DOWN GOES TRINITY VALLEY! | Rangers, Lady Rangers take down both, at Masters and in Athens

Kilgore College coach Robert Byrd and his team electrified Masters Gymnasium Wednesday night with a 99-83 win over one of the Region XIV Conference’s best teams, Trinity Valley, who came in with only one conference loss in nine games. The Rangers, 6-5 in conference but winners of their last two, will play at Navarro on Saturday. KC’s Lady Rangers pulled off a big one, too, beating Trinity Valley in Athens, 74-70, on Wednesday night. (Photo by ALEX NABOR – ETBLITZ.COM)

By SHAWN CHRISTOPHER

There was a time when defeating the Trinity Valley Community College women’s basketball team – for ANYONE in the Region XIV Conference, or heck, for anyone in the nation – was about as easy as dousing yourself in butter and then trying to climb a greased pole.

It just wasn’t happening.

Now? Not so much.

Coach Stephanie Williams and the Kilgore College Lady Rangers did just that on Wednesday night, going into Athens and leaving with a 74-70 win, their fifth straight – all in conference play – and that’s not all: the Rangers, coached by Robert Byrd, knocked off Trinity Valley here at Masters Gymnasium, 99-83, a sweep of the Lady Cardinals and the Cardinals.

And Jamil Muttilib of the Rangers? He dropped a whopping 42 points on Trinity Valley in the process.

While the numbers weren’t in at deadline time for this story from the women’s game (we’ll have them Thursday, if at all possible), with that win in Athens, the Lady Rangers have won all their conference games except the conference opener: five straight wins.

That puts KC in a tie with Blinn (each 5-1) for second place behind Angelina College, who defeated Coastal Bend on Wednesday night. Angelina is 6-1, was the team that beat KC in that opener, and has obviously played one more game than the Lady Rangers this season.

KC and Blinn will break that tie on Saturday in Brenham, as the Lady Rangers journey there for a 2 p.m. tip-off. And on Wednesday, after three straight home games, KC is finally back at Masters Gym to host Tyler Junior College. That’s a 5:30 p.m. start.

The Rangers took care of business at home, knocking off a TVCC men’s team that, coming into Masters Wednesday night, only had one conference loss.

KC is now 16-6 overall and 6-5 in conference play, and visits Navarro College in Corsicana on Saturday at 4 p.m. The Rangers have no game midweek next week, and then host Bossier Parish next Saturday, Feb. 10.

That 6-5 record in conference puts the Rangers in a tie with TJC for fourth, even though KC would win that tiebreaker right now, by virtue of their win over the Apaches last Saturday.

KC led Trinity Valley, 45-36, at halftime, and Muttilib was just on fire. He finished with the 42 points on 12-of-20 shooting, hit 5-of-7 from three-point range, went 13-of-15 from the free throw line and had five rebounds, two assists and a block.

Peter Mckey also had a big performance for the Rangers: 21 points, five rebounds, and three assists. He was 7-of-16 shooting, hit four three-pointers and all three of his free throws.

KC Udolisa came off the bench for a 12-point performance. He also hit a couple of three-pointers and had two rebounds, and Calmai Crosby scored nine points, went 3-of-4 from three-point range, had three rebounds, three assists and a steal.

Also for KC, Willie Williams had five points, 11 rebounds, six assists, three steals and maybe most impressively, blocked four shots. Kaleb Pouncy had four points, five rebounds, two assists and a block. And Jamir Turner, Ikechukwu Nwaobi and James Matthews each had two points; Nwaobi had three rebounds and four assists.

As a team, KC hit just over half of their shots, and out-rebounded the Cardinals, 40-25.

For Trinity Valley, Makhi Dorsey had an outstanding game in defeat – 33 points – and Ahamad Bynum had 26.

Kaleb Pouncy goes up for a layup for the Kilgore College Rangers against Trinity Valley Wednesday night. (Photo by ALEX NABOR – ETBLITZ.COM)