Category: KCKCC

Roberts’ best helps KCKCC end 22-game Labette win streak

by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC sports information

Officially, it was Sophomore Night for Kansas City Kansas Community College’s No. 5 ranked women’s basketball team Saturday. In reality, it was Mercer Roberts Night.

The 5-11 sophomore from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, scored the first 12 Blue Devil points in the second half to help build a 19-point lead on the way to a 77-70 upset of previously unbeaten Labette.

The win, KCKCC’s biggest of the season, ended Labette’s 22-game winning streak dating back to last season, and put the Blue Devils (6-2) in position to clinch a first round bye in the Region VI playoffs beginning April 5. KCKCC (17-2) closes out regular season play at Fort Scott Wednesday.

Roberts, who had not scored more than 10 points in any game this season and was averaging 5.9 points and 4.3 rebounds, exceeded her all-time best in less than five minutes.

She started the second half with back-to-back 3-pointers and then scored three straight layups for a 49-30 lead. She finished with a team high 19 points (7-10), seven rebounds and two assists.

As it turned out, the 19-point lead was barely enough. The Cardinals made repeated runs at catching up. Aliyah Myers’ 3-pointer stemmed one charge; Roberts’ layup stemmed another but it took four clutch free throws by D.J. Guillory and key rebounds by Ikla Elam, Guillory and Roberts to hold on.

Labette closed to 70-66 before Guillory made two free throws with 29 seconds left and then added two more after the Cardinals had closed to 73-70 with 18 seconds remaining.

Three Blue Devils joined Roberts in double figures. Guillory had 14 points and seven rebounds, Tiaira Earnest 13 points and three assists; and Elam 11 points and seven rebounds against a lanky Labette roster of seven 6-footers.

However, it was the smaller Blue Devils who won the rebound battle 46-43. Paramount to the win was also the play of Aliyah Myers, who had eight assists and six steals in her final regular season game.

“Mercer Roberts played best game of her life,” KCKCC coach Joe McKinstry said. “We’ve known she’s not just capable of making threes but that she can impact the game in other ways and today we saw that. Ikia Elam gave us a huge lift as the equalizer we needed around the basket against a team as big as Labette. She was aggressive, battled for rebounds and did a great job with what we needed from her defensively.

“With Hannah Valentine out for the season, we really needed D.J. Guillory to pick up Hannah’s minutes and today she was fantastic. She made plays around the rim, was very active rebounding on both ends and was great defensively as well. If I’m being honest though, everyone who got in contributed for us and had a huge role in this win. Sometimes you just need to prove to yourself of what is possible and I know they are capable of whatever they dedicate themselves to”

Blue Devils get McKinstry first win at Highland

by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC sports information

Joe McKinstry got his first win ever at Highland Wednesday night.

Winless at Highland in each of his first five coaching seasons at Kansas City Kansas Community College and 0-6 all-time, McKinstry finally broke the spell with a 10-2 finish in a 65-46 win. A scheduled men’s game was canceled.

It was the third straight win for the Blue Devils and boosted them to 16-2 heading into a home doubleheader with Labette Saturday at 2-4 p.m. The three straight wins came in five days – all on the road. KCKCC won 94-58 at Hesston Saturday and 94-58 at Division I State Fair Monday.

KCKCC led Highland by as many as 19 points (29-10) in the second quarter and 39-22 at halftime only to have the Scotties close the gap with a 20-11 third quarter and 55-54 with 5:25 left.

That’s when the Blue Devils put the hammer down, holding the Scotties to one lone field goal in eight attempts down the stretch.

Freshman Faith Putz provided the final firepower, knocking down a 3-poimter for a 60-54 lead with 3:15 remaining and a clinching layup with 31 seconds to go.

Putz led all scorers with 17 points while Aliyah Myers added 10 and Tiairia Earnest 9 on a trio of 3-pointers; Mercer Roberts chipped in with eight, sisters De’Jaaria and DeQuaria Guillory six each and Ikia Elam five. Myers also had four assists and four steals; Trinity McDow, Earmest and De’Jaria Guillory hauled in six rebounds to give KCKCC a 41-38 board edge.

Every Blue Devil scored in the 76-47 win at Hesston Saturday. Myers had 17 points, Lacy Whitcomb 11, Aysia Arrowood 10 and Putz 8. Myers also led in rebounding with eight; Earnest added seven.

Ikia Elam, a 6-0 freshman from Pontiac, Michigan, had her finest performance in the 94-58 win at State Fair Monday. Knocking down 9-of-12 shots, Elam had career highs of 23 points and 12 rebounds. Myers added 20 points and six assists and Earnest a double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds.

KCKCC’s Basler named Jayhawk softball pitcher of week

Brandi Basler (KCKCC photo)

by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC sports information

Kansas City Kansas Community College sophomore Bradi Basler is the Pitcher of the Week in the Jayhawk Confernce.

A righthander from Lansing, Basler threw a no-hitter in a 5-0 win over Ellsworth last week. She struck out a career-high 11 hitters andalso helped her own cause with four hits and two runs batted in.

Basler has 21 hits in 41 times at bat this season for a .512 batting average. She has four doubles and two triples and driven in 15 runs. On the mound, she owns a 4-1 record with a 4.16 ERA, striking out 32 and walking 19 in 32 innings.

“In the last couple of outings, Bradi has really stepped up her game and it really showed in the no-hitter against Ellsworth,” KCKCC coach Lana Ross said. “She’s worked hard on getting command of her pitches and focusing on each pitch. Her confidence is starting to take over and her success on the mound has also carried over offensively and getting closer to her potential.”