by Alan Hoskins
A return to the friendly confines of the Kansas City Kansas Community College Field House was just what the Blue Devils needed Saturday.
Coming off two narrow back-to-back road losses that went right down to the wire, the Blue Devils turned in their best shooting performance of the season in an 83-56 win over Whiteman Air Force Base.
“We needed that,” said KCKCC coach Kelley Newton.
The Blue Devils are right back home Tuesday against their toughest test to date. Ranked No. 23 in NJCAA Division I, Iowa Western will bring a 7-0 record into the 7 p.m. tipoff.
However, a scheduled 5 p.m. women’s game with Westminster JV has been postponed and is yet to be rescheduled.
Leading Whiteman 26-20 midway through the first half, KCKCC surged to a 48-32 halftime lead and stayed comfortably in front the rest of the way with 53 percent shooting (36-of-66) and a 44-24 domination of the rebounding.
Sophomore Joe Lendway had a season high 19 points and freshman Mike Lee 17 points, six assists and five steals to lead the Blue Devils.
Frosh Jonathan Murray added 12 points in a balanced attack that also included nine points form Xavier Gaona and eight from Kellen Turner. Gaona led the rebounding with nine while Murray added seven and Lendway six.
The win came after a 72-68 loss at Allen County Tuesday and a 79-76 setback at North Central Missouri in Trenton on Thursday.
Four Blue Devils scored in double figures at North Central. Lee and Lendway had 18 points each, Turner 14 and Gaona 10 for the Blue Devils, who were just 25-of-70 for 35.7 percent compared to 43.6 percent for the Pirates. Lendway and Murray led the rebounding with seven each.
Alan Hoskins is the sports information director at KCKCC.