Kennedy’s Hannah Arritola (21) looks to pass the ball past Western Mennonite’s Kari Louthan (23) in the first half of the Kennedy vs. Western Mennonite girl’s basketball game at Western Mennonite High School in Salem on Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2015.
Western Mennonite’s Maddie Hopper (11) moves out of a cluster of Kennedy players in the first half of the Kennedy vs. Western Mennonite girl’s basketball game at Western Mennonite High School in Salem on Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2015.
Western Mennonite’s Madison Hull (13) eyes the basket past the arms of Kennedy’s Taylor Brown (13) in the first half of the Kennedy vs. Western Mennonite girl’s basketball game at Western Mennonite High School in Salem on Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2015.
Kennedy’s Taylor Brown (13), left, and Western Mennonite’s Peyton Hopper (1) fight for the ball on the floor in the first half of the Kennedy vs. Western Mennonite girl’s basketball game at Western Mennonite High School in Salem on Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2015.
The Trojans proved beyond any doubt that they are for real in a way that only defeating last season’s state champion could.
Kennedy High School’s girls basketball team got clutch free throws down the stretch to knock off Western Mennonite 44-41 and legitimized its undefeated start to the season.
Kennedy improves to 5-0 with a win in the Tri-River Conference opener.
“It feels good to beat them senior year,” said Kennedy’s Lakin Susee, who scored 18 points and had three steals. “They were the state champs and of course had a target. We’ve always been amping to beat them, and it felt really good to finally get that here.”
For a Kennedy team with three seniors, six sophomores and two freshman, the win shows that its No. 1 ranking in the OSAA’s power ranking is deserved.
It was the first time in the career of Kennedy’s seniors that they had won a game at Western Mennonite’s gym.
“As head coaches this is the first time we beat them here so this is a big deal for our girls and for us. Huge game,” Kennedy co-head coach Kerri Hall said. “We feel like this is a great way to start off the league play, obviously.
“Most people thought for the Tri-River it was going to be between us, Western and probably Regis so this is a great first win, especially away, especially in this atmosphere and crowd. We feel like it’s about a 10-point disadvantage coming here and playing because of the way the court is, everything.”
Western Mennonite junior point guard Maddie Hull got loose a number of times in the first half, making three 3-pointers and helping the Pioneers build a 24-21 lead at halftime.
Hull finished with 16 points, but was limited to two points in the second half.
“Honestly our game plan with them is we feel like we’re faster and our goal was to be in better shape than everyone else,” Hall said.
“So we felt like if we could run them and run them we would slowly wear them down and she would eventually get tired. And when you get tired your shot’s a little shorter than it was. So we knew if we hung on for that first half, the second half we would be able to pull it out a little bit easier.”
Western Mennonite led 35-31 on two free throws by Brittney Freeman early in the fourth quarter, but Susee hit a 3-pointer from the side and followed that quickly with a lay-in in transition to take the lead at 36-35.
A baseline jumper by sophomore Hannah Arritola with 1:16 left gave Kennedy a 40-39 lead then sophomore Kaylin Cantu hit both ends of a 1-and-1 free-throw situation with 29 seconds left and Susee followed by doing the same for a 44-39 lead.
“I think it like clicked in our minds that we have a quarter left to beat them,” said Kennedy senior Kenzie Ratliff, who had nine points and eight rebounds. “We have to step it up. We just wanted to win so bad.”
bpoehler@StatesmanJournal.com, (503) 399-6701 or Twitter.com/bpoehler
Kennedy 44, Western Mennonite 41
Kennedy: Lakin Susee 18, Ratliff 9, Cantu 6, Brown 5, Arritola 4, Jaeger, Frey. Totals 18 5-10 44.
Western Mennonite: Maddie Hull 16, Freeman 10, M. Hopper 7, P. Hopper 4, Louthan 3, Hess 1, Mansour, Pack. Totals 13 12-19 41
|
KEN |
15 |
6 |
10 |
13 |
— 44 |
|
WM |
17 |
7 |
9 |
8 |
— 41 |
3-point goals: Kennedy 3 (Susee 2, Ratliff); Western Mennonite 3 (Hull 3). Rebounds: Kennedy 36 (Ratliff 8); Western Mennonite 30 (Freeman 8). Assists: Kennedy 8 (Brown 4); Western Mennonite 10 (Louthan 5); Steals: Kennedy 12 (Susee 3, Brown 3); Western Mennonite 13 (Hull 5).