by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC
Scoring 115 points will win 99 percent of all basketball games, just not enough for Kansas City Kansas Community College’s men at No. 6 ranked North Central Missouri Wednesday in Trenton.
Wiping out a 5-point KCKCC lead with 8.5 seconds remaining, North Central won a wild 118-115 double overtime thriller in the opening game for both teams. The 115 points are the second most ever scored by a Blue Devil team in a loss and the combined 233 points are also the second most.
KCKCC led by as many as 16 points in the first half, the 19th Blue Devils dominating with fast-breaks, forced turnovers and rebounding. The Blue Devils led 48-37 at the half and not until the final seconds did the Pirates ever catch up.
The Blue Devils still led 90-82 with less than a minute remaining and 93-88 with 16 seconds only to have Jeramy Shaw hit a 3-pointer and then pick off an errant KCKCC in-bounds pass and tie it 93-93 with a jarring dunk with 6.5 seconds left.
The Blue Devils had to overcome a 98-93 deficit in the first overtime thanks to sophomores Caleb Jones and Deron McDaniel, who combined for all 11 KCKCC points in the overtime. McDaniel’s 3-pointer cut the lead to 100-99 and then Jones tied it 104-104 with a pair of layups and free throw.
After trailing 108-104 early in the second overtime, North Central led most of the rest of the way only to have McDaniel drain a difficult 3-pointer for a 115-114 KCKCC lead with 35 seconds left.
But fouls which cost the Blue Devils Robert Rhodes in regulation and Jones in the second overtime proved fatal, the Pirates making four of six free throws in the final 29 seconds and blocking KCKCC’s one attempt at regaining the lead.
McDaniel scored 32 points and Jones 22, both career highs, to lead the Blue Devils. Jermaine Yarbough added 12 points and Rhodes and Trey Bates 11 each, Cody Dortch and Shayon Janloo 7 apiece. Rhodes also had a team-high eight rebounds before fouling out.
The Blue Devils shot well from the field, knocking down 37 of 75 shots for 49.3 percent, and 10-of-25 three-pointers for 40 percent.
However, the Blue Devils were outscored by 38-31 from the foul line and were outrebounded 49-36. The Pirates went to the foul line 52 times as the Blue Devils were whistled for 34 fouls and lost Jones, Rhodes and Bates on fouls.
Six Pirates finished with 14 or more points led by 18 each from Kolten Griffin and Shaw. Shaw also led all rebounders with 13. The Pirates were 37-of-84 from the field for 44 percent and 6-of-22 from 3-point (.272).
“A great learning experience for us,” KCKCC Coach Brandon Burgette said. “We had plenty of chances to win the game but we gave up too many offensive rebounds and let them shoot 52 free throws. I liked the way our guys competed and played hard. It wasn’t good enough. It’s on me down the stretch to do a better job of managing time, rotations and play calling down the stretch. It’s great to learn from in the long run but we hat to be better down the stretch to win games.”
The Blue Devils play Central College in Columbus, Nebraska, Saturday at 3 p.m. before their home opener against Link Year Prep Monday at 7 p.m. There are no spectators at KCKCC athletic events to reduce the spread of COVID-19, but home games will be streamed through the KCKCC website, www.kckcc.edu.