KANSAS CITY, Kan. – The KCKCC men's basketball team started the KJCCC Tournament off strong as they ambushed Highland 77-43 Monday night inside the KCKCC Fieldhouse. The Blue Devils sprinted out the gate as they took a 37-21 halftime lead, before outscoring the Scotties 40-22 in the second half.

KCKCC is now 19-12 overall on the season.

After taking an 8-5 lead in the first half, Joshua Dames drained a three-pointer to make it 11-5 Blue Devils. Jaylen Broyles and Isaiah Williams continued the trend as the team hit three straight long-range shots. KCKCC eventually led by 16 points at 31-15 with 5:04 remaining, before Bradley Lightbourne added a basket toward the end of the half. KCKCC led 37-21.

Highland was never able to gather themselves as the Blue Devils kept their foot on the gas pedal. KCKCC built their lead to 49-26 after a three-pointer by Dames with less than four minutes played in the second half. The Blue Devils built their largest lead of the game at 36 points after Gary Bess Jr. made a layup with less than 20 seconds left.

Dames led the team with a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds. Hudson Anderson added 12 points and Broyles added eight.

The Blue Devils will next face Allen County Friday night in the semifinals of the conference tournament. The game starts at 8 p.m. at MidAmerica Nazarene University.