For the second consecutive year, KC secured a spot in the Region XIV Conference Tournament. Unfortunately, for the second consecutive year, the appearance in the postseason was shortlived.
Ninth-seed Jacksonville College upended the eighth-seed Rangers, 70-53, in Thursday’s opening game of the Region XIV Basketball Championships tournament at the Herrington Patriot Center on the campus of the University of Texas at Tyler.
Head Coach Brian Hoberecht coached KC to its first winning season since 2005-06, but several injuries depleted the team toward the end of the season.
“We have been able to take some good steps in the right direction,” Hoberecht said. “When you are playing eight guys, your team is going to peter out. We did not have enough gas in our tank.”
The Rangers fell behind by as many as 12 points in the first half and trailed 33-23 at halftime.
KC managed to chip away at the deficit in the second half, pulling within single digits on several occasions. However, clutch shooting boosted the Jaguars’ lead back to double-digits each time.
Eric Mayo’s put-back dunk early in the second half appeared to give KC a boost in energy, but Jacksonville’s accurate shooting gave the Rangers fits.
“I could see the energy level,” Hoberecht said. “It kept getting harder and harder for our guys to get up for this game.”
Jacksonville only missed six shots from the floor (13-19) in the second half.
Injured Rangers Chris Johnson and Derian Shafer returned to the lineup Thursday to deepen KC’s bench. Johnson’s free throw with less than 12 minutes remaining pulled the Rangers to within nine points, 46-37.
Gentry Hines’ bucket on the next possession narrowed Jacksonville’s lead to seven points, 46-39.
A subsequent Jaguar turnover gave KC a chance to cut the lead to five or four points, but a Ranger turnover erased that possibility.
Then, JC’s Bryce Hill single-handedly took over on offense for the Jaguars. Hill sank three of his six 3-pointers over a span of three minutes to give his team a 12-point advantage.
Derron Hobbs cut the lead to 10 points with less than eight minutes left, allowing KC a final opportunity to crack into the lead. However, JC ended the game on a 15-6 run and advanced to play the conference’s No. 1 seed, Paris Junior College 1 p.m. Saturday.
Mayo, Shelby, N.C., freshman, was the lone Ranger in double-digits in scoring, notching 10 points, while also grabbing eight rebounds.
Hill finished with 25 points for JC, while Eric Kibi recorded a double-double, scoring 11 points and corralling 11 rebounds.
KC sophomores Chris Angsomwine, Derron Hobbs, Chris Johnson, Dane Smith and Peter Rice concluded their careers as Rangers. Angsomwine, an Oral Roberts University commit, scored nine points and pulled down four rebounds in his final game. Hobbs also scored nine points with four rebounds. Smith hit a free throw and had three rebounds. Johnson scored four points and had a rebound after returning from a foot injury that plagued him for much of the season.
KC finishes the season with a 17-13 overall record, 10-10 in Region XIV, a seven-win improvement from last season.
“I want our guys to find the good out of this season to build on,” Hoberecht said. “Losing three games at the end of the season hurts. Hopefully we can find the positive over the next few days to carry over for next season.”
Photo by: Carrie Nutt
// Ryan Griffin, Sports Editor