Alan Hoskins
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
College Advancement
The best in the Jayhawk Conference invades Kansas City Kansas Community College Field House Saturday.
The only unbeaten team in the Jayhawk Conference and 14-1 overall, Cowley County’s men will come in with the nation’s No. 5 ranking for their 4 p.m. game with the Blue Devils while the KCKCC women coming off their first win of the season will take on the 23rd ranked Lady Tigers (11-4) at 2 p.m.
Led by Cameron Roland, the Lady Blue Devils got their first win over Allen County 62-38 Saturday. A sophomore from SM North, Roland scored 14 of her career high 21 points in a 25-5 KCKCC surge that broke the game wide open. The Blue Devil men, however, were not as fortunate, dropping a 64-51 decision in the nightcap.
The Lady Blue Devils led only 19-18 when Roland hit back-to-back three-pointers and a layup in a 10-0 run to give KCKCC a 29-18 halftime lead and then had three more goals in a 15-5 burst to start the second half. Freshman Shannon Carlin of Tonganoxie also figured prominently in the decisive run, scoring nine of her 10 points in a seven-minute stretch of the second half.
The Jayhawk leader in assists, sophomore Ashleigh Gallio teased a “triple double” with 12 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists while Sarah Craft pulled down a career high 10 rebounds as KCKCC won the battle of the boards 51-45. The second leading defensive team in the Jayhawk, the Lady Blue Devils lowered their defensive average to 53.9 points per game by limiting the Lady Red Devils to 16 of 63 shots for 25.4 percent.
Frigid second half shooting killed any chance of the Blue Devil men from upsetting Allen County and ending an eight-game losing streak. Trailing 29-27 in the closing seconds of the first half, the Blue Devils could manage only 6 of 26 second half shots for a chilly 23.1 percent while Allen was 12 of 23 for 52.2 percent. KCKCC still trailed just 37-33 early in the second half when the Red Devils ran off 12 straight points for a 49-43 lead and were never threatened.
Derrick Howard led KCKCC with 11 points, seven rebounds and five assists while Jonathon Wright and Travis Fairley added 10 points each.
At Independence Monday night, the Blue Devils are back home next Wednesday night (5 and 7 p.m.) against Labette and a week from Saturday against Fort Scott (2 and 4 p.m.).