11/03/2006
Story by Tyler Cundith

Cavaliers win season opener

OVERLAND PARK, KS -- The Johnson County Community College men’s basketball team opened its 2006-07 season with an 87-66 home victory over Haskell Indian Nations University on Wednesday night.  The victory improved head coach Mike Jeffers record to 14-2 in season openers.

Haskell played the Cavaliers close the first 10 minutes of the contest hitting four 3-point baskets, but Johnson County went on a run and pulled away, taking a 43-25 lead in at the break.

Sophomores Corey May and preseason All-American Aaron Linn led Johnson County with 31 and 20 points respectively.  May hit an impressive 14-of-18 shots, and pulled down 12 rebounds.  Linn, the team’s second-leading scorer a year ago with a 15 points per game average, was 7-of-18 and 4-of-6 from the line, but could not find his range from the 3-point area, hitting just 2-of-9.

As a team, the Cavaliers shot 58 percent from the floor inside the 3-point arch, but JCCC shot a dismal 10 percent from 3-point range, hitting just 2-of-19.

Also scoring in double figures for the Cavaliers were freshman Patrick Nemechek and sophomore Daniel Jackson.  Nemechek finished 13 points and four rebounds, while Jackson nearly had a double-double, finishing with 10 points and eight caroms.  

Sophomore point guard Russell Revels nearly had a triple-double.  He finished with a career high 13 assists, along with nine points and seven rebounds.

The Fightin’ Indians were led by guards Kevin Begaye, Gregory Chec and Kenton King who finished with 20, 15 and 14 points respectively.