By RENALDO DORSETT
Tribune Sports Reporter
rdorsett@tribunemedia.net
THE Kansas Community College Blue Devils have opened the season with one of the most difficult schedules in all of junior college basketball and got their first upset win over a ranked team led by its talented Bahamian duo.
Bradley Lightbourne scored 24 and Joshua Dames scored 23 to lead the Blue Devils to an 87-83 win over the no.19 ranked North Central Missouri College Pirates in the KCKCC Classic.
Lightbourne shot 9-15 from the field, 2-3 from three-point range and made an impact on both ends of the floor with six rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocked shots. The sharpshooting Dames made 5-7 from three-point range en route to his 23 points. He also added five rebounds, four assists and two steals.
The Blue Devils split the weekend with a 93-82 loss to Metropolitan CC.
Dames scored 21 points and was again on the mark from three-point range at 4-9. Lightbourne scored 10. The Blue Devils were selected to finish third in the KJCCC DII Men’s Basketball Coaches’ Poll.
The Blue Devils were picked behind Allen at No. 1 and Johnson County at No. 2. KCKCC is also receiving votes in the first NJCAA DII Men’s Basketball Top 20 Poll.
KCKCC is 2-4 on the season with two of those losses coming against ranked teams. In the season opener, Lightbourne finished with 19 points and four steals.
Dames added 19 points and eight rebounds in an 86-77 loss to the no.9 ranked Des Moines Area.
Lightbourne also scored 16 in an 80-73 loss to no.18 ranked Butler CC.
KCKCC also split a pair with Iowa Western CC. In game one, Lightbourne posted his first double double of the season with 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Dames scored 11 with four steals.
In game two, Dames made four threes en route to a game high 19 points while Lightbourne added 10 points, six rebounds and five assists.
Last season, both players received conference wide recognition for standout freshman seasons. Lightbourne was named to the All-Second Team and Dames to the All-Third Team respectively.
Lightbourne averaged 12 points and five rebounds per game on the season.
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