by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC
Kansas City Kansas Community College’s reign as NJCAA Division II national women’s basketball champion came to an end Tuesday night but not without a whale of a fight against the team ranked No. 2 in the nation.
Labette, the Jayhawk Conference champion and No. 1 regional seed, pulled away in the closing minutes for a 79-68 win in Parsons to advance to the Region VI championship game against Johnson County at the Hutchinson Sports Arena Friday night.
It was the third win by the Cardinals (24-4) over the Lady Blue Devils, who ended the season with a 25-7 record. The 25 wins are the seventh most in a single season and a remarkable record considering only two players returned from last year’s national championship team and only one of them for a half-season.
Labette’s accurate shooting and rebounding proved to be the difference Tuesday. The Cardinals knocked down 31-of-54 shots for 57.4 percent in winning their seventh straight game. The Blue Devils were limited to 20-of-53 for 37.7 percent and out-rebounded 35-22.
But even then the Blue Devils trailed only 63-60 with six minutes to go and had a good look at a tying 3-point shot that misfired and Labette pulled away with an 8-0 run.
“Very proud of our girls,” KCKCC coach Joe McKinstry said. “They played extremely hard and pushed Labette to the very end. We had a few opportunities to hang our heads and let the game get away but we didn’t. We made Labette earn the victory so I can certainly go home a proud coach.”
Freshman Aliyah Myers had an outstanding night to lead the Blue Devils, scoring a game-high 25 points that included five 3-pointers, four rebounds and three steals.
“Aliyah Myers was fantastic tonight,” McKinstry said. “She was extremely aggressive and made some huge shots for us.
“Brodi Byrd and Caroline Hoppock did a great job playing extended minutes and multiple positions and I’ve never seen more teams game plan for one specific person than they do for Kamryn Estell. She’s a matchup nightmare for everyone and her presence opens things up for her teammates.”
Hoppock had 13 points and Byrd 11 in their final games while Estell was limited to just six shots, hitting four for 10 points along with four rebounds and three assists. Jada Mayberry with seven points was the only other Blue Devil with a field goal.
KCKCC actually shot better from 3-point than the field, converting 13-of-32 for 40.6 percent. In addition to Myers’ five treys, Byrd had three for a KCKCC career record of 132 while Hoppock and Myers each made two and Estell one.
Labette was led by the duo of 6-foot Angel Williams, who had 22 points on 11-of-13 shooting, and 5-4 Denijsha Wilson, who had 19 points including 8-of-10 free throws. Both teams dominated their own boards. The Blue Devils were credited with only three offensive rebounds; Labette five.
Elsewhere, No. 7 ranked Johnson County earned the other spot regional final with an 86-75 win at No. 13 Highland.