Kennedy Can’t Hold Onto the Ball, or the Lead, in 73-57 Loss

Kennedy High played its first basketball game of the season Wednesday evening, but one performance was all the Golden Cougars needed to expose their weaknesses.

One is dribbling.

A second is passing.

A third is catching.

The Golden Cougars self-destructed during the third quarter of their nonleague game against Granada Hills, and lost to the Highlanders, 73-57, after leading by as many as 11 points in the first half at Kennedy.

Unable to execute the fundamentals, Kennedy turned the ball over on five consecutive possessions during the third quarter. Granada Hills took advantage of the mistakes and made a 10-0 run in 1 1/2 minutes that turned a one-point game into a blowout.

It was not Granada Hills’ defense that induced the run. Kennedy simply couldn’t hold onto the ball.

“We made some bad passes but we had to change our style because we had some guys in foul trouble,” said Kennedy Coach Yutaka Shimizu, referring to Marcus Malone and Clarence Williams, each of whom had three fouls in the first half.

“It’s hard to play hard-nosed when you’ve got three fouls with two quarters to go.”

Granada Hills trailed by 11 points after the first quarter, and by eight at the half, before taking command in the third period behind the play of Gary Gray and Sam Puathasnanon, who combined for 17 points in the quarter. Led by 81% shooting, Granada Hills outscored the Golden Cougars, 29-10, in the third quarter.

For Granada Hills Coach Bob Johnson, the win brought relief along with satisfaction.

“It’s been at least 10 years since we’ve beat them in the regular season,” Johnson said. “The last time we beat them we were in the same league. This is the rivalry in Granada Hills.

“We had to beat them to save face.”

But during the first half, Johnson felt as if he had traveled backwards in time and was playing the Kennedy teams led in the past by Darren Daye and Stuart Gray.

After falling behind, 3-2, the Golden Cougars put together a 16-4 run and appeared to be on their way to an easy victory. The fast start was keyed by Malone, who scored 10 of his team-high 19 points in the first quarter.

But Granada Hills began its comeback in the second quarter, and reduced Kennedy’s advantage from 22-11 to 26-24 behind 5-for-5 shooting from senior guard Terrell Smith, who scored 16 points. Gray, the Highlanders’ 6-9 center, left the game midway through the second quarter and Kennedy increased its lead to 36-28 at halftime.

With five minutes to go in the third quarter, Kennedy still led, 43-38, but the Golden Cougars then began their turnover binge that allowed Granada Hills to outscore them 19-3 the rest of the period.

Afterward, the Highlanders were unable to explain the reason for their slow start, which included 27% shooting during the first eight minutes.

“I have no excuse,” Johnson said. “We knew what they were going to do. We told people where they had to be. We even worked on it during practice yesterday.”

The win established a solid foundation for Granada Hills, which is making a run at its third consecutive Northwest Valley League title.

“It was good to beat another 4-A team,” said Gray, referring to the Highlanders’ preseason scrimmages. “We’re building our reputation as a 3-A powerhouse.”

GRANADA HILLS--Debose 2; Johnson 11; Smith 16; Puathasnanon 14; King 9; Gray 21.

KENNEDY--Bethley 5; Ware 14 and 13 rebounds; Malone 19; Bailey 2; Williams 1; Satterfield 12; Miller 2; Morris 2.