November 2018 – Page 57 – Welcome to Wyandotte Daily!

Torrid Link Year Prep shooting foils KCKCC men’s home opener

A spectacular dunk by Link Year Prep’s Gabe Hornsby also earned Hornsby a technical foul for hanging on the rim. The Lions posted an 89-69 win over KCKCC despite 22 points by Jalen Davis (11). (KCKCC photo by Alan Hoskins)

KCKCC sophomore Malcolm Tate found tall trouble from Link Year Prep’s 6-7 Lamar Wright, left, and 6-10 Kalein Bennett but drew a foul in the Blue Devils’ 89-69 loss. (KCKCC photo by Alan Hoskins)

by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC

Link Year Prep’s hot shooting foiled Kansas City Kansas Community College’s home basketball opener Friday with an 89-69 win in the opening round of the annual Keith Lindsey Classic.

The Blue Devils (1-2) will play North Central Missouri today in the final round of the Classic at 6 p.m. KCKCC’s women will also play North Central at 4 p.m.

A basketball academy for high school graduates to prepare promising young players for possible college scholarships, Link Year Prep took just 52 shots Friday, making 32 for a crisp 61.5 percent.

The Lions were particularly effective from long range, netting 8-of-16 from 3-point. The win boosted Link Year Prep’s record to 4-2 including a 40-point win over Neosho County and a 2-point loss to Butler County, both members of the Jayhawk Division I Conference.

The Lions needed the torrid shooting to hold off a late first half Blue Devil rally fired by Jalen Davis, a 6-2 freshman guard from Houston, who almost single handedly pulled KCKCC back in contention.

After three ties and three lead changes, the Lions surged to a 26-11 lead with 7:34 left in the half only to have Davis score the Blue Devils’ next 13 points to cut the halftime deficit to 38-30.

However, the Lions scored the first seven points of the second half for a 45-30 lead and KCKCC could never could close the gap to single digits as the Lions shot 60.7 percent the second half after 62.5 percent the first half.

Dominating the rebounding 38-25, Link Year Prep had three players score 17 or more points – 6-9 Austin Johnson with 20 on 7-of-9 shooting, 6-7 Tre Edwards 18 with 4-of-7 3-pointers and 6-10 Kalin Bennett, 17 on 6-of-7 shooting.

Davis finished with 22 points for KCKCC on 9-of-12 shooting while Andre Boykins and Arother Ratliff came off the bench to add eight points each. Boykins led rebounding with five; Taylor Turner in assists with five.

The Blue Devils shot 43.8 percent from the field thanks to 53.1 percent the second half. The Blue Devils had 14 turnovers while forcing 15 by Link Year Prep.

Sporting KC plays in Western Conference semifinal match Sunday in KCK

Children’s Mercy Park will hold its first postseason match in nearly five years when top-seeded Sporting Kansas City and No. 6 seed Real Salt Lake square off Sunday at 2 p.m. in the decisive second leg of the Western Conference Semifinals.

A limited number of tickets for the highly anticipated showdown-a rematch of the 2013 MLS Cup won by Sporting KC on home soil-remain available at SeatGeek.com.

Sunday’s contest will be televised nationally on ESPN and ESPN Deportes, while local radio broadcasts will air on ESPN 94.5 FM and ESPN Deportes KC 1480 AM.

Viewers can catch a live stream via the WatchESPN app and receive additional in-game updates courtesy of Sporting KC Uphoria.

Sporting KC and Real Salt Lake enter the weekend tied 1-1 on aggregate after battling to a stalemate in last Sunday’s first leg at Rio Tinto Stadium.

RSL’s talismanic midfielder Albert Rusnak opened the scoring on 51 minutes with a superb side volley, but Sporting KC forward Diego Rubio bagged a 60th-minute equalizer just 38 seconds after entering the game for his MLS-leading fifth goal as a substitute in 2018.

The first-leg result leaves everything to play for Sunday as a pair of fierce rivals look to secure passage to the Western Conference Championship of the Audi 2018 MLS Cup Playoffs.

Led by MLS Coach of the Year candidate Peter Vermes, Sporting KC can advance with a win or a scoreless draw. RSL, meanwhile, can progress with a victory or a draw involving four or more total goals (2-2, 3-3, etc.).

Another 1-1 tie would force two 15-minute periods of extra time in which the away goals tiebreaker no longer counts. If still deadlocked, a penalty shootout will decide which team advances to face the No. 5 seed Portland Timbers in the two-legged conference championship, scheduled for Nov. 25 and 29.

A capacity crowd is expected on Sunday at Children’s Mercy Park, the same site of the 2013 MLS Cup that saw Sporting KC oust Real Salt Lake in a 10-round penalty shootout following a 1-1 draw through extra time.

Vermes’ side was 10-2-5 at home this year and 18-8-8 overall, ascending to first place in the West while setting single-season club records for goals (65), goal difference (+25), assists (69) and shots (583).

Homegrown winger Daniel Salloi led the side with 11 league goals, while Scottish international Johnny Russell became the fourth player in team history to notch 10 goals and 10 assists in the same MLS season.

In addition to setting offensive records, Sporting KC has remained staunch defensively. Their 40 goals allowed were the third-fewest during the regular season as goalkeeper Tim Melia finished with 13 shutouts, second-most in MLS. Right back Graham Zusi was arguably the league’s most effective two-way player, playing every minute of all 34 MLS matches to go with two goals and seven assists.

Anchored by center back pairing Matt Besler and Ike Opara, the Sporting KC defense is likely to be bolstered Sunday by the return of left back Seth Sinovic, who missed the first leg in Utah due to a red card suspension.

Led by second-year head coach Mike Petke, Real Salt Lake will be without Rusnak on Sunday after the Slovakian international picked up his second yellow card of the postseason last weekend against Sporting KC.

The playmaker has amassed 11 goals and seven assists in 2018, but RSL have posted an impressive 4-0-1 MLS record without Rusnak in the lineup this season. Much like Sporting KC, Petke’s squad wields balance and depth in attack: RSL had five players with at least seven league goals in 2018.

Crowned MLS Cup champions in 2009, RSL went just 3-11-3 on the road this year but claimed a momentous 3-2 away win over LAFC in the single-elimination Knockout Round on Nov. 1. Damir Kreilach scored twice in that match and leads the side with 14 MLS goals, having joined RSL from German outfit Union Berlin in February.

Sunday will mark the fifth time Sporting KC and Real Salt Lake have locked horns this season.

Vermes’ men prevailed 2-0 in the U.S. Open Cup Fourth Round on June 6 at Rio Tinto Stadium before suffering a 4-2 regular-season defeat at the same venue four weeks later.

The sides then scrapped to a 1-1 stalemate on Sept. 30 at Children’s Mercy Park, with MLS Rookie of the Year Corey Baird giving RSL an early lead before Opara nodded Sporting KC level in the 52nd minute.

In last weekend’s first-leg draw, Sporting KC were held to a season-low 33.4-percent possession but outshot RSL 12-10 and put six shots on target to RSL’s three. Sporting KC now return to the friendly confines of Children’s Mercy Park, where they have lost just four of their last 50 home games in all competitions (31-4-15) dating back to June of 2016.

Furthermore, Kansas City boasts a 14-2-4 home record in the postseason, with their lone defeats coming in 1997 and 2011.

– Story from Sporting KC

Veterans saluted at commemoration ceremony

Sam Summers of VFW Post 6401 of Wyandotte County saluted during the Veterans Day Commemoration event on Saturday, Nov. 10, at the Salvation Army Harbor Light Village, 6723 State Ave., Kansas City, Kansas. (Staff photo by Mary Rupert)

by Mary Rupert

Wyandotte County veterans were saluted during a recognition ceremony on Saturday, Nov. 10.

The annual Wyandotte County Veterans Day Commemoration event, coordinated by the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 6401 of Wyandotte County, was held at the Salvation Army Harbor Light Village, 6723 State Ave., Kansas City, Kansas.

The guest speaker, Gretchen Meitler, retired sergeant 1st class and a member of the Tonganoxie VFW, urged those in attendance to be involved in the community.

“If you need help, ask for help, and on the flip side, go out and give help to those who need it, as well,” Meitler said.

Meitler is a veteran of the Iraq war and said she joined the Army as a junior in high school, going through basic training at a young age. When she returned to the classroom, “I had more discipline,” she said. “I could sit down and focus.”

She was able to travel to Europe as part of her military service, and also, the military helped pay for her college education.

The military service, as well as schools, have core values such as service, leadership and respect that can be lived each day to the fullest, she said.

Veterans also heard a presentation from the Veterans History Project in the Library of Congress.

Shawn Muller of Heartland Hospice said that Heartland Hospice is partnering with the Veterans History Project. She said it is a privilege for veterans to record their stories so future generations could look up their history.

Lt. Col. Johnnie Gallegos said it was important for veterans to share their stories with this project.

According to Andrew Huber, specialist with the Veterans History Project, an oral history archive has been established at the Library of Congress.

Veterans were able to meet with Huber and other project representatives for 45 minutes to an hour today for a digital video interview that are being saved and are available on a website and at the Library of Congress. Those oral histories then will be available to researchers, historians and those interested in doing family histories. All U.S. military veterans may participate in the project, according to Huber. The website is at www.loc.gov/vets/.

Also during the commemoration event, VFW Post 6401 Commander Jamie Hollie read a student essay from the VFW “Patriots Pen” essay contest. The topic was “Why I Honor the American Flag.”

Service pins were presented to veterans in attendance.

Unified Government Commissioner Melissa Bynum, 1st District at large, read a proclamation from Mayor David Alvey declaring Nov. 10 as Wyandotte County Veterans Day.

Also attending the event were UG Commissioner Tom Burroughs, 2nd District at large; new state Sen. Kevin Braun, R-5th Dist.; Chief Deputy DA Damon Mitchell of the Wyandotte County District Attorney’s office; and Capt. David Thaxton of the Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Office.

Also participating in the ceremony were Salvation Army Major Beverly Best, who gave the invocation, and Chaplain Ed Farris, who played the national anthem and a medley of U.S. military tunes. Jim Jenkins, Kansas VFW state chaplain, gave the benediction.

A brunch donated by the Lenexa LePeep Restaurant followed the commemoration ceremony.

A Veterans’ Resource Directory printed by Providence Medical Center was distributed to veterans at the event.

Sponsors of the Veterans Day Commemoration included the VFW Post 6401, Kansas City, Kansas, Women’s Chamber of Commerce, Salvation Army Harbor Light Village, Kansas City, Kansas, Convention and Visitors Bureau, Kansas City, Kansas Public Library, Providence Medical Center and Wyandotte Inc. The event also received several contributions.