Public schools in Wyandotte County are closing on Wednesday because of snow that is falling Tuesday night, and of the possibility of ice.
The Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools have announced they are closed on Wednesday, along with district offices. Also closed are the Kansas City, Kansas, Public Library and KCKPL branches.
Also closing on Wednesday are the Piper Public Schools, Turner Public Schools and the Bonner Springs-Edwardsville Public Schools.
Kansas City Kansas Community College has announced a delayed start of 10 a.m. for Wednesday. Classes and events beginning at 10 a.m. or after will proceed as scheduled.
Dynamic duo: Teammates at Magnolia (Arkansas) High School, Kisi Young, left, and Lillie Moore are key members of a KCKCC team that is ranked No. 4 nationally. (KCKCC photo by Alan Hoskins)
by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC
Double-doubles in basketball are usually reserved for double-digit figures in points and rebounds or points and assists.
But any of those statistics pale compared to the double-double that Kansas City Kansas Community College women’s coach Joe McKinstry pulled off two years ago at Magnolia High School in Magnolia, Arkansas.
As a freshman, Lillie Moore earned all-conference honors; Kisi Young was the Lady Blue Devils’ Player of the Year.
This season the former Magnolia standouts have KCKCC ranked No. 4 in Division II of the NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Assn.) and assured of no worse than a share of the Blue Devils’ first-ever Jayhawk Conference Division championship with two games to go.
At Highland Wednesday, the Blue Devils finish regular-season play at home Saturday against Johnson County.
A power forward at 6-1, Moore is averaging 15.0 points and 8.1 rebounds while shooting 55.4 percent from the field.
Young is averaging 10.4 points, 8.7 rebounds and shooting 64.0 percent while playing a wing position at just 5-foot-9.
In conference play, Young leads in shooting percentage and is third in rebounding; Moore is fourth in scoring, rebounds and shooting percentage.
Ranked No. 4 in the latest NJCAA Division II rankings and assured of no worse than a tie for KCKCC’s first-ever Jayhawk Conference DII championship, the Blue Devil duo would like nothing better than to get KCKCC a berth in the national tournament in their home state. The DII national tournament will be played in Pioneer Pavilion in Harrison, Arkansas, March 19-23.
“We want to keep playing,” Moore said.
McKinstry had to sweat out some anxious moments in his recruitment of the duo. His interest piqued by video tapes provided by Moore’s brother, Lamar, and conversations with Magnolia coach Donnell Ford, McKinstry invited them for a visit and was impressed enough to offer them scholarships on the spot.
“The visit went well and I really expected to hear from them on the 8-hour ride home,” McKinstry remembered. “I didn’t. It was hard not to call but I waited and a few days later Lillie said she was coming. Kisi, however, was hung up on the distance so we had to sweat out a few weeks and a lot of communication convincing her the eight hours was only temporary.”
“I knew it was a long way from home but I liked the facilities and knew the program was good,” Moore said. “It was a change of scenery, a chance for me getting better and furthering my academic career.”
Once on campus, Young quickly adapted.
“Making new friends, it was easy to adjust,” she said. “We are all really good friends.”
“They were better than expected from day one really,” McKinstry said. “Lillie was more skilled and mobile than we thought we knew since (we) had not seen them play and Kisi was at a different level at how hard she played and competed. Both are super talented – difference makers.”
For Moore and Young, the transition to the college game was eye-opening.
“The first year we were all freshmen and it was nothing like we’d ever been in,” Moore said. Young agreed. “It was not expected. We did not take it serious until we started playing.”
Key ingredients in a two-year plan, Young led the Blue Devils in scoring (14.4) and was second in rebounding (7.9) as a freshman; Moore was second in scoring (13.6) and third in rebounds (7.9) as a young Blue Devil team with only one sophomore finished 21-11 – with all 11 losses to ranked teams.
“We learned how to play the game, read defenses, know where to be, multiple offenses, sustain energy,” Young said. To step up her game, Moore spent the summer on campus.
“I needed to stay in shape; otherwise I would have got lazy,” she said.
While both are outstanding scorers, rebounds are more rewarding than points.
“It’s got to be rebounds,” said Young when asked of her preference.
“Being undersized I love rebounds.” “And especially when it’s ‘and one,’ ” chimed in Moore on grabbing a rebound, scoring and drawing a foul.
At Magnolia, Moore was all-state in basketball, volleyball and track, 2016 basketball MVP and 2017 Female Athlete of the Year; Young was 2017 Magnolia Player of the Year and two-time all-conference.
Where they’ll go next year is yet to be determined. That will happen after the season and they will have opportunities.
“Both are getting a lot of interest,” McKinstry said.
