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KCKCC’s 95th annual candle lighting ceremony to be Dec. 4

by Kelly Rogge, KCKCC

Plans are underway for Kansas City Kansas Community College’s oldest tradition – the 95th annual Candle Lighting Ceremony.

The 95th Annual Candle Lighting Ceremony is at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 4, in the KCKCC Performing Arts Center on the main campus, 7250 State Ave.

The ceremony will highlight students in the KCKCC Music Department and Theatre Department as well as KCKCC Foundation Scholarship Donors and Recipients.

Among the groups performing will be the Vocal Jazz Ensemble, Funk Band and The Standard Jazz Choir as well as the Intercultural Holiday Showcase presented by the KCKCC Intercultural Center.

The Candle Lighting Ceremony is free and open to the public.

Faculty have been asked to consider excusing students, so that they may attend the Candle Lighting Ceremony, as long as it can be done with minimal disruption to classroom instruction, according to a spokesman. In addition, faculty have been asked to make allowances for students who may come to noon classes late as a result of attending the ceremony. Students will need to present a program as evidence of their attendance.

“This year will mark the 95th anniversary for the KCKCC Candle Lighting program,” said Andrica Wilcoxen, director of student activities at KCKCC. “This is the longest tradition in the city, and the event showcases the many talents from the past to present of our KCKCC alums and students. This event helps our community, staff, faculty and students to directly see the talent and why it is so important to give towards scholarships. Many students are affected in a positive way because of the monies given to help them develop their talents and education to the next level. We are so grateful for our current and future donors.”

KCKCC faculty members started the Candle Lighting Ceremony in December 1924, the year after KCKCC was founded.

It remains the oldest tradition at KCKCC and serves as an opportunity for students, staff and faculty to celebrate the upcoming holiday season. During that first year, a collection was taken to fund student scholarships.

This tradition has continued and over the years, more than $10,000 has been collected for student scholarships at KCKCC.

The current KCKCC Student Senate will continue this tradition by presenting a scholarship check to the KCKCC Foundation at the ceremony. Their motto is “from the students to the students.”

“It is often said that KCKCC is a ‘hidden jewel’ in our area. Attending the event will show first-hand the talent and the reason of why it is important to become a donor, as well as for current donors to see how their donations are being used,” Wilcoxen said. “We just don’t want to be a ‘hidden jewel.’ We want people to know we are the ‘jewel’ of the Dotte.”

KCKCC alumni and community members will be given the opportunity to give free will donations to support our KCKCC student scholarship fund. There are and have been many students who have benefited from the scholarship fund, which would not be possible without the community and alumni.

For more information about the 95th Candle Lighting Ceremony, contact Andrica Wilcoxen at 913-288-7652 or [email protected].

Metropolitan holds off late KCKCC charge in 77-75 heartbreaker

KCKCC trainer Jordan Williams applied an ice pack to the leg of Sevon Witt after he crashed hard to the floor at Penn Valley Wednesday. Averaging 22.2 points and 11.6 rebounds, Witt missed the final 34 minutes in KCKCC’s 77-75 loss. (KCKCC photo by Alan Hoskins)

by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC

Over the years, Kansas City Kansas and Metropolitan Community Colleges have staged some of the wildest and most memorable finishes ever and Wednesday’s clash at Penn Valley was no different.

Despite playing the final 34 minutes without their biggest offensive weapon, the Blue Devils took the Wolves right down to the final second before dropping a 77-75 heartbreaker.

Trailing by as many as 10 points in the second half, the Blue Devils tied the game for the fifth time 66-66 with 5:19 left – but never could get the lead down the stretch. Two Kelechi Asuzu field goals put Metropolitan in front 70-66 but a Robert Rhodes rebound goal and a 3-pointer by Deron McDaniel kept KCKCC close at 72-71.

The Wolves twice rebuilt leads of 76-71 and 77-73 but a field goal by McDaniel and two Jermaine Yarbough free throws cut the KCKCC deficit to 77-75 with 23.5 seconds remaining. Given a chance for a win or tie when Metropolitan’s Alex Herndon missed a free throw with 18.6 seconds left, a pass deflection kept the Blue Devils from getting off a final shot.

“We set up to get a play in the post but couldn’t get the pass in,” KCKCC coach Brandon Burgette said.

The big comeback came with leading scorer and rebounder Sevon Witt on the bench with a leg injury suffered when he crashed hard on the floor and slid 20 feet to a back wall in attempting to block a breakaway shot with 14:19 left in the first half. Witt came into the game averaging a double-double with 22.2 points and 11.6 rebounds a game. He had started the game with two field goals including a thunderous dunk and a blocked shot.

“A big factor,” Burgette said. “Losing 22 points and 11 rebounds was a real big factor.”

Yarbough, Rhodes and McDaniel picked up much of the KCKCC offense after the injury. Yarbough had a near double-double with 15 points and 9 rebounds; Rhodes was 8-of-12 with four rebounds and a career high 16 points; and McDaniel scored 14 points including four (4-of-9) of KCKCC’s seven 3-pointers. Jalen Daniels added eight points, Ezekiel Lopes six and Calvin Slaughter five.

KCKCC had an edge in both shooting and rebounding. The Blue Devils were 31-of-65 for 47.7 percent from the field to .423 (30-of-71) for Metropolitan, and had a 37-32 edge on the boards.

“Overall, I think we played better,” Burgette said. “We just have to improve defensively. We’re not stopping people from scoring. And they got a lot of offensive rebounds which they converted into 13 second chance points.”

The Blue Devils (1-6) are right back on the road Friday when they play at Southwestern in Creston, Iowa. KCKCC also will compete in the Mineral Area Classic in Park Hills, Missouri, during Thanksgiving Week, facing Highland (Illinois) on Friday and Mineral Area on Saturday.

“We have a lot of basketball left; we just have to keep playing,” Burgette said.

KCKCC sophomore Cody Dortch ran into a sizeable roadblock in Metropolitan’s Arinze Mgbermena in the Blue Devils’ 77-75 loss Wednesday. KCKCC’s Tim Barbieri readied for a rebound. (KCKCC photo by Alan Hoskins)

Big Estell finish lets Lady Blue Devils escape No. 16 Metropolitan

Freshman Kamryn Estell went up between two Metropolitan defenders for the field goal that broke a 54-54 tie and propelled KCKCC to a 62-56 win at Penn Valley Wednesday. Estell scored 10 of the Blue Devils’ final 12 points. (KCKCC photo by Alan Hoskins)

by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC

Quite obviously the Fred Pohlman court on the Penn Valley campus of Metropolitan Community College brings out the worst in Kansas City Kansas Community College women’s basketball.

“In my five years playing there, we’re 2-2 and our other win came in overtime,” KCKCC coach Joe McKinstry said after the Blue Devils had escaped the 16th ranked Lady Wolves 62-56 in a down-to-the wire finish Wednesday. Last year, Metropolitan (5-2) dealt KCKCC’s national champions one of their two non-conference defeats.

The win boosted KCKCC’s record to 8-1 heading into a road game against William Penn’s junior varsity in Oskaloosa, Iowa, Friday night. It’s the last Blue Devil game until Dec. 5 when they play host to Washburn junior varsity in their final home game before the holiday break.

The Blue Devils had to overcome the worst 3-point shooting night in KCKCC history and an abundance of bad passes to boost their record to 8-1. Just 2-of-26 from 3-point for a record low 7.7 percent, the Blue Devils also threw the ball away 24 times and it took a heroic performance by freshman Kamryn Estell to salvage the win.

A 6-1 post out of Belton, Estell scored 10 of KCKCC’s final 12 points including the last six after Metropolitan had tied the game 54-54 with three minutes to go.

Her layup and two clutch free throws by Destiny Zamusio gave KCKCC a 58-54 lead with 2:13 left. Twice the Blue Devils survived turnovers before the Wolves’ Madison Mueller made it 58-56 with 43.5 seconds to go and it took another Estell layup with 26.2 seconds left and two throws at the finish to save it.

“To make 2-of-26 2-pointers and have 24 turnovers, 15 in the second half, speaks to the toughness and resiliency of this team,” McKinstry said. “Also, their No. 1 (Kianna Lane) came into the game averaging 20 points and she had seven points and 1-of-14 shooting. So we did a good job on her. But overall we were not very good. Poor passing execution and decision making. We’ve got to do a better job of making shots. We need to get in the gym and work on our shooting.”

The Blue Devils finished with 35.6 percent shooting but take away the 2-for-26 from 3-point, they were 19-of-33 (.633) from the field. Fortunately, Metropolitan also shot poorly – 21-of-67 for 31.3 percent including just 2-of-29 from 3-point (.105).

Estell finished with game highs of 21 points and eight rebounds. She was 7-of-8 from the foul line as the Blue Devils won it with a sizzling 18-of-21 (.857) on free throws. Freshman Alieyya Jones, who helped KCKCC build a big lead in the middle two quarters, added 13 points and 7 rebounds before injuring a leg ln the fourth quarter. Alijah Myers and Zamudio each had six points and Tairia Earnest and Jana Mayberry five apiece while Mercer Roberts had six rebounds.

KCKCC got off to a horrible start, making only one of its first 12 shots in falling behind 15-5. But a 10-1 run closed the gap to 16-15 at the quarter and a 22-9 second period pushed the lead to 37-25 at halftime. The Blue Devils built their biggest lead at 40-27 midway through the third quarter only to hand most of it back.

Capitalizing on four straight turnovers, the Wolves went on a 12-2 run to close their deficit to 42-39 and set up a highly competitive fourth quarter. Three times Metropolitan got within two points but two field goals each by Jones and Estell kept KCKCC in front before Estell gave the Blue Devils the lead for good with 3:00 left.