Tag: KCKCC women’s basketball

by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC sports information

Kansas City Kansas Community College’s No. 9 ranked and unbeaten Lady Blue Devils shook off a sluggish start and rolled to a 90-68 win over William Penn’s JV in Oskaloosa, Iowa, Friday night.

The win was the fourth in a row for the Blue Devils, who are back home Tuesday for a single game against Graceland junior varsity at 6 p.m. The game will be streamed on the KCKCC Blue Devil website.

KCKCC led only 16-15 after a turnover-marred first quarter but put the game out of reach in the first three minutes of the second period, scoring 15 straight points for a 31-15 lead. It was 45-25 by halftime, a half in which Blue Devils shot 48.6 percent but committed 11 turnovers.

Hannah Valentine, a 5-9 sophomore from Platte County, led the Blue Devils offensively, scoring a game-high 26 points on 10-of-12 shooting; finished out a double-double with 11 rebounds, also a game high, and handed out five assists.

Faith Putz, a 5-8 freshman from Des Moines, had a career-high 19 points and five rebounds while soph Aliyah Myers added 14 points and frosh De’Jaria Guillory 12 points. The driveshaft in the KCKCC offense, Myers also had a game high six assists, two steals, one block and just one turnover.

Knocking down 19-of 36 second half shots for 52.8 percent, the Blue Devils finished at .507 for the game and .500 from 3-point (9-of-18). Myers had three treys, Valentine and Putz two each. The Blue Devils also dominated the rebounding 40-27 but finished with 20 turnovers to 16 for the Lady Statesmen.

“We didn’t play our best tonight,” KCKCC coach Joe McKinstry said. “I know the outcome on the scoreboard looks pretty good but we can be much better. Too many turnovers. And we were fortunate William Penn missed a lot of open shots. Being 4-0 is never a bad thing but we have to improve quickly as our schedule will present some challenges soon.”

by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC sports information

With another game coming up Friday, Kansas City Kansas Community College coach Joe McKinstry went to his bench early and often in a 110-55 rout of Park University junior varsity Thursday.

The win was the third in a row for the unbeaten Blue Devils, who resume action Friday against William Penn’s junior varsity at 5:30 p.m. in Oskaloosa, Iowa. The KCKCC men also play at 7:30 p.m. and both games will be streamed by William Penn.

McKinstry played 12 Blue Devils, 11 scored and 10 played 10 or more minutes, not so much for the rest but the experience for his young squad.

“I think we have good depth and I want everyone who plays to do everything expected of them,” McKinstry said. “I’m not big on the scoreboard. Regardless of what the scoreboard says or the quality of the team we’re playing, I want our players playing hard and smart. I don’t want anyone playing on their own agenda and with our balanced scoring I think we did a good job of that. Games like this give us an opportunity to work hard and get better.”

The Blue Devils had just too much size, quickness and athleticism against Park, regularly beating the Pirates down the floor for an avalanche of layups. Knocking down 12-of-20 first quarter shots (.600), the Blue Devils surged to a 27-9 first quarter lead and led 56-21 at halftime thanks to a 40-foot buzzer beater by sophomore Aliyah Myers.

KCKCC was led by freshman Hannah Valentine and sophomores Jada Mayberry and Myers. Valentine had her first career double with game highs of 20 points and 10 rebounds; Mayberry had a career-high nine assists, seven rebounds and 15 points; and Myers stood out both offensively and defensively. Scoring 18 points and handing out six assists offensively, she led defensively with five steals along with five defensive rebounds and a blocked shot.

Three other Blue Devils were in double figures and a fourth narrowly missed. Freshmen Ikla Elam had 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting; Faith Putz scored 12 points and grabbed five rebounds; and De’Jaria Guillroy scored 10 points while sophomore Mercer Roberts had eight points and seven rebounds.

Scoring at least 27 points in every quarter, the Blue Devils were 49-of-93 from the field for 52.7 percent although just 7-of-27 from 3-point (.259). They also controlled the rebounding 61-26 and forced 22 turnovers while committing 14.

by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC sports information

Kansas City Kansas Community College’s ninth ranked Lady Blue Devils took no chances of letting an early 8-point lead get away Saturday.

Limiting Central Community College to one free throw the first seven minutes of the second quarter, the Blue Devils used a 12-1 run to open a 36-19 lead on the way to a 90-57 win in Columbus, Nebraska. The win boosted KCKCC’s record to 2-0 heading into the home opener against Park University’s junior varsity Thursday at 5:30 p.m.

Ten Blue Devils scored in the win, four in double figures. Freshmen Hanna Valentine had 18 points and DeQuaria Guillroy 16 to lead the way while sophomores Aliyah Myers and Jada Mayberry added 12 and 11. In addition, freshmen Trinity McDow scored 8 points and Faith Putz and Lacy Whitcomb 6 each.

Myers also had a career-high eight assists as KCKCC had 21 assist5s on 29 field goals. DeQuaria Guillroy led rebounding with eight. The Blue Devils had only a 32-31 rebound edge but forced the Raiders in 29 turnovers while committing just 12.

“Very pleased for this group to be sitting at 2-0 right now,” KCKCC coach Joe McKinstry said. “We still have a lot to improve on but forcing 29 turnovers and having the balanced scoring today definitely tells me that we have a very high ceiling.”

KCKCC bolted to a 24-16 first quarter lead with an aggressive fast-breaking attack and led 42-22 at the half by knocking down 13-of-28 shots (.464) and 11-of-15 free throws (.733). The Blue Devils finished with 29-of-66 from the field (.439) and 23-of-30 from the foul line (.767).