KANSAS CITY, KS - A pair of Magnolia, Arkansas, standouts continue to provide the energy for the No. 6-ranked Kansas City Kansas Community College (KCKCC) Lady Blue Devils.
Easily crowned champion of the Southeast Nebraska Holiday Classic with an 88-52 win over host Southeast last Saturday, KCKCC immediately turned its focus on their biggest non-conference game of the season.
On Tuesday, the Lady Blue Devils got its much anticipated revenge against Metropolitan Community College (MCC), but it didn’t come easy.
The No. 6-ranked Lady Blue Devils had to withstand a record 17 3-pointers for a 98-86 win in a furiously fought offensive showdown.
MCC had ended KCKCC’s unbeaten season earlier on the Penn Valley campus.
The win boosted the Lady Blue Devils’ record to 13-2 heading into a home game with Des Moines Area Community College at 6 p.m. Friday, the last game before the holiday break.
Against Southeast, Lillie Moore shared a game-high in scoring with 21 points. She also grabbed 15 rebounds (eight offensive) and was 11-of-13 from the free-throw line.
“Lillie worked her tail off today and probably should have been awarded more free throws that she got but she had a great game,” KCKCC coach Joe McKinstry said.
Teammate Kisi Young grabbed nine rebounds in the game and Brodi Byrd got a season-high eight. Bryd and Collier also scored eight points each.
In the big victory over Metropolitan College, three Lady Blue Devils recorded double-doubles. They were Moore, 21 points and 13 rebounds; Young, 15 points and 12 rebounds; and Nija Collier, 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Freshman Lenaejha Evans shared KCKCC scoring honors with Moore with 21 points on 9-of-13 shooting. Camryn Swanson added nine points, Brodi Byrd six and Caroline Hoppock three, all on 3-point baskets.
Trailing by as many as seven points early, KCKCC led 47-41 at halftime behind 58.1 percent shooting.
The Lady Blue Devils expanded their lead to 14 points early in the third and clutch 3-point shooting put the game out of reach.