by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC
If breaks really do even out over the course of a year, Kansas City Kansas Community College’s snake-bitten men’s basketball team has a bunch coming their way.
Spenser Wine’s desperation 3-point field goal with two-tenths of a second left Tuesday night gave Washburn University’s junior varsity a 78-77 win, the third KCKCC buzzer-beating loss in the last 11 months.
Nationally ranked North Alabama won on a desperation 3-pointer from mid-court Dec. 1 and Fort Scott ended KCKCC’s playoff hopes last March with a 3-pointer that video later showed should not have counted.
The win boosted Washburn’s record to 6-5 while the loss sends the Blue Devils (5-13) out on the road for their next three games – at Saint Mary junior varsity in Leavenworth Friday at 7 p.m., at North Central Missouri in Trenton Monday at 7 p.m. and the Jayhawk Conference opener at Johnson County Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.
Trailing by as many as 11 points in the first half, the Blue Devils fought their way into a see-saw battle that had eight ties and 10 lead changes in a furiously fought second half.
Solomon Thomas forged the eighth tie 73-73 with a short range jump shot with 1:14 left and Sterling Hicks gave KCKCC its biggest lead 77-73 on a clutch 3-pointer from the corner with 39.5 seconds remaining and a free throw with 21 seconds to go.
However, Washburn’s Jacob Dickey scored from short range after an offensive rebound with nine seconds left and after two KCKCC missed free throws with four seconds to go, the Ichabods got the ball to Wine who put up a closely guarded desperation heave from in front of the Washburn bench for the game-winner. The trey was the third in seven attempts for Wine, who had nine points.
Hicks and Juvan Davenport led KCKCC in scoring with 21 points while Solomon Thomas added 13 and Arother Ratliff second. Davenport also led n rebounds with eight with Thomas and Tyson Beringer adding seven each. In addition, Thomas led in assists with four while Beringer had four blocked shots.
The game was ultimately decided by 3-point goals. The Ichabods made 11-of-25 for 44 percent; the Blue Devils just 3-of-15 for 20 percent.
The Blue Devils also converted 22-of-31 free threes to 9-of-14 for Washburn but missed their last three attempts from the charity stripe. A.J. Pleasant led Washburn with 25 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists.