College Cup championship to be played in KCK on Sunday

Stanford will play Clemson in the College Cup men’s soccer final at 1 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 13, at Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kan.

Stanford defeated Akron, 8-7, on penalty kicks on Friday to move into the championship game.

It is the first time Sporting Park has been the host of the NCAA Division I Men’s College Cup.

Tickets for the game are on sale via Ticketmaster.com or by calling 888-4KC-GOAL.

KCKCC women rally from 13 back to remain unbeaten

 KCKCC’s Cheyenne North (20) goes up for two of her 19 points in the Blue Devils come-from-behind 79-74 win over North Central. North also had 15 rebounds and 8 assists for a near triple double. (KCKCC photo by Alan Hoskins)

KCKCC’s Cheyenne North (20) goes up for two of her 19 points in the Blue Devils come-from-behind 79-74 win over North Central. North also had 15 rebounds and 8 assists for a near triple double. (KCKCC photo by Alan Hoskins)

by Alan Hoskins

Unchallenged in most of their 12 straight wins to start the season, Kansas City Kansas Community College’s No. 8 ranked and unbeaten women passed their biggest test to date Friday with a come-from-behind 79-74 win over No. 20 North Arkansas.

Trailing by as many as 13 points early in the second half and nine in the final quarter, the Lady Blue Devils won it with 7-of-9 shooting the fourth quarter.

“It wasn’t one of our better performances, especially the first three quarters,” said KCKCC coach Joe McKinstry. “But for us to grind it out and put together a fourth quarter like that and come out on top is very gratifying heading into the holiday break. Considering how poorly we shot in the first half (28.6 percent), our second half shooting was fantastic (57.7 percent) and a good indication of the level of mental toughness of this group.”

McKinstry was also delighted by the ball-handling of the Blue Devils.

“For all the things we did poorly, to have only seven turnovers was a huge key to winning,” he said. “If we would have had our normal amount of turnovers, we would not have been in position to come from behind.”

North Ark led for nearly 33 minutes in a game that had three ties and four lead changes. KCKCC finally ahead to stay on a three-point goal by Janay Jacobs and a layup by Arrica Daye with four minutes to go and pulled away despite sub-par free throwing. While 7-of-9 from the field in the last quarter, the Blue Devils missed a half-dozen free throws in the final three minutes and were just 12-of-26 in the second half (.462).

Although just 5-of-20 shooting from the field, Cheyenne North led five Blue Devils in double figure scoring with 19 points and just missed a triple double with a career high 15 rebounds and eight assists. Erin Anderson added 14 points, Daye 12 and Valencia Scott and Brooklyn Wagler 10 each. Anderson, Wagler and Brie Tauai also had five rebounds each and Jacobs a career high four assists.

North Arkansas was led by 6-2 freshman Jolene Shipps, who scored 29 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.

“I was very pleased we were able to out-rebound a much bigger team (44-40) along with our balanced scoring,” McKinstry said.

The Lady Blue Devils are now idle until Monday, Jan. 4, when they host Avila JV, and Wednesday, Jan. 6, when they entertain North Central.

Alan Hoskins is the sports information director for KCKCC.

Faith news

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Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church,
2203 Parallel, Kansas City, Kan., will have a Christmas Eve Mass at 4 p.m. Dec. 24 and a Christmas Eve Mass in Spanish at 6 p.m. Dec. 24. Before the Masses, the choir will sing carols.

Archbishop Joseph Naumann will bless and open the Holy Door for the Year of Mercy at the 11 a.m. Mass Sunday, Dec. 13, at the Cathedral of St. Peter, 409 N. 15th, Kansas City, Kan. The Cathedral will be visited by parish groups during the Holy Year.

Christ the King Catholic Church, 3024 N. 53rd St., Kansas City, Kan., will hold a Christmas Craft Fair from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 19, and 9 a.m. to noon Sunday, Dec. 20, at Davern Hall. Christmas Masses will be at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 24, with a children’s pageant, and 9:30 a.m. Friday, Dec. 25. Before the Masses, the choir will sing carols.

A weekly Scripture Group with Bible Sharing and Reflection, Lectio and Journaling, is offered from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. Wednesdays at Keeler Women’s Center, 2220 Central Ave., Kansas City, Kan. Heather Neds is a pastoral minister and leads the group at Keeler Women’s Center. Call 913-906-8990 to register.

Judson Baptist Church, 8300 State Ave., will hold a Christmas Cantata during evening services at 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 13. A Sunday School Christmas program and party will be at 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 20. The Christmas Eve worship service will be at 7 p.m. Dec. 24.

Living Water United Methodist Church, 3001 N. 115th St., Kansas City, Kan., will hold two Christmas Eve services. The 4 p.m. Family Service on Dec. 24 will be an interactive service geared toward young families. The 7 p.m. service Dec. 24 will be a traditional Candlelight and Carols Service. For more information, visit www.livingwaterumc.net.

Open Door Baptist Church, 3033 N. 103rd Terrace, plans a Christmas cantata during the 10:30 a.m. morning service on Sunday, Dec. 13.

Our Lady and St. Rose Catholic Church,
8th and Quindaro Boulevard, will hold a Christmas Eve Mass at 7 p.m. Dec. 24. The choir will sing carols before the Mass begins.

Parkway Baptist Church is holding a Community Blood Center blood drive from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 21, at the church classrooms, 12320 Parallel Parkway, Kansas City, Kan. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 816-753-4040 or visit www.savealifenow.org.

Risen Lamb International Church of the Nazarene, located in the Turner area of Kansas City, Kan., has announced the opening of the Risen Lamb Prayer Room and Retreat Center. On location at their church at 5301 Metropolitan Avenue, the prayer room and retreat center is open to the public for daytime retreats. All individuals or small groups seeking a quiet, sacred space to gather, pray, meditate, journal or read resources about prayer are welcome. The prayer room provides a peaceful space for solitude or can be scheduled in advance for groups of up to eight people. Guests seeking spiritual guidance may schedule a time of spiritual direction with one of the pastoral staff, and groups may inquire about scheduling a member of the pastoral team to lead or speak at a retreat. Donations accepted but not required. For more information, or to plan a visit, contact the Rev. Philip Friday at pobfriday@yahoo.com or call 913-287-9418.

Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 2646 S. 34th St., Kansas City, Kan.,will be the site of a Breakfast with Santa from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 13, at the church hall. The breakfast includes pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns, biscuits and gravy, orange juice and coffee. The event is sponsored by Sacred Heart Knights of Columbus. Breakfast will be $7 for adults and $2 for children 4 to 12. Children 3 and younger are free. For information, see http://shkofc11917.weebly.com/event-posters.html.

Members of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 1300 N. 18th St., Kansas City, Kan., will observe the fourth Sunday in Advent Dec. 20. The service in English will be at 10 a.m. and in Spanish at 7 p.m. Christmas Eve services in English will begin at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 24, with carols. A Christmas Day service in English and Spanish will be at 11 a.m. Friday, Dec. 25.

Stony Point Christian Church, 149 S. 78th, Kansas City, Kan., will have a Christmas Eve Candlelight Service at 6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 24. There will be a short service, including singing Christmas music. The service will end with everyone holding a candle. The service will last about one hour.

Trinity Community Church, 5010 Parallel Parkway, will hold a Las Posadas Latino Christmas pageant and a Mexican-themed family supper at 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 19. The Trinity Community Choir and Orchestra will present “Listen to Christmas” at 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 20. A Christmas Eve by candlelight family service will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 24.

Wyandotte United Methodist Church, 7901 Oakland Ave., will have a Sunday School Christmas program at 6 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 20. The Christmas Eve worship service will be at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 24.

Send in items for the Faith news to maryr@g3f.1db.myftpupload.com. Please include your name and contact information.