The first national champion in Kansas City Kansas Community College basketball history will be enshrined in the KCKCC Athlete Hall of Fame.
The induction of the 2016 NCAA Division II national women’s champions will come Saturday, Nov. 13, as part of the annual KCKCC Basketball Classic. Ceremonies will follow KCKCC’s women’s game against Metropolitan Community College which will tip off at 4 p.m. The Blue Devil men will entertain Link Year Prep following the induction ceremonies.
Head coach Joe McKinstry said all 14 members of the 2016 squad and assistant coaches Chamissa Anderson and Dawn Adams are expected to attend.
“It’s awesome,” McKinstry said. “Reaching out to all of the girls has been one of the most gratifying and fulfilling experiences I’ve had and to have all of them back in the building is just awesome. It’s been six years since winning the national championship and everyone has gone in different directions so talking to them as adults has been very enjoyable.”
McKinstry said the induction is the icing on a historic season.
“We had so many great memories,” he said. “Winning the regional, the national championship, being recognized by the Senate and House in Topeka, the ring ceremony but it never crossed my mind that we would ever go into the Hall of Fame. It’s such a surprise,”
The national championship came in McKinstry’s first year at KCKCC.
“For those girls coming in and buying into a new coach was a whole new experience and very gratifying.”
The Blue Devils got to the national tournament by winning two of the most memorable games in KCKCC history. First, the Blue Devils trailed No. 4 ranked Highland by 11 points in the fourth quarter of the Region VI semifinals,
Led by Cheyenne North, who scored 25 points and hauled in 15 rebounds, the Blue Devils scored 14 straight points and closed out a 54-50 win on a 20-5 run. Defensively, the Blue Devils forced seven turnovers and gave up only one Highland field goal (1-13) in the final nine minutes.
The win propelled the Blue Devils into the Region VI championship game against unbeaten and No. 1 ranked Johnson County. The game played at Hartman Arena in Lake City came just 22 days after Johnson County had dealt KCKCC a stunning 30-point loss (91-61) at JCCC.
Again, it was the defense that stepped front and center in a 63-56 win that stands as the greatest upset in KCKCC history. During the first 31 minutes, the lead changed hands 18 times and was tied 11 times. JCCC’s last lead (48-47) came with 9:08 remaining. Nursing a 56-55 lead, the Blue Devils gave up only one free throw in the final five minutes.
Arrica Daye, a 5-4 point guard known more for her assists than points, led the way, knocking down 4-of-6 three-pointers in leading all scorers with a career high 17 points. North added 14 points and 11 rebounds and freshman Brooklyn Wagler a game-high 14 rebounds.
“In our game at JCCC, they disrespected Arrica as a scorer, laying off her on perimeter shots,” McKinstry said. “I told her they’d be giving her room and to take the shot.”
Once in the national tournament played at JCCC, the Blue Devils surged to the championship by taking down the No. 1, No. 2, No. 5 and No. 12 seeded teams by an average of a whopping 19 points.
Forcing 28 turnovers, KCKCC ended Waubonsee’ 18-game winning streak 72-53 in the opener. North had a career high 19 rebounds and 20 points in a 78-64 win over No. 5 Owens in KCKCC’s closest game. KCKCC rushed to a 17-4 lead in an 81-59 win over No. 1 seeded Monroe in the semifinals and then won the national title, beating No. 2 Illinois Central by an identical 81-59 score.
All five starters averaged in double figure scoring in the national tournament led by Erin Anderson (15.5) and Wagler (15.3). North added 13.3 points, Sierra Roberts 12.0 and Daye 11.0 while freshman Brie Tauai averaged 8.8 off the bench. North, the tourney’s Most Valuable Player, was joined by Anderson and Wagler on the all-tournament team.
Starting the season with 16 straight wins, the Blue Devils finished 33-3, the second most wins in history. Anderson (15.5) and North (15.4) led four Blue Devils in double digit scoring. Wagler added 11.5 and the 3-point leader, Sierra Roberts, 10.0 points a game. Tauai averaged 9.2 points and Daye 8.5 points and 3.8 assists, An injury kept sophomore Janay Jacobs (4.2) out of the national tournament. Other contributors included Valencia Scott (4.9), Kyliea Jarrett (2.4) and Brooklyn Bockover (1.1).
North became the fifth KCKCC player to earn NJCAA first team All-America honors. She was also the MVP in the Jayhawk Conference where she led in rebounding (10.9) and blocked shots (2.0) and was fourth in scoring (14.4).
“Us winning the national tournament had nothing to do with talent,” North said. “It was everything with how hard Coach Mac pushed us and made us tougher.” To show it was no fluke, the Blue Devils also won the national championship in 2019.