Alan Hoskins, Supervisor of Public Information
Monday, March 01, 2010
College Advancement
Coach Jon Oler’s 2010 Blue Devils have become only the fourth team in Kansas City Kansas Community College basketball history to win 21 games but it came at a heavy price.
Leading scorer Derick Denny landed awkwardly on his only field goal in the first 3½ minutes of Saturday’s 85-42 rout of Fort Scott and is doubtful for the Blue Devils’ first round Region VI playoff game at third-seeded Seward County (22-8) in Liberal Tuesday night.
“It really hurt bad,” said Denny, a 17-point scorer who had to be helped off the court. Quick work by KCKCC trainers Rodney Christensen and Guy Phillips prevented swelling in the ankle although he left the KCKCC Field House wearing a protective boot on his injured right ankle.
Fort Scott’s women overtook KCKCC for the No. 5 seed in the Region VI playoffs with a 71-63 win that will send KCKCC to Garden City (16-14) Tuesday night.
With Denny sidelined, sophomore Scott Fruehling took over the three-point shooting lead, equaling his career high with 6-of-8 for a game high 18 points along with five assists while freshman Dennis Tinnon was 7-of-8 from the field for 16 points as KCKCC shot 57.4 percent for the game. Melvin Gatson added 14 points and six assists and Jonathan Wright 10 points and five assists in their final home games while freshman Monty Taylor had 12 points and five assists.
Andre Metoyer closed out his home career by grabbing 10 rebounds as did Tinnon, who had his 10th double in the last 14 games. Limiting Fort Scott to 6 of 26 shots, KCKCC (21-9) opened a 39-16 halftime lead and led by as many as 51 points (77-26) as every Blue Devil scored or had a rebound.
The Blue Devil women (15-15) trailed 59-57 with 4:39 left but did not score another field goal until the final 13 seconds while Fort Scott made nine free throws in a row in a 12-1 run that denied KCKCC its first 16-wn season since 1997. Sarah Craft had 17 points and five rebounds in her final home game for KCKCC while Alyssa Rushton added 14 points and Melanie Phipps 13. Rushton also had seven rebounds and Phipps and Laci Schreiber six each. Rushton and Shannon Carlin led in assists with four each.