Metro Sports Report

Mount Mercy men fall to Benedictine

The Mount Mercy men's basketball team lost to Benedictine, 79-65, in a Heart of America Conference game at the Hennessey Recreation Center Saturday afternoon.

The Mustangs trailed by only two points at halftime, 36-34, but the visitors outscored their hosts by 12 points in the second half.

Benedictine dominated the backboards, 39-26, and outscored Mount Mercy 15-7 at the foul line.

Dennis McKinney led the Mustangs with 21 points. Mike Evans scored 14 points and Bailey Basala had 11. Antwain Strong did not play for the  Mustangs.

Adam Kutney led Benedictine with 18 points and 10 rebounds.

KCC volleyball eyes 3rd in nation

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - The Kirkwood women's volleyball team lost in the semifinals of the NJCAA Division II national tournament Friday and will play for third place Saturday afternoon.

Kirkwood (34-9) will meet Johnson County (29-8) at 2 p.m. at the Charleston Civic Center in West Virginia.

The Eagles were swept by Coffeyville in the semifinals, 25-18, 25-20, 25-17, in the semifinals. Coffeyville will face Parkland for the championship Saturday afternoon.

Coffeyville is the No. 1 seed in the tournament, Parkland is No. 2, Johnson County is No. 3 and Kirkwood is No. 5. The Eagles defeated No. 4 South Mountain, 3-2, in the quarterfinals.

Kirkwood women iron out some bugs

The Kirkwood Eagles have been a mystery during the early part of the women's basketball season.

Normally a high-powered outfit, they scored only 30 points in their first game of the year. Three games later, they lost by 45 points and saw their record fall to 1-and-3.

It's hardly what you expect from Kirkwood, which won the national title in 2017 and finished second last year, but there were signs of hope Friday night at Johnson Hall.

The Eagles blitzed McCook Community College of Nebraska, 97-55, in their home opener in the first round of the Kirkwood Classic.

"It's a step," said KCC Coach Kim Muhl. "It's not a plunge, but it's a step."

Muhl was not happy with his club's energy, effort and execution during the 1-and-3 start, but he saw signs of life against McCook.

"The bottom line is how hard they want to play," he said. "You either get it done or you won't play here very long.

KCC volleyball makes national semifinals

CHARLESTON, W. Va. - The Kirkwood women's volleyball team won both of its matches at the NJCAA Division II national tournament Thursday and will be playing in the semifinals Friday night.

Kirkwood (34-8) will face top-seeded Coffeyville (38-3) Friday at 5:30 p.m. for the right to play for the national title on Saturday.

The Eagles, seeded No. 5 in the tournament, rolled by Carl Sandburg, 25-14, 25-18, 25-13, in their first match Thursday at the Charleston Civic Center in West Virginia.

Kirkwood then knocked off No. 4 South Mountain in a five-set thriller, 21-25, 25-21, 25-20, 16-25, 15-13, in the quarterfinals with a clutch performance in the fifth and final set.

Alexa Aldrich-Ingram collected 18 kills and five blocks in the 3-0 victory over Carl Sandburg. Haleigh Durnin had 11 kills, Sami Johnson six, Taylor Carey six, Abbi Tunis five and Lauren Keane three.