Category: KCKCC

Lady Blue Devils roll 94-44 as highest scoring team in nation

Metropolitan’s Arrianna Smith could only wave goodbye as KCKCC’s Aliayh Myers put up a shot in the Blue Devils’ 94-44 win Tuesday. Myers had game highs of 19 points, six rebounds and eight assists. (KCKCC photo by Alan Hoskins)

by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC sports information

The beat goes on for Kansas City Kansas Community College’s high-geared women’s basketball team.

The highest scoring NJCAA Division II team in the nation, the unbeaten and No. 6 ranked Blue Devils literally raced to a 94-44 win over Metropolitan Community College Tuesday night.

It was the seventh straight win for KCKCC, which leads the nation in total points, field goals and games played and is second in scoring average (87.7) and steals and third in assists. In all, KCKCC ranks in the Top 10 in 11 categories.

The Blue Devils never trailed Metropolitan in scoring 90 or more points for the fourth time this season.

Capitalizing on 38 Wolves turnovers, the Blue Devils time and again beat Metro’s defense down the floor for layups. Leading 24-10 after one quarter and 42-21 at the half in which reserves combined for 20 points, KCKCC poured in 34 points in the third quarter in shooting 63.2 percent.

Eleven Blue Devils scored, eight with seven or more points. Aliyah Myers led the way with 19 points, 13 in the first half; six rebounds and eight assists, all game highs.

Tiaira Earnest and DeQuaria Guillory added 12 points each, Ikla Elam and Trinity McDow 9, Mercer Roberts 8 and Faith Putz and Lacy Whitcomb 7. De’Jaria Guillory led in steals with six; Earnest in assists with four.

“Obvious Aliyah Myers was fantastic the first half,” KCKCC coach Joe McKinstry said. “Leading the nation in steals coming into the game, she was credited with only one but she does so much more than she’s credited for. She is our motor and gets us going.

“But we had some other good performance. De’Jaria Guillory gave us a huge energy boost when she got in the first quarter and jump-started us with six steals. Ikla Elam gave us big boost in the second quarter. And while we don’t have a dominant post player, our what I call a ‘three-headed’ monster of Mercer Roberts, Trinity McDow and Elam gave us 26 points and 11 rebounds from the post position. It’s great to have their depth and they all bring something different to the table.”

McKinstry was equally happy with the defense.

“Forcing 38 turnovers with no full court press, just man-to-man half court was fantastic,” he said. “This is the best guard talent I’ve had.”

Unless McKinstry is able to add another game, the Blue Devils are now idle until a week from Thursday (Feb. 18), a return battle with Metropolitan on the Penn Valley campus.

Surrounded by three Metropolitan defenders, freshman Ikla Elam looked for an escape route in KCKCC’s 94-44 win Tuesday. Elam had nine points and five rebounds in just 10 minutes. (KCKCC photo by Alan Hoskins)

KCKCC gets first volleyball win over Cowley in a decade

by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC sports information

Kansas City Kansas Community College took down another perennial Jayhawk Conference volleyball power Monday, rallying for a 3-1 win over Cowley County in Arkansas City.

“My first victory over Cowley ever,” said a jubilant Mary Bruno-Ballou, who is in her 10th season as Blue Devil head coach. “We’ve played quite a few 5-set matches with them but never come away with a W.” Earlier this season, the Blue Devils posted their first win over Coffeyville in at least a half-dozen years.

The Blue Devils defeated Cowley by becoming from behind. After dropping a 25-23 opening set, the Blue Devils bounced back to go ahead with a pair of 25-22 wins and then wrapped up the match with a decisive 25-17 win.

The win tightened KCKCC’s hold on fourth place (4-2) in the Jayhawk Conference behind co-leaders Johnson County and Neosho County, both 4-0; and Highland, 5-1. Overall, the Blue Devils are 5-3 with all three losses to ranked teams – No. 6 JCCC, No. 12 Neosho and No. 15 Lincoln Land.

The Blue Devils are home for two more matches this week, against Labette Thursday at 6:30 p.m. and Fort Scott Saturday at noon. Both matches will be streamed on the KCKCC Blue Devil website.

The match was highlighted by duels between four national leaders. KCKCC’S Cassidy Crist, who leads the NJCAA DII in kills, had 15 while national assist leader Adriana Velez had 40. Crist took a 120-103 lead in kills over runneup Iva Halacheva of Cowley into the match; Velez led Cowley’s Gracie Story 250-227 for the national lead in assists. Halacheva had 15 kills, Story 42 assists Monday.

The two Blue Devil sophomores got plenty of help from Michelle Dvorak, who had 11 kills; Mia Tomasic, 8 kills; and Justice Davis, 6 kills.

“We played excellent as a group; 11 blocks as a team,” Bruno-Ballou said. “The girls are having fun playing and it’s showing. The greatest group of kids around. Our bench brings so much energy and enthusiasm. We aren’t the team we are without them.”

While unranked in the national poll, only one Top 20 team has more wins than KCKCC’s five.

“With two national leaders, it’s odd we’re not ranked because we are playing excellent volleyball and working hard,” Bruno-Ballou said.

KCKCC volleyball leads nation in assists, second in kills

by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC sports information

Kansas City Kansas Community College’s busy volleyball team got off to good starts in a pair of Jayhawk Conference matches over the weekend but could only come away with a split.

The Blue Devils won impressively 3-1 at Allen County on Thursday but suffered a 3-1 home loss to league-leading Neosho County Saturday. The loss left the Blue Devils in fourth place in the Jayhawk at 3-2 and 4-3 overall heading into another big week.

After Cowley College for a triangular with Semon Monday at 4 p.m., the Blue Devils are back home Thursday against Labette at 6:30 p.m. and Saturday against Fort Scott at noon. Both home contests are open to spectators and are streamed on the KCKCC Blue Devil website.

“It simply comes down to us controlling our unforced errors,” KCKCC coach Mary Bruno-Ballou said. “We are right on the cusp of being a great team and when we get those things fixed, we can compete with anyone. We are battling a few injuries but still finding way to persevere.”

The Blue Devils rank first nationally in assists and second in kills but they’re also first in service errors and sixth in errors.

The Blue Devils lead the nation in matches played with four more this week.

“Our schedule right now is fast and furious and we are competitive,” Bruno-Ballou said. “We need to fine tune a couple things on our part and get ready for Cowley on Monday.”

The Blue Devils jumped in front 25-17, 25-23 at Allen County, dropped the third set 25-16 but rebounded to close out the match with a 25-19 win. Cassidy Crist, who leads the nation in kills, had 19 and nine digs; sophomore teammate Mia Tomasic 14 kills and 10 digs; and Michelle Dvorak nine kills to lead the way. Sophomore Adriana Velez had 32 assists and 10 digs and freshman Kelcey Hund 17 digs.

KCKCC also took the opening match against Neosho, coming back from match point 23-24 for a 26-24 in a match in which neither team led by more than two points most of the way. However, Neosho swept the next three sets, grabbing early leads in winning 25-16, 25-15, 25-14. The win kept Neosho (4-1) tied with Johnson County for the Jayhawk lead, both at 4-0.

Tomasic had 14 kills and 10 digs, Crist 11 kills and 6 digs, Velez 32 assists and 10 digs; and Hund 17 digs.