EARL WATT
• Leader & Times
The Lady Saints dug a hole early against the defending national champion hutchinson Blue Dragons before battling their way all the way back, but late turnovers allowed Hutchinson to escape the Greenhouse with a 58-50 win.
Seward was ice cold from the field in the first few minutes, and Hutchinson took advantage by building a 14-1 lead.
But the Lady Saints finished strong in the period with an 8-0 run and trailed 14-9 after the first quarter.
The Lady Saints played even with the Lady Blue Dragons in the second quarter, but a pair of late baskets allowed Hutch to take a 26-20 halftime lead.
The Lady Saints continued to play a more intense defense in the second half, and the Lady Saints battled back to tie the game heading in to the fourth quarter, 35-35.
The Lady Saints took a lead in the fourth quarter, and the Greenhouse Homecoming crowd started to chant with each possession.
But Hutchinson nailed clutch threes when they needed to stop a Seward run.
Despite being tied with less than three minutes to play, the Lady Saints committed costly turnovers in the final two minutes that allowed Hutchinson to connect on breakaway baskets, and the Lady Saints couldn’t recover in a 58-50 loss.
Ari Gordon had a strong game with 18 points and six rebounds.
Hailey Jackson scored 33 points for Hutchinson.
Saints 54, Blue Dragons 57
Seward County battled the Hutchinson Blue Dragons despite only having eight players on the roster, but the Saints couldn’t complete the rally in a 57-54 loss.
The Saints trailed early before chipping away at the Blue Dragon advantage, and by halftime the Saints trailed 25-18.
But the Saints continued to rely on defense to get stops, but the Saints couldn’t capitalize on the offensive side. The strategy of holding the ball until late in the shot clock led to the Saints taking low percentage shots or having their shots deflected.
Still, the defense prevented Hutchinson from expanding their lead, and the Saints used the free throw line to keep close. Seward outshot Hutch at the line by making 15 out of 17 attempts while Hutchinson only made four of eight attempts.
But Hutch outshot the Saints from the field 53 percent to 36 precent, and the Blue Dragons were able to hold on for the three-point win.
Seward hosts Garden City Wednesday.
