Month: February 2020

80-60 win at Highland vaults KCKCC into 2-game lead

Blue Devils can clinch share of first-ever title with home win Saturday

by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC

Kansas City Kansas Community College’s league-leading Blue Devils took a monstrous step towards winning their first Jayhawk Conference championship in history Wednesday.

An 80-60 win at Hesston coupled with Johnson County’s 72-63 loss at Fort Scott vaulted the Blue Devils to a two-game lead in the conference with three games to go and in position to wrap up no worse than a share of the title with a home win over Fort Scott Saturday (4 p.m.).

KCKCC is in first place at 6-1 followed by Fort Scott and JCCC, both 4-3; Highland and Labette, 3-4; and Hesston, 1-6.

In addition to KCKCC’s home game with Fort Scott Saturday, the Blue Devils play host to Highland next Wednesday and then finish at JCCC Feb. 25.

The Blue Devils (14-12) took no chances of giving up first at Hesston, bolting to a 25-7 lead in the first 8½ minutes in stretching their winning streak to seven in a row.

Sophomore Jalen Davis led a quartet of Blue Devils in double figures, knocking down 8-of-11 shots for a game high 24 points.

A trio of freshmen guards were the others in double figures, Deron McDaniel with 15 points and Ezekiel Lopes and DeAngelo Bell with 10 each. Robert Rhodes added eight points, Calvin Slaughter and Jermaine Yarbough six to round out the scoring.

Rhodes led the rebounding with 11 and Slaughter added seven although the Blue Devils were outrebounded 45-36 as Marcus Hill led the Larks with 22.

“A great road win for us,” KCKCC coach Brandon Burgette said. “We were balanced all the way around and guarded hard and made it tough for them with our pressure and depth.”

The Blue Devils forced 21 Hesston turnovers while committing just nine.

The Blue Devils led 6-5 before taking command with a 19-2 run during a six-minute span of a first half in which they hit 20-of-32 shots for a sizzling 62.5 percent.

Davis ignited the decisive run with a pair of 3-pointers and McDaniel added two field goals, Slaughter two free throws, Bell and Rhodes a basket each and Yarbough a slam dunk on an assist from Rhodes to push the Blue Devils in front 25-7.

“Jalen (Davis) was great tonight,” Burgette said. “He played hard and made shots for us. And Deron (McDaniel) was great off the bench.”

KCKCC led 50-26 at halftime and Hesston never got closer than 14 points in the second half although out-scoring the Blue Devils 34-30.

“We faced some adversity and struggles in the second half in being out-scored,” Burgette said. “We have to be better guarding and putting two halves together.”

KCKCC shot just 32.1 percent the second half and 9.1 percent from 3-point.

In addition to KCKCC’s home game with Fort Scott Saturday, Johnson County plays at Labette and Hesston goes to Highland.

Sylvia and Roy Robinson recognized as volunteers of year

Roy and Sylvia Robinson accepted the 2020 Volunteers of the Year award from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education District VI at its annual conference in January. They are shown with their family, Cynthia Robinson Fails and Herston Fails, and Roy Robinson Jr. (Photo from K-State Alumni Association)

In recognition of their K-State legacy of service, Sylvia and Roy L. Robinson were honored as the 2020 Volunteers of the Year by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, or CASE, District VI at the annual conference in Kansas City in January.

The Robinsons were students at K-State during a time of social unrest, both on campus and nationally. Roy earned a degree in milling science and management in 1970. Sylvia earned a degree in elementary education in 1971. Both Sylvia and Roy were founding members of the Black Student Union.

Roy was a member of the K-State ROTC program, held a long career in milling and retired as vice president of ADM in Overland Park, Kansas. In 2012, he was recognized with the Outstanding Alumni Award from the Department of Grain Science and Industry.

Sylvia was a charter member of Delta Sigma Theta and a K-State cheerleader. She also is a past member of the Kansas Board of Regents, board of the Kauffman Fund for Greater Kansas City and the Kansas City, Kansas, Board of Education.

The Robinsons were both recognized as K-State Alumni Fellows in 2005 and also endowed the Robinson Family Multicultural Leadership Awards program with the K-State Alumni Association in 2017. Each year, the awards program recognizes four outstanding graduating students who are leaving a legacy of enhancing multicultural engagement at K-State through their leadership.

“Roy and Sylvia Robinson put the knowledge and experiences they received at K-State to good use,” said Amy Button Renz, president and CEO of the K-State Alumni Association. “Through their involvement and generosity K-State is a better place. We are truly honored to count them among our alumni and thrilled for them to receive this prestigious award.”

The Robinsons expressed gratitude that K-State provided opportunities for ordinary students to step up and be leaders, and to advocate for changes that would make campus and society a better place, with equality for all.

“For me, as a first-generation college student, going to K-State and being successful, it was a life-changing moment,” Sylvia said. “That degree alone began to open doors to me. It changed my life trajectory. It empowers you in ways you didn’t even know you could be.”

“My time at KSU changed my life,” Roy added. “It allowed me to move forward in life — to have a good life and to help others. You have to be at the table to make a difference.”

Baldwin City couple wins half-million in Super Kansas Cash drawing

A Baldwin City, Kansas, couple won about a half-million dollars in the Super Kansas Cash drawing.

According to a Kansas Lottery spokesman, the couple came to Topeka to claim their jackpot on Wednesday, despite a snowstorm.

Donna and Alan Gardner of Baldwin City, Kansas, told lottery personnel that they plan to put two-thirds of the money into savings, and also do some home improvements. They also plan to help out family members, and spend some of the winnings on a previously planned trip to Seattle, Washington.

In other Kansas Lottery news, two Kansas residents won a trip to Los Angeles to watch a taping of Wheel of Fortune, and a chance to spin the wheel to win from $1,000 to $1 million.

Carolyn Ingenthron of Topeka, Kansas, and Brian Bowen of Gardner, Kansas, were the two grand prize winners in the Wheel of Fortune second-chance drawing, according to the lottery. Players entered non-winning $5 Wheel of Fortune tickets in PlayOn. The prize included the airfare, three nights at a Los Angeles hotel, $500 in spending money, a tour of Sony Studios, two audience tickets to Wheel of Fortune, a chance to spin the wheel, as well as taxes paid on the winning prize.