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.

Yonnie Morris Leads Lady Sandites Back to State with 52-39 Upset of Choctaw

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On Friday, the Charles Page High School boys led Southmoore by 15 points early in their game before the Sabercats came back to win it in an Area elimination game.

The girls team nearly fell to the same fate. After surging out to a 16-3 first quarter lead against No. 3 Choctaw (24-2) in the Area consolation finals, the Sandites suffered an even more lopsided second quarter and trailed early in the third before rallying to a 52-39 victory.

“I didn’t want to lose,” said senior Northeastern Oklahoma A&M commit Tiaona “Yonnie Morris. “Everybody hyped up Choctaw. They were undefeated until they played Owasso.”

Things couldn’t have started more perfectly for No. 8 Sand Springs (21-7), who scored on layups from Sakauri Wilson and Morris for a 6-0 lead before a three-pointer from Adison Karaeer cut it in half.

After that lone bucket, the Sandites ended the quarter on a 10-0 run as the Yellowjackets shot 1-of-12 from the field.

“I think early on we did a great job of pressuring them,” said head coach Josh Berry. “We did a great job of talking, communicating, and just being together in one accord.”

Then Choctaw went on a 14-0 run to take a 17-16 advantage at the 4:10 mark of the second quarter.

“Second quarter we didn’t communicate as well,” said Berry. “They got on a run and they hit four or five threes in a row and that’s what kind of team they are. They can do that. Luckily we had some people step up in the second half, make some big shots, make some timely plays for us.”

After leading 21-19 at halftime, Choctaw built its lead to 29-22 on three-pointers from Oklahoma City University commit Brooke Curry and Oklahoma Baptist commit Katelyn Davis.

Then things shifted back to the Sandites, who went on an 11-0 run to end the quarter and would never trail again.

Morris hit back-to-back buckets before freshman Tianna Butler drained a corner three to tie it at 29-29 with 2:47 in the quarter.

Freshman Aaliyah Simone assisted on two buckets off turnovers, stripping a blocked shot and finding Butler for a floater before coming away with a steal that she sent downcourt to Hope Bump.

“I’ve been saying it all year long - those two are special freshmen,” said Berry. “They’re big time.”

Despite being back out front, the Sandites suffered a scare when Wilson went down with an apparent ankle injury on the final play of the third while Sand Springs was only up 33-29.

Wilson limped to the locker room for a moment but soon returned to the floor and was ready to sub back in.

“I never question that girl,” said Berry. “She’s a tough player. She’s been through many injuries many times and she always just gets right back up.”

After a three-pointer from Davis made it 38-34 early in the fourth, Sand Springs went on a 9-0 run and maintained a double-digit margin for the remainder of the game.

Morris led the Sandites with 16 points, followed by Bump with 14 and Wilson with 12. Davis was the only Yellowjacket in double digits with a game-best 17 points on five treys.

Sand Springs has made it to the doorstep of the State tournament four times under Berry and this is the second time they have managed to cross the threshold. The Sandites won an Area title in 2022 but lost in the consolation finals in 2021 and 2023.

“This is a special senior group right here,” said Berry. “They’ve been in this game four straight years, every year they’ve been in school, and we’re 2-2 now.”

“I’m more than happy for these girls. They’ve been through a lot this year - injuries, people come in, come out. It’s just been a hard year for them. I’m just glad that they get to experience this ride.”

“It’s a great feeling,” added Morris. “We really wanted to make it to State last year but we just had some circumstances where we weren’t clicking and it made it hard, but this year we really took practice seriously and Berry emphasized on the communicating and focusing a lot and we just got the job done.”

Among the obstacles for Sand Springs were season-ending injuries of Calla Fueshko, Abigail Martin, and KiAryn Taylor, and a long wait for OSSAA clearance for Bump, a junior Claremore transfer, who didn’t get to play till a month into the season.

“A lot of people did have to step up, especially our two freshmen: Tianna and Aaliyah,” said Morris. “They had to step up and play big roles and we appreciate them for that.”

The State tournament will kick off Wednesday in Norman at the University of Oklahoma’s Lloyd Noble Center. Times and matchups have yet to be announced. Quarterfinals will be Wednesday, semifinals will be Friday, and the Championship game will be Saturday.

Joining Sand Springs in the State tournament will be No. 1 Edmond North (24-1), No. 2 Putnam City West (24-1), No. 4 Edmond Memorial (22-3), No. 5 Owasso (21-5), No. 6 Putnam City North (20-6), No. 9 Bixby (20-7), and No. 10 Mustang (20-7).

Sand Springs split games with Edmond Memorial and Owasso this season while losing its only meeting with Putnam City North in a close one.

The Sandites are in pursuit of their first State Championship since 1994.

CPHS 52 Choctaw 39

1Q: CPHS 16-3.
2Q: Choctaw 18-3.
3Q: CPHS 14-8.
4Q: CPHS 19-10.
Free Throws: CPHS 12-of-19, Choctaw 3-of-4.
Field Goals: CPHS 18-of-39, Choctaw 14-of-49.
Offensive Rebounds: CPHS 7, Choctaw 10.
Defensive Rebounds: CPHS 17, Choctaw 14.
Total Rebounds: CPHS 24, Choctaw 24.
Steals: CPHS 6, Choctaw 1.
Blocks: CPHS 6, Choctaw 2.
Fouls: CPHS 10, Choctaw 14.

Sand Springs Stats

Points: Morris 16, Bump 14, Wilson 12, Ti. Butler 7, Simone 3.
Offensive Rebounds: Bump 3, Wilson 1, Morris 1, Simone 1, Ti. Butler 1.
Defensive Rebounds: Bump 4, Ti. Butler 4, Wilson 3, Morris 3, Simone 3.
Total Rebounds: Bump 7, Ti. Butler 5, Wilson 4, Morris 4, Simone 4.
Steals: Wilson 2, Bump 1, Morris 1, Simone 1, Ti. Butler 1.
Assists: Wilson 3, Simone 2, Morris 1, Ti. Butler 1.
Blocks: Ti. Butler 3, Simone 2, Bump 1.
Fouls: Bump 3, Morris 3, Wilson 2, Simone 2.

Choctaw Stats

Points: Davis 17, Bro. Curry 8, Hawk 4, Karaeer 3, Pruitt 3, Duval 2, Pherigo 2.
Fouls: Davis 4, Bro. Cury 2, Bre Curry 2, Pruitt 2, Karaeer 1, Duval 1, Hawk 1, Pherigo 1.

Lady Sandites Topple Trojans 50-33 in Playoffs, Play Choctaw Saturday

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The No. 8 ranked Charles Page High School girls basketball team (20-7) used a balanced team effort and an explosive second half to take down No. 15 Jenks (15-12) in the first round of the Area consolation playoffs Thursday night in Sapulpa, winning 50-33 in a game they controlled from start to finish.

Sand Springs never once trailed, though the Trojans hung fairly close through the first half, only down 21-17 to start the third and 36-25 entering the fourth.

Back-to-back-to-back three pointers from Taiona Morris, Tianna Butler, and Aaliyah Simone early in the fourth put the game firmly out of reach.

“We made shots,” said head coach Josh Berry. “That third quarter we finally made some shots and made a couple threes, got a couple layups in, so it kind of opened up for them.”

It was the Sandites’ first meeting of the season with their former conference foes and their 20th consecutive victory over the Lady Trojans in a streak dating back to 2013.

The teams traded buckets to a 4-4 tie before a three-pointer from Sakauri Wilson gave Sand Springs the lead for the remainder of the game. Wilson also scored the Sandites’ first two buckets, on putbacks, and had 11 points and 4 rebounds in the first quarter alone.

Sand Springs dominated the boards early on but Jenks boxed out better after the first quarter and the two teams matched up fairly well in that regard.

Sand Springs had the better defense, however, and came away with 11 steals on the night while holding Rice-commit Jill Twiehaus to only 11 points.

“She’s a great talent,” said Berry. “We just wanted to make her work for every single shot that she gets.”

While Wilson was limited offensively in the second half, her teammates stepped up and four different Lady Sandites finished in double digits.

Freshman Tianna Butler had 11 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 blocks while Hope Bump had 10 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 steals.

“We have multiple people that can score the basketball so that’s a good thing,” said Berry. “Hopefully they all score the ball come Saturday.”

Morris started the night 0-of-9 on first-half field goals but dialed it in for the second half to score 10 points.

“She’s gotten so much better,” said Berry. “She just keeps getting better and better as the year goes on. I just tell her ‘keep playing hard, focus on that part of it, the ball’s going to find the hole eventually.’ She’s too good for it not to find the hole.”

Sand Springs will return to action Saturday at 3:30 p.m. in the Area consolation finals at Sapulpa against No. 3 Choctaw (24-1), who suffered its first loss of the season 34-31 against No. 5 Owasso (21-5) in the championship game.

“Great team, good coach,” said Berry. “It’s gonna be a battle. You go out there and you fight from start to finish. Whatever happens happens.”

CPHS 50 Jenks 33

1Q: CPHS 14-8.
2Q: Jenks 9-7.
3Q: CPHS 15-8.
4Q: CPHS 14-8.
Free Throws: CPHS 5-of-9, Jenks 6-of-17.
Field Goals: CPHS 19-of-52, Jenks 13-of-42.
Offensive Rebounds: CPHS 9, Jenks 10.
Defensive Rebounds: CPHS 14, Jenks 14.
Total Rebounds: CPHS 23, Jenks 24.
Steals: CPHS 11, Jenks 4.
Blocks: CPHS 4, Jenks 6.
Fouls: CPHS 14, Jenks 9.

Sand Springs Statistics

Points: Wilson 16, Ti. Butler 11, Bump 10, Morris 10, Simone 3.
Offensive Rebounds: Wilson 3, Ti. Butler 3, Bump 2, Morris 1.
Defensive Rebounds: Bump 4, Ti. Butler 4, Simone 3, Wilson 2, Morris 1.
Total Rebounds: Ti. Butler 7, Bump 6, Wilson 5, Simone 3, Morris 2.
Steals: Bump 6, Ta. Butler 2, Wilson 2, Simone 1, Ti. Butler 1.
Assists: Bumps 2, Morris 2, Wilson 1, Ti. Butler 1, Ta. Butler 1.
Blocks: Ti. Butler 3, Bump 1.
Fouls: Bump 3, Wilson 3, Simone 3, Ti. Butler 3, Morris 2.

Jenks Statistics

Points: Ifeoma 12, Twiehaus 11, Dodder 4, White 3, Anderson 2, Jones 1.
Fouls: Jones 3, Ifeoma 2, White 1, Dodder 1, Sykes 1, Zhang 1.

Oklahoma 6A Week 14 Basketball Rankings

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Girls

  1. Edmond North (23-1)

  2. Putnam City West (23-1)

  3. Choctaw (24-0)

  4. Edmond Memorial (21-3)

  5. Owasso (20-5)

  6. Putnam City North (20-5) +1

  7. Broken Arrow (18-7) +1

  8. Sand Springs (18-7) -2

  9. Bixby (19-7)

  10. Mustang (19-6)

  11. Edmond Santa Fe (15-10)

  12. Yukon (19-7)

  13. Union (15-10) +1

  14. Norman (16-9) -1

  15. Jenks (15-11) NR

Boys

  1. Union (23-2)

  2. Owasso (22-3)

  3. Edmond North (21-3)

  4. Edmond Deer Creek (20-5)

  5. Moore (19-5)

  6. Norman (20-4)

  7. Edmond Memorial (17-7)

  8. Choctaw (20-4)

  9. Broken Arrow (18-8)

  10. Westmoore (15-10) +4

  11. Sand Springs (17-9) +2

  12. Norman North (12-12) NR

  13. Putnam City North (11-15) NR

  14. Putnam City West (12-13) NR

  15. Jenks (16-10) NR