By EARL WATT

• Daily Leader

After jumping out to a 5-0 start in the Jayhawk West, Seward has dropped two of the last three including Saturday’s 10-point loss to Butler County.

Two of the losses came on the road while the victory over Garden City was a hard-fought contest in the Green House.

The 84-74 loss to Butler created a tie for second between the Grizzlies and Saints at 6-2.

Hutchinson leads the conference at 7-1. The Blue Dragons’ lone loss came at the hands of the Saints, and the two will face off again to start the second half of the Jayhawk West schedule in the Arena tonight.

The slumping Saints need the win to get back into a tie for the conference lead and build momentum for the favorable home schedule in the second half of the conference season. A loss will make it very difficult for the Saints down the stretch, and they would need help to get back on top. Adding to the difficulty is the Arena jinx. Seward has only a handful of wins on the road against the Blue Dragons in school history.

After facing Hutch on the road, Seward will return home for three straight against  Barton, Colby and Pratt, a key stretch that could determine the conference race.

Five of the final seven conference games will be played in the Green House.

More importantly, the Saints need a win to get back on track. The Saints were projected to win the Jayhawk West with the return of an experienced group of sophomores and a strong recruiting class.

After a tough out of conference schedule, the Saints jumped out to a 5-0 start but was upset on the road by a mediocre Dodge City team.

The Saints returned to the Green House and survived a scare by the Garden City Broncbusters before the 84-74 loss Saturday at Butler.

Tonight’s game against Hutchinson is expected to tip off at 7:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast locally by KSCB AM 1270.