Garden City breaks scoring record; topples No. 5 Hutchinson at the Sports Arena

By Mike Pilosof

Photo by Connor Pilosof

Hutchinson, KS-In the days leading up to Saturday's matchup, Head Coach, Bill Morosco was unusually antsy. But it was hard to blame him considering he was heading into a showdown with the fifth-ranked team in the country without two of his main rotational pieces.

However, despite being shorthanded, Morosco's team persevered, winning their fourth straight game while breaking a 30-year-old scoring mark along the way.

Tone Hunter notched a career-high 37 points, Mohamed Diarra recorded another double-double with 26 points and 22 rebounds, and Garden City stunned No. 5 Hutchinson, 132-127 at the Sports Arena. The 132 points broke the old record of 124 set back on Nov. 11, 1989, vs. New Mexico.

"This was a complete-team win, and I am so proud of what these guys accomplished," Morosco said afterwards. "They earned this."

Lost in some of the eye-popping numbers was Heru Bligen, who may have been the best player on the floor. The sophomore scored 27 points and pulled down 12 rebounds, his first career double-double.

"Heru was unbelievable for us tonight," Morosco explained. "He gave us second chances all night."

Bligen grabbed nine offensive rebounds, part of a collective effort that resulted in 26 second-chance points. It also spearheaded a decisive 64-55 edge on the boards.  

"We expected a great game, and that's what this was," Morosco added. "To come in here, shorthanded without our best defensive player and without June (Lewis), this win speaks for itself."

Garden City, which improved to 12-5 overall and 6-5 in league play, may be the only team in the Jayhawk equipped to deal with the Blue Dragons' relentless full court pressure, thanks in large part to a strategic push to give Hutchinson a taste of their own medicine.

Instead of sitting back, the Broncbusters amped up their full-court attack, and press city turned 18 Blue Dragon turnovers into 23 Garden City points.

"We knew coming in that whoever handled the pressure better, would win," Morosco said. "Our guys handled it really well."

But as well as the brown and gold played, the first-year coach can easily attest to this: even a double-digit lead wasn't safe on this night.

Garden City appeared to have all the momentum, and after Bligen flipped in a five-foot runner in the paint to cap a 10-0 surge, the Broncbusters had a 94-81 advantage with 12:39 to play.

Hutchinson never flinched.

The Blue Dragons stormed back and following Angelo Stuart's three-point play on a questionable foul call on Jyre McCloud that polished off a 37-24 run, incredibly Hutchinson had tied the game at 118 with 4:13 to go.

"We knew that if either team got up double digits that it wouldn't stick," Morosco said. "I'm just glad we found a way to hang on."

The Blue Dragons never took the lead down the stretch. On Garden City's next possession, Hunter grabbed a McCloud miss, then fired to Diarra at the top of the key. With a simple jab step that created a sliver of separation, the nation's top Junior College recruit unleashed a 24-foot rainbow that splashed through the net, putting the Broncbusters up for good. The freshman added a transition layup moments later, Bligen split a pair of free throws, and McCloud powered home a thunderous two-handed jam that gave Garden City a 129-124 cushion with 39 seconds remaining. Hunter then sank Hutchinson's late comeback bid with two clutch freebies, giving the road team their first victory at the Sports Arena since Jan. 16, 2019.

Garden City finished 47-of-90 from the floor (52 percent), their second highest shooting performance of the season. It was the fifth time they shot 50 or better this year. They were 4-of-10 from 3 and 34-of-54 from the line, coming in just one made freebie shy of tying the school record of 35 vs. Barton on Jan. 29, 1987. The 90 field goal attempts also broke a 31-year-old mark, and the 132 points yielded by Hutchinson was the most ever given up in a game by the Blue Dragons.

"I mean, what do you say about this," Morosco joked. "It was a classic."

McCloud finished with a season-high 20 points and nine assists for Garden City, which knocked off consecutive ranked opponents. Josh Nwankwo, who missed the last six games with a foot injury, returned to score eight points in 12 minutes off the bench.

Kaimen Lennox poured in 24 points for Hutchinson, which saw its three-game winning streak snapped. Angelo Stuart had 21, and Jacquez Yow tallied 19 points and 10 rebounds.

"We're just trying to build some momentum here," Morosco said.

The Broncbusters had their chance to break the game open in the first half. Bligen ripped the ball away from Tarese Morse, then located Nwankwo in transition, who buried an 18-footer. On their next possession, the freshman nailed a 3-pointer from the wing, putting Garden City up 47-40 with 5:45 to go. But the Blue Dragons responded with a massive right cross, outscoring the Broncbusters 29-16 over the next five minutes, and when Jayden Garrison swished a 25-footer, Hutchinson had a 69-63 halftime advantage.