KC SINKS APACHES | Rangers win seventh straight

By SHAWN CHRISTOPHER

So, the first-year head coach is for real.

Kilgore College has to be taken seriously now.

Coach Robert Byrd and the KC Rangers have swept rival Tyler Junior College this season, beating TJC, 97-74,here at Masters Gymnasium in Kilgore on Wednesday night, covered apparently by every media outlet anywhere near East Texas.

But more importantly than that, it was KC’s seventh straight win, all in the Region XIV Conference.

The Rangers are now 21-6 on the season, 11-5 in conference play, and have wins over both the two teams that are right above them (Panola and Trinity Valley) in the North.

KC has just three games to go in the regular season before the conference tournament: they’ll play at Trinity Valley in Athens on Saturday at 4 p.m.; they host Navarro next Wednesday night at 7:30; and then they visit Bossier Parish on March 6.

KC got off to a scorching start and never looked back, hitting for 54 points in the first half alone and knocking down almost 50 percent of their three-point shots. Jamil Muttilib, who has been on a tear all season, really, but especially during the seven-game win streak, hit for 28 points, went 6-of-13 from three-point range and 10-of-17 from the floor. He also had five rebounds, three assists and a steal.

He was joined in double figures by Cahmai Crosby, who had 24 points, went 6-of-10 in three-pointers and had three rebounds, four assists and a steal.

Peter Mckey had 12 points, two rebounds, and an assist, and Jamir Turner had 10 points, four rebounds and two assists off the bench.

Kilgore’s own Thomas Hattaway had six points, both of them three-pointers, and a rebound; Willie Williams also had six points to go with seven rebounds, seven assists, two steals and three blocked shots, winning the Swiss Army knife award for the night; James Mathews had four points and a block; KC Udolisa had three points; and Ikechukwu Nwaobi and Kaleb Pouncy each had two points – Pouncy had four rebounds and three assists, and Nwaobi had four rebounds and an assist.

For Tyler, Dariyus Woodson had 26 points and four rebounds. TJC dropped to 7-9 in conference play and 15-11 overall with the loss.

KC’s Lady Rangers were off on Wednesday night. They’re 15-10 overall and 8-3 in conference play, third in the conference standings behind Trinity Valley and Angelina College (each 9-3 in Region XIV).

The Lady Rangers, coached by Stephanie Williams, are on the road Saturday, as well, at Paris Junior College for a 2 p.m. tip-off.