Category: KCKCC

Blue Devils at home against Labette in softball action Saturday

by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC sports information

For the second time in three seasons, Kansas City Kansas Community College has won more than 30 games.

Improving to 31-7 with wins in 15 of their last 16 games, the Blue Devils of coach Lana Ross stretched their current winning streak to seven in a row with 9-5 and 8-1 wins at Fort Scott Thursday after sweeping Allen County 7-1 and 13-4 on Tuesday.

The wins set up a huge home doubleheader between two nationally ranked teams Saturday. No. 11 ranked Labette (13-1) leads the Jayhawk Conference Division A; No. 12 KCKCC (12-4) is second. The games are at 1 and 3 p.m. The Cardinals (13-1) swept the Blue Devils 10-2 and 5-2 earlier in the season. KCKCC and Johnson County (10-4) are Labette’s only challengers.

Sophomore Bradi Basler (15-3) of Lansing and freshman Breanna Droge (11-4) each got two pitching wins in the four games. Basler gave up five hits and one run, walking one and striking out six in KCKCC’s 8-1 at Fort Scott.

Against Allen County, Basler had a shutout through four innings before giving up five runs in the fifth inning in the 13-5 win. She allowed seven hits, striking out seven and walking one.

Droge had a shutout until the seventh inning in the 7-1 win over Allen County. She allowed five hits, two walks and fanned six. She was backed by two hits each by Savannah Maynard and Jenna Daugherty.

Droge also blanked Fort Scott for three innings before giving up five runs on five hits, walking two and striking out eight. Samantha Reynolds and Nerida Elson worked in relief before Basler finished up.

Alexis Rymer homered, doubled and singled and drove in three runs and Alaina Howe drove in five with a pair of hits and stole two bases in the 13-5 nightcap win. Basler also homered and singled and Madison Pope doubled and singled.

KCKCC jumped out to a 3-0 lead but needed four runs in the fifth to cement the 9-5 first game win at Fort Scott. Jenna Daugherty had three singles and two stolen bases while Lindsey Gettle and Basler each had a double and single and run batted in.

The Blue Devils trailed 1-0 before scoring three times in the fifth in the 8-1 win at Fort Scott. Basler belted her sixth home run of the season, singled and drove in three runs; Gettle singled three times, Devin Purcell doubled and singled; and Pope singled twice.

Six games are on tap for the Blue Devils next week starting Tuesday at Crowder, the No. 19 ranked team in Division I. They go to Cloud County in Concordia Thursday and then return home Saturday to entertain Neosho at 1 and 3 p.m.

Wife’s advice helps McKinstry, Blue Devils reach national tourney

No. 3-seeded KCKCC to face old rival Union County Tuesday at 8 a.m.

Advice from Carleigh McKinstry to husband Joe McKinstry helped KCKCC defeat Johnson County 67-59 in the Region VI championship game and gain a national tournament berth for the third time in six seasons. (KCKCC photo)

by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC sports information

Kansas City Kansas Community College will go into the NJCAA Division II national women’s basketball tournament as the No. 3 seed – thanks in no small part to Carleigh McKinstry.

“All the credit goes to my wife for our offensive game plan against Johnson County,” said KCKCC coach Joe McKinstry, whose Blue Devils will be seeking their third national championship in six years.

As the No. 3 seed, the Blue Devil women (20-2) will face an old rival in opening round play in the national tournament. Union County out of New Jersey, the team the Blue Devils defeated 84-59 in the 2019 championship game, will be the opening foe on Tuesday, April 20, on the campus of Catawba Valley Community College in Hickory, North Carolina, an hour northwest of Charlotte. Tipoff is at 8 a.m. (CDT) and the game will be streamed on the NJCAA network at a fee.

KCKCC returns to the national tournament for the third time thanks to a 67-59 win over No. 1 ranked and unbeaten Johnson County Saturday in Wichita. It was McKinstry’s 150th win against 40 losses in his six years at KCKCC – with an assist from wife Carleigh.

“It was after our game at State Fair and my wife was saying how impressed she was with Ilka Elam scoring 24 points and grabbing 12 rebounds,” McKinstry said. “I said that it was possible because State Fair played a zone defense and Ilka did not have to worry about plays, she just had to post up and be strong. My wife said that Johnson County plays a zone. I was sitting in a DQ in Sedalia and it hit me, she’s right. We ran a zone offense Johnson hadn’t seen and we killed it.”

Ironically, KCKCC and JCCC could meet for a fourth time – in the championship game April 24. For the first time, an at-large berth was made available for the tournament because of the withdrawal of one region because of the COVID-19 pandemic. As the No. 1 ranked team, JCCC was the obvious choice. Had KCKCC lost the title game, the No. 5 ranked Blue Devils would have been the most likely pick for the at-large berth because all the teams ranked ahead of them qualified for the national.

Union County will bring a four-game winning streak and 13-3 record into the national tourney. The Owls, who played just four conference games (3-1), are led by guards Samira Sargent (14.9 points a game) and Brianna Mills (11.8). Averaging 75.6 points a game, the Owls are sixth in the nation in both rebounds (47.5) and assists (19.1).

“They’re athletic with some size,” McKinstry said. “In the 2019 tournament, they were seeded No. 9 and they upset the No. 8 and No. 1 seeds so they’ve been in this position before.”

The Blue Devils are also led in scoring by a pair of guard, Tiaira Earnest (14.3) and Aliyah Myers (13.5), but will be without their second leading scorer, Hannah Valentine (13.6), who suffered a season-ending leg injury in the 15th game of the season.

However, they’ve added 6-1 freshman forward Jewell Hart, who scored 10 and 12 points in regional tournament wins over Labette and JCCC. Sidelined by an injury most of the season, the Truman High School grad has played just four games.

“I’m sure Jewell was a little motivated against JCCC,” McKinstry said. “She was recruited by Johnson County but because of injury, was not offered a scholarship.”

Balanced scoring, as usual, is the Blue Devil strength. Other scoring leaders are Faith Putz, 8.8 points; D.Q. Guillory, 8.3; Ikla Elam, 7.6; D.J. Guillory, 7.5; Mercer Roberts, 5.8; Lacy Whitcomb, 5.1; Trinity McDow, 4.2; and Aysia Arrowood, 2.6.

As a team, the Blue Devils are sixth in the nation in scoring (80.9), sixth in 3-point goals per game (8.0) and seventh in assists (14.9).

KCKCC women rally for fifth win in row at JCCC, 4-1

by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC sports information

Trailing for the first time this year, Kansas City Kansas Community College’s unbeaten women’s soccer team charged from behind for a 4-1 win at arch-rival Johnson County Wednesday.

It was the fifth straight win for the Blue Devils and kept them firmly entrenched atop the Jayhawk DI Conference standings ahead of Barton County (3-0-1), Cowley (3-1-1) and Hutchinson (2-1-2). Ranked No. 12 in the latest NJCAA DI poll, the Blue Devils return home Saturday for a noon kickoff against Garden City and Wednesday against Coffeyville (5 p.m.)

Freshman Katharina Oelschlager had two goals and an assist to lead the Blue Devils, who trailed 1-0 well into the first half.

Oelschlager’s first goal on an assist from freshman Kaylee Shaw pulled the Blue Devils even and her second just before halftime on an assist from sophomore Jaidyn Yingling put the Blue Devils ahead to stay. KCKCC’s second-half goals came on an unassisted kick by sophomore Melissa Siegel and a Madi Broeker score on an assist from Oelschlager.

The Cavaliers’ first-half goal was only the second of the season given up by freshman Susie Lopez, a freshman from Turner. The loss was JCCC’s first in three games.

“The second goal before half was something I felt changed the game,” KCKCC coach Shawn Uhlenhake said. “I felt Johnson County had the better of us the first 30 minutes, leading 1-0 and making it difficult for us to find our attacking players. We were fortunate to string a couple of passes together and find the back of the net before halftime.

“The second half we had some really dangerous opportunities and fortunately we converted a couple of those chances. It was really a good test – and happy to leave with a win. We still have some work to do but we learned a lot today.”