Month: December 2015

Lady Blue Devils sweep after vaulting to No. 8 in national poll

by Alan Hoskins

Kansas City Kansas Community College solidified the biggest jump by any team in the NJCAA Division II national women’s rankings with a two-game sweep in the Iowa Western Classic over the weekend.

Ranked No. 20 in the preseason rankings, the Lady Blue Devils vaulted all the way to No. 8 in the first poll of the season by virtue of nine straight wins to start the season. Defending national champion Johnson County (10-0) is No. 1 in the poll and Highland No. 13.

KCKCC opened the Iowa Western Classic in Council Bluffs with a 99-46 rout of Briar Cliff JV Friday and then pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 72-59 win over Otero Junior College Saturday.

At Central Methodist JV Tuesday, the Blue Devils will close out the 2015 portion of the schedule Friday when they host No. 18 ranked North Arkansas at 5 p.m.

The Blue Devils battled through six lead changes and four ties to turn back Otero. Leading 61-55 entering the final quarter, KCKCC finished with a 21-14 surge highlighted by the scoring of Cheyenne North and Sierra Roberts. North had 13 of her game high 21 points in the second half; Roberts eight of her 14 including two of her four three-point goals.

“I was very pleased with our toughness down the stretch and particularly in the fourth quarter,” said KCKCC coach Joe McKinstry. “Leading by just six points, I challenged the girls to keep the lead and not give Otero a chance to make it any tighter and they did just that. Our decision making and execution was fantastic down the stretch.”

Erin Anderson led the Blue Devils early, scoring 12 of her 16 points in a first half in which KCKCC led 31-29. In addition to 21 points, North also led in rebounding with 10 for her fifth double double of the season and she followed up with a near triple double against Briar Cliff with eight points, nine rebounds, nine assists and four blocked shots.

KCKCC put the Briar Cliff game out of reach in a hurry, opening a 25-11 first quarter lead and extending it to 53-22 at the half by shooting 51.4 percent and forcing 13 turnovers.

Brooklyn Wagler led four Blue Devils in double-digit scoring with 16 while Anderson added 14 and Arrica Daye and Destiny Vincent 12 each . All 10 Blue Devils scored as Valencia Scott had 9 points, North and Kyliea Jarret 8 each, Janay Jacobs and Roberts 7 and Brie Tauai 6.

“Very happy with our unselfishness,” McKinstry said. “We had 24 assists on 36 field goals and everyone played and scored at least six points.”

Eleven of the Blue Devils’ 36 field goals came from three-point range, three by Anderson and two each by Roberts, Daye, Jacobs and Vincent.

Alan Hoskins is the sports information director for KCKCC.

Speeding car strikes barrier wall after hitting semi; van rolls on I-70

A Nissan Maxima driving at a high rate of speed hit the back of a semi in a three-vehicle accident at 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 6, on eastbound I-70, west of 78th Street, in Kansas City, Kan., according to a Kansas Turnpike Authority trooper’s report.

The Maxima made several lane changes to pass slower traffic, the trooper’s report stated.

When the Maxima struck the rear of the semi, the Maxima then went across all lanes of traffic towards the inside barrier wall, the trooper’s report stated.

As the Maxima was crossing all lanes of traffic, it struck the passenger rear side of a Dodge Grand Caravan, according to the trooper’s report.

The Dodge Grand Caravan then slid toward the right and overturned, rolling several times, the trooper’s report stated.

As the Grand Caravan was rolling it struck the semi in the driver’s side doors, causing damage to all vehicles, according to the trooper’s report.

The Maxima then hit the inside barrier wall, causing 80 inches of damage with scrapes, scratches and small chunks of wall damage, the trooper’s report stated.

The driver of the Maxima, a 35-year-old Kansas City, Kan., man, was injured and taken to a hospital, according to the trooper’s report.

A passenger in the Maxima, a 40-year-old Bonner Springs, Kan., man, also was injured and taken to the hospital.

The driver of the Grand Caravan, a 41-year-old Leavenworth, Kan., man, also was injured and taken to the hospital, the report stated.

A 37-year-old woman passenger in the Grand Caravan, from Leavenworth, Kan., also was injured and taken to the hospital, according to the report.

The driver of the semi, a 31-year-old man from Mesa, Ariz., was not injured, according to the report.

Today’s forecast: Sunny and 58

Fog with areas of freezing fog this morning will give way to mostly clear conditions this afternoon with unseasonably mild temperatures, according to the National Weather Service.

Those mild temperatures will persist through the week with no other hazardous weather expected.

Today, the skies will become sunny with a high near 58, the weather service said. There will be a south southwest wind of 6 to 11 mph.

Tonight, it will be mostly clear with a low of 38,and a south southwest wind around 7 mph, according to the weather service.

For Tuesday, expect mostly sunny skies with a high near 59, the weather service said. A south wind of 7 to 14 mph will gust as high as 18 mph.

Tuesday night’s forecast is mostly clear with a low of 41, and a west wind of 6 to 8 mph, according to the weather service.

Sunny skies with a high near 61 are in store Wednesday, the weather service said. A west wind of 5 to 9 mph will become south in the afternoon.

Wednesday night, it will be partly cloudy, with a low of 47, according to the weather service.