The Kansas City Kansas Community College men's basketball team (14-8, 5-1) squeaked by the Labette Community College Cardinals (8-14, 1-5), 73-71 Jan. 31 at Metropolitan Community College-Penn Valley. The Blue Devils came back from a four point deficit at halftime.

BJ Stewart emerged as a key offensive force for KCKCC, leading the team in scoring with an impressive 18 points while bringing down eight rebounds. Stewart exhibited scoring versatility, contributing both inside and beyond the arc. Caleb Jones made a significant impact on the game as well, finishing with 17 points. Jones connected on six of his nine field goal attempts while getting five assists. Reginald Morris played a pivotal role, adding 15 points to the team's total. Morris showcased his shooting accuracy, particularly from long-range, making a notable impact with four 3-pointers. Camron Williford tallied five assists and shot three of five from the field adding seven points. Coming off the bench, both O'shawn Jones-Winslow and Mikequese Taylor finished with five points each and combined for six steals, four rebounds and one assist.

Christian Yeates led the offensive charge for Labette, showcasing remarkable scoring efficiency by contributing 24 points on an impressive eleven of 14 shooting. Nickhai Howard played a significant role, recording 11 points in 39 minutes of play. Howard's all-around performance included solid shooting, defensive contributions (five steals) and facilitating the offense with four assists. Eric Dillinger contributed nine points and demonstrated a well-rounded performance with six rebounds, two assists and two blocks. Landon Austin played the entire game, contributing 10 points and showcasing accuracy from both inside and beyond the arc while shooting four of six from the field.

For the game, the Blue Devils shot 52.8 percent from the field (28-53), 38.1 percent from three-point range (8-21) and 56.3 percent from the free-throw line (9-16). The Cardinals shot 59.6 percent from the field (28-47), 41.2 percent from three-point range (7-17) and 57.1 percent from the free-throw line (8-14). The tight contest had a total of seven ties and seven lead changes.

The next game for the Blue Devils is against the Hesston College Larks at 3 p.m. Feb. 3 in Hesston, Kan.