KC beats Cedar for second straight win

Photo by Lester Murray GET IN THERE — Kilgore College sophomore point guard James Graham (10) gets ready to shoot as Cedar Valley's Rodrick Buckley (bottom right) runs in. The Rangers beat Cedar Valley, a Fort Worth-area school, 67-54 here at Masters Gymnasium on Tuesday night. It was KC's second straight victory. The Rangers host Southwest Christian of Terrell on Thursday night at 7 p.m. The Lady Rangers played at Waco against McLennan on Tuesday, and won again — KC's ladies are 6-0 this season so far. Both KC teams host Panola College on Saturday afternoon to open the Region XIV Conference schedule.

It's awfully early in the 2008-09 basketball season, but both Kilgore College programs have gotten things off to a good start.

The Rangers, who have played a very difficult non-conference schedule, notched their second straight win on Tuesday night at Masters Gymnasium, beating Cedar Valley, 67-54, and the Lady Rangers remained undefeated, beating McLennan 65-56 in Waco.

No further information was available on the Lady Rangers' win at press time this morning, but coach Roy Thomas has his girls 6-0 headed into Saturday's Region XIV Conference opener against Panola.

For first-year men's coach Brian Hoberecht, Tuesday's home win over Cedar marked further improvement by his team. "I think we're improving," Hoberecht said. "It's been a slow process for us, but we seem to be slowly fixing some mistakes and doing some good things. At this point and time, any win is a good win. It's good to be at home. ...I think we're getting there."

KC (3-5) got 21 points and eight rebounds from University of Nevada-Las Vegas transfer Troy Gage, a sophomore from Baton Rouge, La. Sonny Soloman, a sophomore from West Palm Beach, Fla., had 10 points and nine rebounds. Raleigh, N.C. native La'Marshall Corbett, who played well for the Rangers last season, had 16 points and five assists in the contest. Corbett was red-hot from three-point range, hitting four of the long-balls, and actually hit another, but KC was whistled for an offensive foul and the shot didn't count.

"I think Sonny is playing really well the last two games," Hoberecht assessed. "I think La'Marshall is giving us stability right now on both ends of the floor, and I think Troy (Cage) is playing very well offensively."

KC's Dexter Dorsey, a freshman from Baltimore, Md., scored nine. KC never trailed after the mid-point of the second half.

The Rangers will host Southwest Christian in a rare Thursday night game tomorrow night at 7 p.m., and then both KC teams will open their RXIV schedule here on Saturday against Panola College, a 2 p.m. ladies-game start, with the men to follow.

This year as every year, the KC squads play into the first week of December, then take an extended holiday break and return for the main portion of the conference schedule in January.