KCMB Kansas City News

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Kansas Beats Oklahoma State In Double Overtime

In a critical game for the Big 12 title race, the Kansas Jayhawks won a double overtime thriller against the Oklahoma State Cowboys, 68-67. The win moves Kansas back into first place, and KU now has its sights set on a ninth consecutive league title after winning the hardest game left on its schedule.

Oklahoma State and Kansas are both top defensive teams, which was on full display last night as both failed to get anything going offensively. Kansas’ Ben McLemore struggled from the floor, but the Jayhawks once again got a strong game from point guard Elijah Johnson, who attacked the rim and took good care of the ball. For the most part, Kansas was carried by Travis Releford (18 points) and Jeff Withey (17 points).

Kansas led for almost the entire second half, and seemed on the verge of putting the game out of reach when Releford made an acrobatic layup to give Kansas a four point lead late in the game. However, Oklahoma State rallied back to force overtime, and forced a second OT when Kansas again let a lead slip away. Both teams stalled on offense, as Johnson fouled out for Kansas and star freshman Marcus Smart fouled out for Oklahoma State. At the end of the game, KU’s Naadir Tharpe got into the lane and hit a short jumper, which gave KU a one point lead. In the final seconds, Oklahoma State’s Markel Brown took a tough jumper that missed, and Releford made an acrobatic save along the sideline to prevent a dead ball and allow the clock to run out. It was a deservingly thrilling finish to the biggest game of the Big 12 season.

Kansas has a favorable home schedule remaining, as it hosts TCU, West Virginia and Texas Tech – the three worst teams in the league. Kansas will face another tough test on Monday when they travel to Ames to take on a good Iowa State team. If the Jayhawks can win that one, it may be nearly impossible for KU to lose out on a ninth consecutive Big 12 title.

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Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Explosion, Fire Hits Kansas City Plaza Area

A deadly fire ripped through the Kansas City plaza area last night, triggered by a gas explosion at JJ’s restaurant. At least 14 people have been injured, and one female employee of the restaurant is still missing today.

The University of Kansas Hospital has reported that one person at their location is in critical condition, while two are in serious condition. All of the patients at KU have traumatic injuries rather than burns. St. Luke’s Hospital has indicated they have two patients in critical condition, one with extensive burns and another with facial trauma. The others injured in the blast have been treated and released from the hospitals. Heavy equipment has already been brought in to clear out large pieces of rubble and debris, while cadaver dogs are currently searching for the missing worker.

Authorities believe that the initial explosion was caused from either a motor vehicle striking a natural gas line or a piece of heavy equipment disrupting the gas main. Missouri Gas Energy, who supplies utilities to the area, released a statement that “early indications are that a contractor doing underground work struck a natural gas line.” Kansas City Fire Chief Paul Berardi has indicated that an investigation into the cause of the blast will begin after a search for any remaining victims is completed.

Residents in the area reportedly smelled gas about an hour before the explosion, and alerted Missouri Gas Energy. Firefighters and the utility company then began checking the area for the source of the odor before the explosion. JJ’s asked their customers to leave, however several employees stayed behind and were injured in the explosion.

The resulting fire from the explosion spread over an entire block and lasted about 90 minutes. JJ’s was completely destroyed, and many other shops, offices and restaurants in the area have suffered heavy damage.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Dangerous Winter Storm Approaching Kansas City

A dangerous winter storm is making its way to the Kansas City area. Meteorologists say that this storm could be the biggest the region has faced in years. The storm is expected to hit the Kansas City area late Wednesday night and continue through Thursday.

The Thursday morning commute could be extremely problematic for drivers. Areas to the north of Kansas City are expected to get up to six inches of snow, while the Kansas City metro will likely get a dangerous mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain. Areas to the south of Kansas City will likely see a mixture of rain and freezing rain.

The largest amount of snow is expected to fall between Leavenworth and Richmond, MO, while St. Joseph will receive a heavy amount of snow as well. The largest amount of ice accumulation will likely take place in a line from Paola, KS to Warrensburg, MO. Areas south of US 50 highway, including southern Kansas City, are expected to receive the most ice from the storm.

A winter storm watch has been issued to the entire Kansas City region, including the counties of Atchison, Miami, Linn, Leavenworth, Wyandotte and Johnson in Kansas and Buchanan, Clinton, Caldwell, Platte, Clay, Ray, Jackson, Lafayette, Cass, Johnson, Bates and Henry in Missouri. This includes the cities of Leavenworth, Overland Park, Olathe, Parkville, Kansas City, Harrisonville and St. Joseph.

Due to the approaching storm, grocery stores across the metro were packed yesterday with people prepared to be stuck in their homes for a few days. Kansas City residents have also taken interest in the storm due to the Weather Channel’s recent announcement that they will start naming winter storms this year.

Monday, February 18, 2013

Kansas Blows Out Texas

The Kansas Jayhawks may have turned a corner after a disastrous three-game stretch in which they lost to lowly TCU and appeared to be out of the Big 12 title race. After blowing out Kansas State on Monday, KU turned in another impressive performance on Saturday, embarrassing Texas 73-47.

Due to the NBA All-Star break, many former Kansas greats were on hand to see Mario Chalmers get his jersey retired. The current KU squad didn’t disappoint, stifling Texas from the opening jump ball with a great defensive effort led by center Jeff Withey. Withey’s two blocks gave him 265 for his career, breaking Texas’ Chris Mihm’s Big 12 record. Withey also chipped in 15 points, 11 rebounds and four steals. Travis Releford added 15 points in a hot shooting night from beyond the arc, while Ben McLemore added 13 points.

Texas isn’t a good team, but the Longhorns looked downright terrible at times against Kansas nation-leading defense. Texas shot 22 percent from the field and two of 21 from three, while turning the ball over several times in the second half for easy transition baskets for Kansas. McLemore turned one into a 360-degree dunk that wound up being the top play on ESPN’s SportsCenter Saturday night.

Kansas fans have to feel good about how the Jayhawks responded to their three-game losing streak. KU has regained its focus on defense, and the offense finally looks alive. Senior point guard Elijah Johnson has started to playbetter as well, and sophomore Naadir Tharpe has looked impressive in the past couple of games. If the Jayhawks get good production from the point guard position, the team could be primed to make another deep run in the NCAA tournament.

Kansas’ biggest game of the season is coming up, as the Jayhawks travel to Stillwater to face Oklahoma State on Wednesday in a battle for first-place in the Big 12. The Cowboys also won on Saturday, defeating Oklahoma in overtime.

Friday, February 15, 2013

A Closer Look At Kansas' Upcoming Schedule

After once again embarrassing K-State in Allen Fieldhouse, the Jayhawks have grabbed a share of first place in the Big 12 and positioned themselves to make a run at a ninth consecutive Big 12 championship. While blowing out the Wildcats will help the Jayhawks erase the memories of its recent three-game losing streak, KU still has a very tough remaining schedule.

Kansas’ home games are not very daunting, as they face Texas, TCU, West Virginia and Texas Tech in the comfortable confines of Allen Fieldhouse. Texas could present the most problems, as the Longhorns recently got star point guard Myck Kabongo back from suspension. The Longhorns just knocked off a tough Iowa State team in double overtime, and gave Kansas all sorts of problems earlier in the season. Still, Kansas will be the favorite Saturday and a heavy favorite in its other remaining home games.

The road games are where things get tricky for the Jayhawks. First, Kansas will travel to Stillwater to face Oklahoma State – the team that gave Kansas a rare home loss twelve days ago. Oklahoma State has been playing very well lately, and Kansas has a history of stumbling in Stillwater. Things don’t get any easier for KU in its next road game, as they travel to Ames to face Iowa State. The Jayhawks needed a Ben McLemore banked three to force overtime at home against the Cyclones, and lost in Ames last year. Kansas closes out the year visiting the talented – yet inconsistent – Baylor Bears. While KU easily dispatched the Bears earlier in the year, Baylor has NBA talent, and may be fighting for an NCAA tournament berth.

It appears that Kansas’ race for another league title may simply come down to two games: at Oklahoma State and at Iowa State. If KU wins both of these games, it may be impossible for the Jayhawks to not claim at least a share of the league title.