Category: KCKCC

KCKCC women cruise 92-58, to be in semifinal playoff next week

by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC sports information

Kansas City Kansas Community College’s women will have a first round bye and hold an NJCAA Region VI semifinal playoff game. That was confirmed by the Blue Devils’ 92-58 win at Fort Scott Wednesday.

The win sets up a probable rematch for the No. 5 ranked Blue Devils against No. 7 ranked and defending Region VI champion Labette next Wednesday night. The two teams collided last Saturday with KCKCC handing the Cardinals their first loss in 22 games 77-70.

The Region VI playoffs begin Monday with Labette (3-2) as host to Hesston (1-9) and Fort Scott (3-5) entertaining Highland (2-6).

The Labette- Hesston winner will play at KCKCC and No. 1 ranked Johnson County (8-0) will play the Fort Scott-Highland winner in Wednesday’s semifinals. The championship game will be played the following Saturday at Friends University in Wichita.

Six Blue Devils scored eight or more points as they won their fifth game in a row, Ranked No. 5 nationally, the win improved the KCKCC record to 18-2.

“Very happy with tonight’s outcome,” KCKCC coach Joe McKinstrysaid. “Although we beat them handily the first time we played, I know playing on their court wouldn’t be easy. Our team gave a solid effort all night.”

Aliyah Myers had 19 points and three assists and Tiaira Earnest 18 points, seven rebounds and four assists to lead the way. Ikla Elam added 14 points and DQ Guillory 12 and both had five rebounds while DJ Guillory chipped in with nine points and Trinity McDow masking her first start eight and three assists.

“Tiaria’s stat line is pretty impressive across the board and Aliyah was solid for us as she’s been most of the year,” McKinstry said. “Aliyah finishes the regular season with the third most assists in the country (101) and first in the country in steals (69). She’s been tremendous all season for us.”

The game marked the debut of 6-1 freshman forward Jewell Hart of Truman High School.

“It’s been over a year since she last played competitively in dealing with a knee and a shoulder injury,” McKinstry said. “She has some rust to shake off but it was great to see her on the floor.

“Now we’ve got six days to get ourselves prepared and I’m excited for this group to have the opportunity to host a semifinal game in our home gym.”

In other final season games, unbeaten JCCC got its 18th straight win 64-58 at Labette while Hesston posted its first win, defeating Highland 58-44 at Highland.

Six home runs power Blue Devil sweep of Coffeyville

by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC sports information

Unleashing the biggest long ball attack of the season, Kansas City Kansas Community College needed just 11 innings to sweep a Jayhawk Conference doubleheader from Coffeyville Tuesday.

The Blue Devils belted four home runs in a 13-5 6-inning opener and added two more in a 14-1 win in the 5-inning nightcap. The wins came on the heels of 3-0 and 6-2 wins over Fort Scott on Monday and boosted the Blue Devils’ Jayhawk record to 4-4 and 20-6 overall.

KCKCC resumes conference play at Hesston Thursday before returning home against Metropolitan Saturday at 1 and 3 p.m.

Savannah Maynard, Hannah Maurer, Alaina Howe and Alexis Rymer all homered in the 13-5 win over Coffeyville. Maynard also doubled and drove in two runs; Lindsey Gettle tripled and singled; and Bradi Basler doubled and singles.

KCKCC used four pitchers in the win. The Red Ravens rapped two home runs off starter Breanna Droge in the first two innings before Samantha Reynolds closed out the second inning. Nerida Elson was touched for five hits and two earned runs in two innings before Basler finished, allowing no hits and striking out four in two innings.

Basler then got the win in the 14-1 nightcap, scattering five hits and striking out three in five innings. She walked none and also belted a 3-run home run. Gettle led the offense with a home run and two doubles and five RBIs while Devin Purcell singled twice.

Droge allowed just three hits and struck out four in shutting out Fort Scott 3-0 Monday. Jenna Daugherty homered and singled to pace the KCKCC offense.

Basler drove in three runs with a home run and single in the 6-2 nightcap and got the pitching win. She allowed two runs on seven hits, striking out three and walking one in 4.2 innings, Samantha Reynolds got a 2.1 inning save, allowing just two hits and fanning two after coming on with two out in the fifth inning. Maynard doubled twice and Gettle singled twice for the Blue Devils.

Experienced KCKCC women’s soccer team to open Friday

by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC sports information

It’s been a year and a half since soccer has been played at Kansas City Kansas Community College.

“Just happy to be back playing,” said Shawn Uhlenhake, the fifth-year women’s soccer coach at KCKCC. He’s even happier with the return of 11 sophomores from the best women’s team in college history. The opener comes at Cowley College April 2.

The 2019 Blue Devils won more game (13), had the best record (13-4), scored more goals (64) and had their highest Jayhawk Conference finish (second) than any women’s team ever at KCKCC.

From that team, the Blue Devils return six of their top seven scorers, a national leader in assists and a defense that allowed only 27 goals in 17 games.

“It’s a competitive group that likes each other,” Uhlenhake said. “Going through the nightmarish year we had last year with the pandemic and not knowing where we were going or what we were going to do, I think this team has grown closer and bonded together. They’ve come to practice and worked hard and they’re excited to compete.”

Uhlenhake expects great leadership from a quintet of forwards Corrine Hughes of Grain Valley and Melissa Siegel of Germany, midfielder Kayley Pedersen of Shawnee Mission West and defenders Katrina Sargent of Shawnee Mission South and Paige Liston of Wichita.

“They are the foundation of this team,” he said.

Hughes led the Blue Devils in scoring with 13 goals; Siegel had 10 but more important, she was fifth in the nation in assists with 21 while playing both the forward and midfield spots.

Madison Broeker of Lincoln, Nebraska, added eight goals, Pedersen six and Sargent and Jaidyn Yingling of Topeka Seaman four each.

Hughes, Siegel and Broeker will be joined at the forward spots by Katharina Oelschlager, a promising freshman from Germany, Mackenzie Denham and Sophie Sadrakola.

Pedersen, who was second in assists in 2019, will anchor a midfield that likely will include Siegel, sophomore Kennia Acuna and freshmen Grace Runyan, Piper Newell and Kaylee Shaw.

“Kayley Pedersen is the anchor of our midfield; she covers so much space,” Uhlenhake said. “She’s the ideal player for our new players to look up to as far as midfield play. No one works harder.”

A defense that had six shutouts and allowed only one goal in three other contests in 2019 will be built around veterans Katrina Sargent, Paige Liston, Jaidyn Yingling, Caroline Rutledge of Mill Valley and Hayley Coates of Shawnee Mission Northwest and newcomer Sammy Wojahn.

Veteran Lilly Kremer of St. Pius, who Uhlenhake calls an “exceptional teammate,” and freshman Suzie Lopez will be in goal along with multi-sport Mia Tomasic, who will join the squad after the conclusion of the volleyball season.

The Blue Devils will play only Jayhawk Conference rivals in what Uhlenhake calls a “meat grinder” of a schedule that opens at Cowley College Friday, April 2.

Playing four games in the first eight days of the season, KCKCC will also go to Neosho County April 5 before returning home to face Butler County April 7 and Dodge City April 10.

The Blue Devils will play home-and-home contests with East rivals Johnson County, Neosho, Coffeyville and Butler and single games against West rivals Cowley, Hutchinson, Barton County, Garden City and Dodge City.