By ALAN HOSKINS
The holiday break comes none too soon for Kansas City Kansas Community College basketball teams.
The No. 4 ranked Highland women sent the Lady Blue Devils (4-7) down to their fifth straight loss 62-39 Saturday while the KCKCC men (3-7) were suffering their third straight loss 81-50.
Both teams are now idle until Jan. 3 when they resume Division II Conference play at Brown Mackie and then open Jayhawk Conference play at home against Cowley on Saturday, Jan. 5.
Highland ran its record to a perfect 13-0 with a stifling defense, limiting the Blue Devils to just 13 of 50 shots for a chilly 26.0 percent and forcing 21 turnovers.
Trailing 14-3 in the first eight minutes, the Blue Devils rallied to within seven points and were down just 37-29 only to go the final 12:36 of the game with one field goal. Alexandria Blaurock and Paris Johnson each had nine points to lead KCKCC. Highland, which shot 50 percent the second half, had seven players with seven or more points.
Highland’s men shot even better the second half, hitting 19 of 31 shots for 61.3 percent after KCKCC had cut an early 11-point deficit to six points. Still within striking distance at 50-39 midway through the second half, the Blue Devils were outscored 31-11 in the final 10 minutes.
Dominique Washington, the third leading scorer in the Jayhawk Conference, led KCKCC with 24 points and seven rebounds while Josh Rupprecht and Anthony Lane contributed nine points and five rebounds each. James Walker led Highland with 25.
