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By ALAN HOSKINS, KCKCC

With the best combined start in history in the record books, the road toughens for Kansas City Kansas Community College basketball teams.

After opening Jayhawk Conference play at Highland Wednesday, the Blue Devils open home conference play Saturday against Labette (women at 2 p.m.; men at 4 p.m.).

The unbeaten Blue Devil men sealed their finest non-conference start in history Monday with their ninth straight triumph, a 99-64 win over Saint Mary JV at Leavenworth, while the Lady Blue Devils ran their record to 8-1 with a home win over Haskell JV 78-51, their best start since the 1996-97 season.

Freshmen Monty Taylor and Hal Payne had career highs in the win at Saint Mary, Taylor scoring 20 points on 7 of 9 shooting and grabbing six rebounds while Payne had 17 points and a game-high eight rebounds. Derick Denny also had 20 points including 6 of 10 three-pointers, Dennis Tinnon 10 points and Scott Fruehling 9.

The win came on the heels of an 87-73 win at arch-rival Penn Valley Nov. 24.  Denny led with 24 points including a half-dozen treys while Jonathan Wright added 15 points, Melvin Gatson 9 and Scott Fruehling and Metoyer 8 each.

The Blue Devils, who led 38-18 at the half, also got 10 rebounds each from Chris McDonald and Metoyer to win the battle of the boards 47-34.

Michelle Selbe had 22 points, Sarah Craft 16 points and nine rebounds and Ashley Wham a career high 11 points and six rebounds to lead the KCKCC women past Haskell. Laci Schreiber and Shannon Carlin chipped in with nine points and four rebounds and Alyssa Rushton had six rebounds in the win.

Selbe now has 80 points in her last four games including 29 of 30 free throws after scoring 19 points, corralling six rebounds and handing out five assists in a 72-55 win over Missouri Valley JV Nov. 24. Rushton and Wham came off the KCKCC bench to add 13 and 10 points respectively while Carlin scored 9 and Craft 8.