The second game I wanted to cover on this Black Friday of
Beat ‘SC week was the nightcap game between Monticello and Class AAAA state
runner-up Bloomington Kennedy. Specifically,
I wanted to see if Bloomington Kennedy looked like a team that could still
compete for another run to the state title.
Granted, even though I didn’t know much about Monticello; which also has
a very solid team, that question was answered early on.
It didn’t take very long for Head Coach Quintin Johnson
and his Bloomington Kennedy Eagles to establish their athletic superiority over
an overmatched Monticello squad as they bolted out to a quick 8-0 lead behind
the exploits of senior greats Tonoia Wade and Kenisha Bell by the 15:27 mark
before the Magic finally stopped the bleeding - at least temporarily anyway –
when sophomore reserve Melissa Schmitt knocked down a “3” from the left corner
at the 15:07 mark. The Eagle quickly
countered, however, behind 8th grader Mariah Alipate as she maneuvered
inside for a score at the 12:56 mark and then drove down the middle of the lane
in transition for a score at the 10:54 mark that gave Bloomington Kennedy a
15-5 lead. Over the next three and a half
minutes, the Eagles would go on a decisive 12-1 tear that was the difference in
this contest that had Bloomington Kennedy up 27-6 and Monticello left in the
dust.
The Magic simply had no answer for either Bell or Wade as
the deficit ballooned. Bell connected
with a “3” from the left top area with 6:39 left and then Wade made good on a
lay-up in transition with 4:59 left that had Bloomington Kennedy up 32-10. Senior Alyssa Lentner came alive for
Monticello down the stretch as they had no intention of giving up. A lay-up with 3:36 left and then a daring foray
into the paint for a finish that got her fouled; along with the obligatory free
throw plus two more charity stripe shots with 1:50 left made a dent in the
deficit at least. But Bell made a
statement for Bloomington Kennedy right before the half with a steal and lay-up
that had the Eagles up comfortably 39-22.
Bloomington Kennedy looked to pick up right where it left
off as the second half got underway.
Wade drilled a “3” from the right wing at the 16:54 mark and sophomore
post LaShayla Wright-Ponder did damage down low with a score at the 16:02
mark. The Wade and Bell Show continued
to shine as a lay-up in transition at the 15:41 mark by Wade and then a “3”
from Bell from the right top area at the 15:08 mark plus a short jumper by
Alipate at the 14:15 mark had Monticello Head Coach Craig Geyen quickly calling
for a timeout but not much could be done to slow the Bloomington Kennedy
juggernaut.
What I like about this Bloomington Kennedy team is the
unique blend of not only the speed and athleticism – and size they have but
also the meshing of youth and experience from the 8th grader Alipate
to seniors Bell and Wade (along with Za’Keea Sa’eed-El, Isy Odor and Joy Davis). In some ways, this squad may be even better
than what they were last year and may have a better chance of getting past
Hopkins than they would have in years past.
As the lead grew to as much as 29 coming down the home stretch, Wade
scored inside with 4:29 left which was her 1,000th point in her
Bloomington Kennedy career. With just
over two minutes left, Johnson finally sent in his reserves for clean-up as the
Eagles rolled to an easy 73-39 win.
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