by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC sports information
There will be no third national women’s basketball championship for Kansas City Kansas Community College in 2021. A whopping 29 turnovers and 14 missed free throws did the Blue Devils in Tuesday.
No. 14 seeded Union County of Cranford, New Jersey, the same team KCKCC demolished in the 2019 NJCAA Division II championship game, took advantage of the Blue Devils’ self-destruction with a 72-69 overtime upset in the tourney being played at Catawba Valley College in Hickory, North Carolina.
The loss drops the No. 3 seeded Blue Devils (20-3) into the consolation bracket of the double elimination tournament against No. 11 seeded Muskegon Wednesday at 3 p.m. (CDT). No. 6 Parkland defeated Muskegon in Tuesday’s second game.
“Missing 14 free throws really hurt but our biggest problem was the 29 turnovers. That really shot us in the foot,” said KCKCC coach Joe McKinstry, who was seeking a third national title in six years.
The number of missed free throws and turnovers weren’t as much of an issue as to when they happened – two missed free throws with seven seconds left in regulation in a game tied at 60-60. And six turnovers in the last 4:14 of overtime after the Blue Devils had gone ahead 64-62.
“We couldn’t make the right plays at the right time,” McKinstry said. “We did not display how we could play at all. We had a two-point lead with 22 seconds left and ended up giving them the last five points of the game. We fought and battled to get back into the game and some how we let them escape with a win. We did it to ourselves. It was not one person; a lot more than one.”
In a game that started at 8 a.m., the Blue Devils’ took a quick 3-0 lead on an Aliyah Myers’ trey but the Owls scored the next 12 points and things never got a whole lot better for the Blue Devils. Taking advantage of 17 first half turnovers and 26.7 percent KCKCC shooting, Union built leads of 10 points and took a 34-25 lead at halftime.
Still down 51-47 after three quarters, the Blue Devils pulled even 54-54 midway through the fourth quarter only to fall back 61-56 and it took a field goal from D.Q. Guillory and two from sister D.J. Guillory to give KCKCC a 62-61 lead with 26 seconds left. One of two free throws by Union’s Aliyah Williams tied it at 62-all and force overtime when D.Q. Guillory missed on two free throws with seven seconds left.
KCKCC led three times in the final four minutes of overtime. D.Q. Guillory’s layup gave KCKCC a 64-62 lead and two Jewell Hart field goals and a free throw twice put the Blue Devils in front at 66-63 and 69-67. The Owls got back even on a layup by reserve Saja Alston with 17 seconds left, then won it with 11 seconds remaining on two Alston free throws after the Blue Devils’ 29th turnover.
Aliyah Myers had 21 points and Jewel Hart her first college double-double of 17 points and a game high 13 rebounds to lead KCKCC. D.Q. Guillory added nine points, Ikla Elam seven points and seven rebounds, D.J. Guillory six assists and seven rebounds and Tiaira Earnest five points and six rebounds.
KCKCC won the rebound battle 58-44 but were just 14-of-28 from the foul line and 25-of-72 from the field (.347). The Owls shot 37.1 percent and turned the ball over 22 times.