HUTCHINSON, Kan. (BlueDragonSports.com) – Trailing Dodge City by 12 points with 9:43 to play in the fourth quarter Wednesday night at the Sports Arena, the prospect of the Hutchinson Community College women’s basketball team seemed remote.
After shooting only 29.7 percent over the first three quarters, but the Blue Dragon offense found its touch in the fourth quarter and rallied to force overtime on a Brynne Katcher putback with 3.5 seconds remaining.
Sophomores Hailey Jackson and Landon Forbes scored all 13 overtime points and Hutchinson’s defense limited Dodge City to 1 of 7 shooting in the extra session as the No. 9 Blue Dragons rallied to defeat the No. 7 Conquistadors 75-67 in overtime to claim a share of the 2025 Jayhawk Conference championship.
The Blue Dragons (27-3) captured their 14th Jayhawk Conference title all-time and 10th under head coach John Ontjes. Hutchinson and Dodge City tied for the 2025 conference title with 21-3 KJCCC records. Both teams will draw byes in the opening-round of the Region 6 Tournament, which begins Saturday around the state. The Blue Dragons will play their second-round game against an opponent to be determined at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday at the Sports Arena.
Official Region 6 pairings will be released on Thursday.
Tied at 18 after one quarter, the Blue Dragons suffered through a cold-shooting second stanza, going just 3 of 15 from the field as Dodge City built a 38-28 halftime lead and the Conquistadors maintained that 10-point margin at the end of three quarters, leading Hutchinson 51-41 entering the fourth quarter.
Trailing 53-41 just 17 seconds into the fourth quarter, Hutchinson started to take over the game. The Dragons outscored Dodge City 21-11 in the fourth quarter, holding the Conquistadors to 1 of 7 shooting with four turnovers in the fourth quarter. Dodge City had just three field goals over the final 10 minutes of playing time.
Trailing 60-56 with 1:03 to play in the final quarter, Kahlen Norris grabbed an offensive rebound off a missed 3-point attempt, scored and was fouled. She missed the free throw, but got the offensive rebounds and scored again to tie the game at 60-60 with 44 seconds to go. Layla-J Cameron hit two free throws to give Dodge City a 62-60 lead. With the ball loose in the paint and time running out on the Dragons, Katcher grabbed the ball and hit a short turnaround jumper with 3.5 seconds to go to tie the game at 62-62. Dodge City wasn’t able to convert its last possession of regulation.
Trailing 64-62 in OT, Forbes hit a big 3-pointer with 3:50 to play to give the Dragons the lead for good. The Blue Dragon defense didn’t allow Dodge City another field goal for the remainder of overtime as Hutchinson pulled away. Forbes scored seven points in overtime and Jackson added six points in the extra session.
Jackson posted her 12th double-double of the season and 14th of her career with 24 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Blue Dragons. Jackson jumped two spots on Hutchinson’s career scoring list to No. 5 with 1,042 points, moved up three spots on the single-season scoring list to No. 8 with 564 points and tied Amanda Flick (1995-96) for the single-season free-throw record with 175.
Forbes finished with 19 points, hitting two big 3-pointers and a career-high 7 of 10 from the free-throw line. Forbes had seven assists and five steals.
Norris had 10 points and five rebounds. Jada Pleasant closed with nine points and Katcher had eight points and four rebounds.
The Blue Dragons shot 37.1 percent for the game (26 of 70), hitting 8 of 22 from 3-point range and 15 of 23 from the foul line. The Dragons were out-rebounded 44-35, but had only eight turnovers to Dodge City’s 24. The Dragons had a 28-9 scoring advantage in points off turnovers.
Dodge City shot 39.3 percent (22 of 56), hitting 7 of 23 from 3-point range and 16 of 19 from the free-throw line. Shorna Preston and Cameron had 16 points each to lead Dodge City.
The Conquistadors jumped out to an 8-0 lead as the Dragons didn’t score until the 6:14 mark of the first quarter on a Norris 3-pointer. Trailing 11-3, the Blue Dragons turned things around with a 15-4 run and took an 18-15 lead after a Forbes steal and layup with 19 seconds to play in the quarter. Morane Dossou hit a 3-poiter for Dodge to tie the game at 18-18 after 10 minutes.
Dodge City opened the second quarter on a 15-4 run and led 33-22 on a Tayah Morgan jumper with 6:25 remaining in the second quarter. Preston scored with 1:45 to go for a 38-25 Dodge City lead, but Jackson stopped that Dodge City advance, hitting a 3-pointer with 18 seconds left to cut the Dragon deficit to 38-28 at halftime.
The closest the Dragons got in the third quarter was eight points at 49-41 after a Norris three-point lay with 1:25 remaining. Cameron hit two free throws after that and Dodge City took a 51-41 lead to the fourth quarter.
Mia Jordan’s two free throws with 9:43 left in the fourth quarter gave Dodge a 53-41 lead. The Dragons whittled away at that lead, but the comeback started take affect with 3:36 remaining. Forbes hit a floater in the paint to pull within four points, and immediately Jackson intercepted a pass and scored to cut the Dragon deficit to 56-54.
Cameron scored with 2:21 left, but Katcher’s two free throws with 1:33 left pulled the Dragons with 58-56 with 1:33 left. Trailing 60-56, Norris had her personal four-points possession to tie the game and then Katcher forced overtime with her turnaround jumper with 3.5 seconds left in regulation.
Dodge City scored the first points of overtime on a Preston point-blank hoop. That was Dodge City’s lone field goal of overtime.
GAME NOTES – Hailey Jackson had her 16th 20-point game of the season. … Head coach John Ontjes earned all-time win No. 510. … The Dragons are now 77-31 all-time vs. Dodge City, including 39-14 in the Sports Arena. … Jackson moved past Tore Alford and Cian Carvalho into fifth place on the career scoring list. She leaped over Heather Robben, Dejanae Roebuck and Cynthia Petke into eighth place on the single-season scoring list. … The Blue Dragons extended their home-court win streak to 32 games. … The Dragons are 1-0 in overtime this season. … This was the 24th time the Dragons held an opponent to less than 40 percent shooting. .. Kahlen Norris surpassed the career 300-point mark (302 points). Landon Forbes had her fifth game this season of seven or more assists.
