By Brad Hallier
The reigning national champion Hutchinson Community College women’s basketball team opened the NJCAA Division 1 Women’s Basketball Championship on Wednesday by beating South Georgia Tech 61-58 in Casper, Wyo.
The Blue Dragons won their fifth straight game at the national tournament, and they advance to the second round. The 11th-seeded Blue Dragons will take on No. 6 Three Rivers out of Poplar Bluff, Mo., at 4:45 p.m. Friday, and the game will be broadcast on ESPN Plus, ESPN’s streaming app.
All American sophomore Hailey Jackson had a strong second half in helping the Blue Dragons come back from a 29-24 halftime deficit. Jackson finished with a game-high 17 points and game-high 12 rebounds. She had zero points and four rebounds at halftime, as the Blue Dragons trailed the 22nd-seeded Jets by five.
The Blue Dragons started the third quarter strong, but the Jets finished well and tied the game 41-41 headed to the final quarter. The Blue Dragons started the quarter on a 13-1 run and led by as many as 13 points after a Jackson layup with 4 minutes, 37 seconds left in the game.
But South Georgia Tech made a final run, closing to three points with 1.7 seconds left. The Blue Dragons, however, sent a long pass and ran out the clock.
The Blue Dragons had a balanced offensive attack, as six players scored at least seven points. Jada Pleasant added 10 points, Kahlen Norris scored nine, Landon Forbes and Katie Duncan had eight points apiece, and Brynne Katcher chipped in seven points.
The Blue Dragons dominated the rebounding battle 36-22, and had a narrow but important edge in points off turnovers, 21-17.
