by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC
With an 85-72 win over Wentworth Military Academy safely tucked away, coach Kelley Newton’s focus turned to the week that lays ahead for his Kansas City Kansas Community College men’s basketball team.
“We’ve got our hands full,” said Newton, whose Blue Devils open Jayhawk Conference play at Highland Wednesday night and entertain No. 2 ranked Johnson County Saturday afternoon. “Two really tough games against two of the top three teams statistically and record-wise that we play. Highland is big, athletic and really pushes the ball up the floor and easily could be ranked while Johnson is clearly the conference favorite. But we’ll keep our approach the same, one game at a time.”
Shooting 53.1 percent from the field, the Blue Devils raced to a 45-29 halftime lead against Wentworth. Their fourth straight win, they boosted their overall mark to 11-6.
Five Blue Devils scored in double figures with sophomores Joe Lendway and Dehaven Talley leading the way. Hitting 9-of-11 shots, Lendway had a game high 20 points, six rebounds and three assists in just 17 minutes while Talley had 17 points and three assists.
“It was good to see Joe really aggressive early and often and Dehaven had a good bounce back from the Penn Valley game,” Newton said.
Freshmen Kellan Turner and Xavier Gaona each added 13 points and Johnathan Murray 10 for the Blue Devils while Lashawn Lewis led the rebounding with seven in just 14 minutes. Turner led in assists with six while Trevor Young, Talley and Lendway had three apiece.
“We’re still learning and showing signs of being a good team but still have a long ways to go,” Newton said. “But it’s definitely a step in the right direction.”
Alan Hoskins is the sports information director at KCKCC.