Alan Hoskins, Supervisor of Public Information
Monday, January 25, 2010
College Advancement
When it comes to unusual games in the Jayhawk Conference, Kansas City Kansas Community College and Johnson County played one for the ages Saturday.
Far and away the most accurate three-point shooting team and the most proficient in the Jayhawk, KCKCC was 1-of-17 on treys and outscored 36-3 – and still came away an 82-74 winner.
“We really executed well and got the ball to our big men,” explained Blue Devil Coach Jon Oler, who got 48 points and 29 rebounds from his front court triumvirate of sophomore Andre Metoyer and freshmen Dennis Tinnon and Hal Payne.
Tinnon scored 24 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, Metoyer had 16 points and 12 rebounds including a couple of resounding dunks and Payne 8 points and 5 rebounds in his best performance off the KCKCC bench. Scott Fruehling added 11 points and five assists while the point guard duo of Melvin Gatson and Monty Taylor occasionally playing in tandem had 9 and 8 points respectively. Gatson also had four assists as did Jonathan Wright.
Trailing much of the way, KCKCC went ahead 70-66 on a thunderous dunk by Metoyer and stayed in front by making 12 of 14 free throws in the final 2:16. Fruehling was 5 of 6 including 3 of 4 after a Cavalier technical foul following a missed layup. David Luster had 30 points for JCCC, which was 12 of 26 on three-pointers but was outrebounded 44-32.
The win boosted the Blue Devils to 3-4 and 15-4 overall despite playing without scoring leader Derick Denny, the league leader in three-point goals, who was suspended following an altercation in the Independence game in which three Independence players and an assistant coach were suspended. The Blue Devils will be back at full strength when they go back on the road for six of their next eight starting at Cowley County Wednesday night and Fort Scott Saturday afternoon. They return next Monday against Highland (5 and 7 p.m.)
KCKCC’s WOMEN made several runs but could not overcome a 32-22 halftime deficit in a 59-50 setback in the opener. Taylor Bird had 17 points and 17 rebounds and Liz Smith 17 points and 14 rebounds for JCCC (16-2), the No. 7 ranked team in Division II.
Alyssa Rushton had 17 points including 4-of-4 three-pointers to lead KCKCC. Melanie Phipps added 11 points and Jerae David 8 but no other Blue Devil had more than one field goal as KCKCC was just 16 of 57 from the field for 28.1 percent and outrebounded 51-33. The loss left KCKCC 11-7 overall and 2-5 in the league.