KANSAS CITY, Kan. – The KCKCC men's basketball team was able to pounce on the Neosho County Panthers Wednesday night inside the KCKCC Fieldhouse by grabbing a 73-66 win.

The Blue Devils improved to 17-11 and 8-4 in the KJCCC.

The Blue Devils trailed early at 9-5 before getting some shots to fall to trail 17-16. After a timeout, Joshua Dames quickly nailed a basket to give the team a lead. KCKCC managed to extend it and led 37-29 at halftime.

KCKCC got a boost to start the second half when Jeremiah Stanton hit a three-pointer, but Neosho made a run and cut the lead to three points with 15:03 left. KCKCC would survive a scare by the Panthers and never relinquished the lead in the half.

Dames scored a career-high 34 points for the Blue Devils, while going a perfect 11-for-11 from the charity stripe. Gary Bess Jr. had 14 points and Stanton added 12.

KCKCC returns to the court on Saturday when they host Allen County at 3 p.m.