CASPER, Wyo. (KWCH) - The Hutchinson Community College women’s basketball team capped a dream, 37-0 season with a national championship. The Blue Dragons trailed by three with less than a second left, but Hailey Jackson drew a foul on a near-last-second 3-point attempt. She calmly hit three from the stripe to send the game against No. 3 Northwest Florida State into overtime. In the extra session, No. 1 Hutch CC turned it on to win the game and the NJCAA I championship, 88-80.
Throughout the rollercoaster game, the Blue Dragons led by as many as 13 and appeared poised to take control. But Northwest Florida State stayed with it, chipping away and eventually passing Hutchinson, extending a lead to as much as six at several points including a 68-62 edge with 2:37 left.
Northwest Florida State’s three-point edge with two seconds remaining initially appeared to hold as Jackson’s 3-point attempt hit off the backboard. An official blew the whistle and the replay appeared to show contact. The three free throws breathed life into a team and a season that appeared on its way to falling one basket short of glory.
Jackson led the Blue Dragons with 25 points. Kiki Smith scored 23, followed by Monae Duffy with 13, Journey Armstead with 11, Akaysha Muggeridge with eight, Kahlen Norris with six and Bree Horyna with two points.
With the win, the Blue Dragons captured the first national championship in program history.
Ahead of Hutchinson’s postseason run in late February, 12 News featured them as a Rising Star. You can revisit that coverage in the video player above.
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