KC falls in final seconds
Lady Rangers lose, too, 80-67; men at Lee on Saturday
By MITCH LUCAS sports@kilgorenewsherald.com

At some point, you've just got to believe the Kilgore College Runnin' Rangers are just snakebitten.

With the Rangers leading 57-56 and apparently having their second-straight Region XIV Conference win wrapped up, KC's opponent Wednesday night - the Blinn Buccaneers - pulled off a minor miracle, a basketball miracle, getting in front of the Rangers with about 1 1/2 seconds left on the game clock. Blinn's Michael Johnson, a sophomore from Brooklyn, N.Y., managed to get the ball to teammate Leslie Jackson of Bryan down low. The ball went in, stunning the KCpartisan crowd and the Rangers, a 58-57 final.

The loss puts the Rangers' hopes of making the Region XIV Conference tournament - to be played here at Masters Gymnasium - in dire straits. KC is now 11-9 overall, 3-9 in conference play, with 10 games remaining. And three of those games are against the conference's elite: Tyler Junior College, San Jacinto, and national No. 4 Paris, unbeaten headed into last night's conference action.

The Lady Rangers didn't fare any better against Blinn, dropping an 80-67 decision, their fifth consecutive loss. KC's ladies will take the weekend off, then be back in action Wednesday night at Paris. Coach Scott Schumacher's Rangers will visit Lee College in Baytown on Saturday, a 7 p.m. start, then have the difficult task of visiting Paris on Wednesday night.

• Blinn 80, KC 67 (women): Nakazi Glover gave the Lady Rangers a 2-0 lead just 15 seconds into Wednesday's game against the Lady Bucs.

Unfortunately, that was the only lead the Lady Rangers would enjoy.

Blinn and KC both had their runs, including KC coming back from a 10-point deficit in the second half. But the Lady Rangers only managed to get within one point - 56-55, with 8:51 left - and Blinn seemed to always have an answer.

It was that way in the first half, as well, as Blinn built an eight-point lead, saw KC come back and tie the game at 28 with 2:09 left - and then Blinn scored the half 's final seven points to take a 35-28 lead into the locker room.

The Lady Rangers did seem to play tough, though. At one stretch, Kirbyville freshman Denetra Kellum took over the game. She had back-toback to-back offensive rebounds, got the basket, scored the next eight of KC's points and had another big rebound, forcing Blinn to take a time out.

For KC's ladies on the night, Glover also came up big. She had 22 points, seven rebounds and two steals. Kellum finished with a great stat-line, too, netting 20 points, 10 rebounds and two steals.

Also for KC, Sylvia Hoffman scored eight points, Janae Henderson and Elise Kea each had six, Kendra Venzant had three and Jo Petrovic and Brandi Cherry each had two.

• Blinn 58, KC 57, overtime (men): It was the second straight overtime game for the Rangers, who aren't bad - it's just that the upper echelon of the conference is very, very good.

KC and Blinn played good basketball Wednesday night, a competitive game down the stretch that seemed to go back and forth in favor of one team, then the other, after about the five-minute mark. Danville, Va. freshman Ridge McKeither tied the game at 42 with 4:09 left, and was a big factor in the contest. McKeither fouled out, though, with 1:42 left in the overtime period.

Nick Walls, a freshman from Memphis, tied the game at 48 at the line for KC, hitting two free throws with 15 seconds left in regulation. On the ensuing Blinn offensive possession, Blinn's Michael Johnson was called for traveling, giving the Rangers the ball with six seconds left in the game.

But KC's shot by James Graham didn't fall. Sean Coleman rebounded the ball for Blinn, as the clock expired, sending the game to OT.

KC players missed a couple of free throws, and with the Rangers leading by just one point, Johnson got the ball to Jackson and put Blinn in front with 1.6 seconds remaining. KC's attempts to shoot its way back in front failed, and the Bucs left with the win.