Journey Armstead and Hailey Jackson Win NJCAA National Title with Hutchinson WBB

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The Blue Dragon women win the 2024 national championship with an 88-80 overtime victory over Northwest Florida State on Monday night in Casper, WY

Hutchinson CC Sports Information

CASPER, Wyoming – Hutchinson Community College women's basketball was indeed golden on Monday night and two former Sandites led the way.

Sophomore Journey Armstead and freshman Hailey Jackson became the first national champion hoopers from Sand Springs since Nick Tate won the NAIA crown with Mid-America Christian University in 2016.

Trailing by six points with 2:32 to play in the fourth quarter, the top-seeded Blue Dragons were able to force overtime and then dominate the extra session, outscoring defending national champion Northwest Florida State 19-11 in overtime, to win the program's first national championship with an 88-80 victory in the 2024 NJCAA Division I Women's Tournament championship game at the Ford Wyoming Center.

The Blue Dragons complete their 50th season with an undefeated 37-0 record – a school record for wins, longest winning streak (37) and best start to a season (37-0).

This was Hutchinson's fourth attempt to win a women's basketball national championship, coming up short in 2012, 2014 and 2015.

Both Jackson and Armstead were named to the all-tournament team on Monday. Jackson had a postseason-high and team-high 25 points to lead the Blue Dragons. She hit three critical free throws with 0.7 seconds left in regulation to force overtime. Jackson finished seventh on the freshman season scoring list with 478 points, including 65 points in the tournament.

Armstead had 11 points and three assists before fouling out with 5:09 to play in the fourth quarter.

The Blue Dragons led by as many as 13 points in the third quarter, but Northwest Florida State rallied to take a 57-55 lead after three quarters and led 68-62 with 2:27 to play in regulation.

The Dragons rallied back, closing with a 7-1 run, getting three free throws from Jackson with 0.7 seconds to play to tie the game at 69-all.

In overtime, Akaysha Muggeridge, Jackson and KiKi Smith scored on consecutive possessions for a 77-71 lead and upped the lead to eight at 81-73 on a Muggeridge hoop with 1:18 to go. The Blue Dragons were 6 of 6 shooting from the floor and 7 of 10 from the foul line in overtime. Northwest Florida State was 5 of 12.

The Blue Dragons had to overcome the 30-point performance of Northwest Florida State's Destiney McPhaul, who was 10 of 20 shooting and 10 of 12 from the free-throw line.

After shooting 52.2 percent in the first half, the Blue Dragons shot 49.2 percent for the game (30 of 61). The Blue Dragons were 3 of 16 from 3-point range and 25 of 33 from the free-throw line. The Dragons out-rebounded the Raiders 36-29, but committed an NJCAA-Tournament high 19 turnovers.

Both teams came out on fire – Northwest Florida State shot 63.6 percent and the Blue Dragons shot 53.8 percent – in an opening quarter that had three lead changes and four ties.

The Dragons took an 11-9 lead after an Armstead transition basket with 3:34 to go. Northwest rallied to tie the game at 15-all, but Jackson hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key for an 18-15 Hutchinson lead after one quarter.

The Dragons opened a six-point lead when Armstead had a strong drive to the hoop for a 23-17 lead with 8:22 to play in the second quarter. The Dragons then went on a 10-2 run to build its first double-digit lead of 33-22 on a Jackson 15-footer with 4:57 to play. The Dragons led 39-28 at halftime.

The Blue Dragons led 48-35 after a Jackson inside basket with 7:21 remaining in the third quarter. Turnovers started to become an issue. Seven Dragon miscued led to 14 Northwest points off turnovers as the Raiders outscored the Blue Dragons 22-10 over the final 7 minutes to take a 57-55 lead heading to the fourth quarter, closing the period on an 8-0 run.

Facing major foul trouble in the fourth quarter, the Blue Dragons trailed 68-62 with 2:37 to play in regulation. Jackson hit two free throws with 1:37 left and Smith had a steal and layup with 1:37 left to cut the deficit to 68-66.

The Raiders had a chance to put the game away with 2.6 seconds left, but Celia Riviere missed the second of two free throws and the Dragons corralled the rebound and called timeout to advance the ball. On the inbound, Jackson was fouled attempting a 3-pointer and she made all three free throws to give the Blue Dragons new life, tied at 69-all at the end of regulation.

Trading buckets on the first two possessions of overtime, Muggeridge, Jackson and Smith scored on consecutive possessions to build a 77-71 lead with 2:44 to go. After Northwest hit a 3-pointer to cut the Dragon lead to 82-78 with 42 seconds left, Kahlen Norris had a strong take to the hoop to score for an 84-78 lead with 33 seconds left.

This was Hutchinson's second win this season over a Top-5 ranked opponent, also defeating No. 3 Butler in January.

Armstead finished the season averaging 10.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 2.2 steals per game while Jackson averaged 12.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1.2 steals.

As a sophomore, Armstead will be looking for a new home at a four-year university next season while Jackson has one season of junior college eligibility remaining.

Journey Armstead Leads Hutchinson CC to National Championship Finals

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Journey Armstead has been the leader for the 2024 Blue Dragons on their run to the national championship game on Monday in Casper. Wyoming. (Steve Carpenter/Blue Dragon Sports Information)

By Steve Carpenter, Blue Dragon Sports Information Director

CASPER, Wyoming – During her sophomore night ceremony in February at the Sports Arena, it was written into the script that Journey Armstead averaged 4 1/2 floor burns per game amongst her other statistics.

For fans who have watched the Hutchinson Community College sophomore point guard from Sand Springs, Oklahoma, over the past two seasons, that average probably isn't far from reality.

"If you aren't getting floor burns and getting bumps and bruises, they you aren't playing hard," Armstead said Sunday after the Blue Dragons' final practice before Monday's NJCAA Women's Tournament national championship game against Northwest Florida State. "Coach always tells us to give our all no matter what. That's just me playing hard."

After a freshman season that had more ups and downs than an amusement park roller coaster, this past summer Armstead dedicated herself to the notion that 2024 wouldn't end like 2023.

It wasn't that Armstead's freshman season was devoid of success – the Blue Dragon women finished 23-8 and earned a first-round bye for the Region VI Tournament with a fourth-place finish in the Jayhawk Conference. A lot of the consternation goes to a stunning quarterfinal loss and a premature end to a sometimes-challenging season.

When dissecting the 2023 season, it was determined a major element was missing – leadership. Armstead wasn't about to let that happed in her sophomore year.

"Last summer when were working out, I had a brand new team," Armstead recalled. "I came in with the mindset that I had to push them. So as a leader, if I do something right and work really hard, they would follow me. I've got to be better every day."

"Journey has really grown up and matured," said head coach John Ontjes, who was a point guard in his playing days at Nickerson High School, Hutchinson Community College and the University of Oklahoma. "She had accepted coaching. Her leadership for the ball club has been very consistent."

Armstead came to Hutchinson out of Charles Page High School as a "pass-first" point guard, meaning she is looking to set up teammates to score. This season, though, Armstead has become a scoring option as well. She said that aspect has been the most improved area of her overall game.

Armstead averaged 9.6 points per game as a freshman. While her season scoring average of 10.0 points as a sophomore isn't much higher, the quality of points and the variety of ways she is scoring has been greatly improved.

Her outside shooting is much better from both the mid-range and 3-point line. But she has become most known for her hard-driving takes to the hoop, many of which find her hitting the floor at the end of the drive.

"Last year I had a lot of scorers on the team and my mentality with that team was pass first and a defensive player," Armstead said. "This year I became better at scoring and passing. I've gotten better at seeing my teammates, but score when I can,"

When asked to compare Armstead with other past Blue Dragon point guards, Ontjes said 2013 point guard Christassia Walter comes to mind. Both Armstead and Walter have the same high-motor mentality and are able to deliver for their teams in very similar ways.

"The point guard had to be the hardest-working kid," Ontjes said. "They have to be very vocal. They have to understand and know time and score. They have to understand when it's time to push the ball and get easy baskets and when it's time to run offense.

"The strength of this team is being able to score in transition and Journey's a big reason why because of her vision."

A second-team All-Jayhawk Conference performer this season, Armstead enters Monday's championship game No. 2 in Blue Dragon career assists with 338. Her 189 assists this season rank No. 4 on the single-season list. Her 5.2 assists per game were second in the KJCCC this season.

Her career-high 11 assists this season against Seward County on February 24 in Liberal tied for the fourth most in Hutchinson single-game history. Armstead has four games or 10 or more assists and 11 career games of eight more assists, including eight this season.

Armstead said there had been thousands of hours of work on and off the court to put those numbers together.

"I go back and watch film a lot," she said. "I look at when I make a mistake, I work to correct myself. I look at how I get a teammate the ball and I have to throw it a certain way to certain players. Coach has helped me a lot with that."

Now the Blue Dragon point guard is looking to finish things off the right way Monday night.

"Coach told us that last year was the first year the team didn't get to put up any kind of banner," she said. "This year we decided to make sure people remember our sophomores. Me, Mo (Monae Duffy), Bree (Horyna) and Brynn (McCormick) took that personally and we went out to prove everybody wrong this year."

With 36 wins, no losses and a spot in the national championship game, the statement has already been made for the 2024 Blue Dragons.

Armstead and Jackson Earn All-Conference and No. 1 Seed for NJCAA Playoffs

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Courtesy of Hutchinson CC Sports Information

Running the table through the regular season and winning the Region 6 Tournament, the Hutchinson Community College women's basketball team earned the No. 1 overall seed for the 2024 NJCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament on Sunday evening.

The 33-0 Blue Dragons will receive an opening-round bye and will play the winner of the Cochise/Chattanooga State winner at 3:30 p.m. CT on Wednesday, March 27 at the Ford Wyoming Center in Casper, Wyoming.

The Blue Dragons enter a national tournament undefeated for the fourth time in program history, joining the 1977, 2012 and 2014 teams to accomplish that feat.

Two Charles Page High School alumni are leading the charge. Sophomore guard Journey Armstead was named a Jayhawk Conference first-team selection on Thursday and freshman forward Hailey Jackson was named to the all-conference second team.

Armstead is averaging 10 points, 4.4 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 2.3 steals per game while Jackson is averaging 12.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 1.4 steals per game.

In its last game, No. 1 Hutchinson won 49-39 over Barton to win the Region 6 Tournament. Armstead scored 10 points with 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 5 steals in that game and is now fourth all-time on the Blue Dragon career assist list. Jackson scored 9 points with 8 rebounds.

Journey Armstead and Hailey Jackson Keep Winning With No. 1 Hutchinson

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Journey Armstead posts a double-double with 14 points and 10 assists to lead the No. 1-ranked Blue Dragons 81-62 victory over Cowley on Wednesday in Arkansas City. (Billy Watson/Blue Dragon Sports Information).

ARKANSAS CITY – The Hutchinson Community College women's basketball team passed its first test as the No. 1-ranked team in the NJCAA after completing a big road test on Wednesday night.

Paced by five players scoring in double figures – which included Journey Armstead's third career double-double – the top-ranked Blue Dragons pulled away in the middle two quarters for an 81-62 KJCCC victory over the Cowley Tigers at Scott Auditorium.

The Blue Dragons extended the fourth-best start and fifth-longest winning streak in team history to 24-0 overall and 18-0 in the Jayhawk Conference. The Blue Dragons play host to No. 21 Butler at 2 p.m. on Saturday at the Sports Arena.

Armstead, a 2023 Charles Page High School alum, had her third career double-double with 14 points and a career-high-tying 10 assists. She also had a single-game career-high six steals and posted the 21st all-time 10-assist game in Blue Dragon history. She also had 10 assists vs. the Washburn JV and Pratt in 2022-23.

Hailey Jackson, a 2024 CPHS alum, finished with 12 points and eight rebounds.

Despite shooting only 35.0 percent in the opening quarter, the Blue Dragons had three early 3-pointers to spark the offense. Armstead hit a 3-pointer for an early 7-2 lead.

The Blue Dragons started the second quarter on a 13-2 run, holding Cowley without a field goal for the first 3 minutes, 33 seconds of the quarter. The Dragons then went scoreless for 4 minutes, 11 seconds and Cowley cut the Dragon lead to 32-27 with 3:31 to play after a Destiny Yates' 3-pointer. Hutchinson turned the tables on Cowley, holding the Tigers scoreless for the remainder of the quarter.

The Dragons outscored Cowley 25-16 in the third quarter. Leading 45-34, Jackson scored off a Cowley turnover, which started a 10-2 Hutchinson run.

Hutchinson led 61-43 after three quarters and maintained its comfortable lead through the final quarter. Cowley drew as close as 17 points twice in the final 10 minutes.

Armstead is averaging 11 points, 4.3 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2.5 steals per game. Jackson is averaging 12.4 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. Both were All-State selections at Sand Springs.

Sandite Recruiting Report: Nine Sandites Sign College LOIs

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#55 Marcus Sims, middle, signed with NWOSU and #2 Kenneth Page, right, was offered by NSU. (Photo by Charity Emigh).

Nine seniors from Charles Page High School signed letters of intent to play collegiate sports Wednesday morning at the Ed Dubie Field House on National Signing Day.

For the football team:

Offensive linemen Mason Harris, Marcus Sims, and Marcum Sims and linebacker Keagan Gilman signed to play at Northwestern Oklahoma State University.

Marcus, a 6’1”, 270-pound guard picked Northwestern over offers from Southwestern College, Langston University, and Kansas Wesleyan University.

Marcum (5’11”, 225-pounds) didn’t announce any other offers prior to committing to Northwestern on Tuesday, nor did Harris, a 6’0”, 260-pound center.

Gilman (5’10”, 190 pounds) picked Northwestern over Bethel College. He had 58 tackles, 3.5 for loss, 1.5 sacks, and 3 fumble recoveries this season.

Marcus and Gilman were All-District selections this year while Marcum was an All-District Honorable Mention. Harris was an All-District and OCA All-Star selection.

Northwestern is an NCAA Division II program competing in the Great American Conference. The Rangers went 1-10 this year in a rebuilding season under first-year head coach Ronnie Jones.

The assistant head coach and offensive coordinator for the program is Jason Medrano, who coached offensive line at Sand Springs for two seasons before joining the Rangers.

The four seniors will be reunited with fellow Sandites Blake Jones, Drake Fain, Kyle Morrall, and Jacob Blevins, who also followed Medrano to Northwestern.

Offensive lineman Tyler “Tank” Smith (5’10,” 285 pounds) signed with Hendrix College, a Division III program in Conway, Arkansas.

The Warriors compete in the Southern Athletics Association and went 3-7 last season under 11th-year head coach Buck Buchanan.

Smith was an All-District selection and chose Hendrix over offers from McPherson College and Southwestern College.

Lineman Evan Williams (5’10”, 215 pounds) signed to play at Bethel College, an NAIA program in North Newton, Kansas.

The Threshers went 6-5 last season in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Championship under first-year head coach A.B. Stokes.

Several other football players have received offers but have yet to commit or sign.

Senior linebacker Owen Floyd (6’0” 190 pounds) holds offers from Oklahoma Baptist University, Hendrix College, Oklahoma Wildcats Prep, and Kansas Wesleyan University.

Senior running back Kenneth Page (6’0” 190 pounds) holds two offers from Northeastern State University and Northwestern Oklahoma State.

Senior defensive end Dallas Elifrits (6’1”, 230 pounds) holds offers from McPherson College and Bethel College.

Sophomore lineman Ryley Kester (6’4” 270 pounds) holds offers from North Texas, UNLV, Houston, Tulsa, Georgia Tech, Texas Tech, and Northwestern Oklahoma State.

Sophomore quarterback Easton Webb (6’3” 175 pounds) is committed to playing baseball at Oklahoma State University, but he also holds a Division I football offer from UNLV.

Sophomore receiver Brock O’Dell (5’10” 170 pounds) holds one college offer from Northwestern Oklahoma State.

Junior receiver Kooper Kelly holds one offer from Northwestern Oklahoma State.

Girls Basketball

5’10” forward KiAryn Taylor signed with Ranger College, an NJCAA program in Ranger, Texas.

Taylor averaged 8.6 points, 6 rebounds, and 1.4 steals over the first five games of the season before tearing her ACL. She chose Ranger College over Cleveland Community College, Western Texas College, and Lincoln Trail College.

The Rangers are 4-19 this season under first-year head coach Mark Morefield.

5’7” guard Taiona “Yonnie” Morris signed with Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, an NJCAA team in Miami.

Morris is averaging 10.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 2.1 steals per game this season, leading the team in scoring six times.

5’3” senior guard Sakauri Wilson signed a letter of intent to play at Southwestern Oklahoma State University on Wednesday, November 8th.

Boys Golf

Zane Downey signed with Southern Nazarene University, an NCAA Division II program in Bethany, Oklahoma.

The Crimson Storm competes in the Great American Conference, taking third place in the GAC Preview tournament in September and seventh in last year’s GAC Championship in April. They are coached by Derrick Taylor in his 13th year.

Downey was an Academic All-Conference selection last year, placing as high as third at the Muskogee tournament last season.

Mason Ward signed with Coffeyville Community College, an NJCAA program in Kansas. The Red Ravens placed 10th in the KJCCC Championship last season under fourth-year head coach Conner Murrell.

Ward was an Academic All Conference selection in 2022 and an All-Conference Honorable Mention in 2023 as a State qualifier. Ward took first place at the Jenks S.L.A.M. event last year.

Baseball

Senior RHP/OF Cole Pearson (6’2” 150 pounds) signed to play at McPherson College next season.

McPherson is an NAIA program competing in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference. The Bulldogs went 37-16 overall and 26-7 in conference play last season. The program is led by Chris Dawson in his first year.

Six Sandite baseball players signed letters of intent to play college ball on November 8th.

Senior INF/RHP Jackson Stewart (5’11” 195 pounds) signed with McPherson College.

Senior RF/LHP Kayden Campbell (5’9” 165 pounds) signed with Cowley County Community College.

Senior right-handed pitcher Eli Buxton (6’6” 185 pounds) signed with Arizona State University.

Senior OF/LHP Miller Tavaglione (6’2” 190 pounds) and senior INF/RHP Jace Arnold (6’2” 180 pounds) signed with Allen County Community College.

Senior INF Wyatt Rutledge (6’2” 170 pounds) signed with Northern Oklahoma College at Enid.

Softball

Senior RHP/INF Kelsi Hilton signed an LOI with Southern Nazarene University on November 8th.

Junior RHP/IB/OF Addison Hughes announced on X this week that she has received an offer to play at Southwestern Christian University in Bethany. She also holds offers from East Central University, Oklahoma Wesleyan University, and Coffeyville Community College.

Boys Basketball

6’4” junior guard Deke Thompson holds one offer from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke.

Soccer

Two senior soccer players signed LOIs on November 8th.

Senior Ava Watts signed to play Division I soccer at Texas A&M-Commerce.

Senior Kate Webb signed to play at University of the Ozarks.

Coaches, players, and parents can send recruiting updates to sanditepridenews@gmail.com.

Sandite Alumni Report: Drew Hawkins Opens Season With Big Wins

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Photo by Karen Penner, NSU Media.

2021 Charles Page High School alum Drew Hawkins kicked off her junior season at Northeastern State this week as the RiverHawks went 3-1 in the Ronnie Hawkins Invitational in Hot Springs.

NSU won its season-opener 4-0 against Arkansas-Monticello (1-2) on Friday thanks to a four-run fifth inning. Hawkins went 1-of-3 with a sixth-inning single but was stranded at second.

In the second game of the day, the RiverHawks fell 1-0 to Southwestern Oklahoma State (2-2) after giving up a second-inning homer. NSU out-hit the Bulldogs 5-3 but couldn’t find home plate. Hawkins went 0-for-3 but collected four outs in left field.

On Saturday NSU rolled to an 8-1 rout against Henderson State (1-3) and Hawkins was the star of the show. Henderson scored first but Hawkins tied it up with an RBI triple in the second inning. She added a 3-run homer in the fourth and scored another run in the seventh to end the game 3-of-4 with two runs and four RBIs.

The second game was a 16-13 shootout win over Ouachita Baptist (0-3) that saw Hawkins score two runs and an RBI on three walks despite going 0-for-3 at the plate.

NSU will return to action next Friday at the Alvy Early Memorial Classic in Bentonville.