by Tyler Scott, KCKCC sports information director
Overland Park, Kansas – The No. 3 seed KCKCC men’s basketball team and No. 2 seed Johnson County Community College played a defensive-minded game in a low-scoring affair Wednesday night, which ended in a 44-42 loss for the Blue Devils in the KJCCC Region VI Tournament semifinals.
KCKCC’s season comes to an end with a 21-10 overall record, making it their most wins since 2015-2016.
It was a battle early as JCCC was the first to reach 10 points, breaking an 8-8 tie at the 9:08 mark.
Caleb Jones later made two free throws, while Shayon Janloo and Cortez Howlett traded baskets to give the Blue Devils a 14-12 lead roughly six minutes later.
The Blue Devils held on to the lead and took a 21-19 halftime advantage after a free throw from JCCC’s Tymer Jackson.
Both offenses continued to struggle in the second half, while the biggest lead reached just four, points in the period. With 3:34 left in the half the Cavaliers led 41-37 before Jones hit a layup and Joshua Dames connected on a three-pointer to give the team a 42-41 lead at the 1:54 mark.
JCCC then scored three straight points and had a two-point lead with 20 seconds to go.
The Blue Devils had one final possession, but were unable to cash in and the Cavaliers held on for the narrow victory.
Joshua Butler had 11 points for the Blue Devils, while Bryce Johnson added four points and a team-high 12 rebounds.