:08 remaining in the first half and Cloud County went on a 9-0 run over the next 3 1/2 minutes. Then trailing 20-13 with 8:29 to play, the Blue Dragons were buried by a 12-0 run over the next 5:07 and the Thunderbirds led 32-13 with 3:04 to go in the first half.
Hutchinson trailed 39-25 at halftime. The closest the Dragons got in the second half was 15 points at 39-24 with 18:24 to play in the game.
Sophomore Bobby Cannon led the Blue Dragons with 11 points and six rebounds.
Daleron Thomas and Asher Boney had 10 points each.
The Blue Dragons shot 35.6 percent for the game (21 of 59). The Dragons were 4 of 22 from 3-point range and 9 of 14 from the free-throw line. The Dragons were out-rebounded 39-34.
Manasseh Stackhouse hit 4 of 7 3-point field goals and led Cloud County with 18 points and 12 rebounds. D.J. Holloway had 12 points. D’ontez Walker and Cam Williams had 10 points each.
Cloud County shot 50.0 percent for the game (29 of 58), hitting 8 of 25 from 3-point range and 9 of 19 from the free-throw line. The Thunderbirds shot 57.1 percent (16 of 28) in the first half.
GAME NOTES – The Blue Dragons are now 61-22 all-time against Cloud County, only 19-17 in games played in Concordia. … Cloud County snapped a six-game losing streak against Hutchinson. … The 53 points scored were the second fewest scored by Hutchinson on series history with Cloud County. … Cloud County is only the second team this season to shoot 50 percent against the Blue Dragons. … Cloud’s Syncere Burnette had 12 assists, the most against the Dragons by a single opponent this season. … The Dragons are 4-7 in road games this season. … Bobby Cannon surpassed the career 700-point mark, now with 701 points. … Freshman Kordell Williams had a team-high eight rebounds, the six time this season he’s had seven or more rebounds in a game. … Asher Boney scored in double figures for the first time in 13 games.
