Kennedy Girls Open League With Another Win

After 80 straight league victories, what could possibly be surprising about another Kennedy High girls win in the Valley 4-A league--or any league for that matter? Certainly not its 81st straight league win over visiting El Camino Real High on Friday afternoon, 62-47. That was to be expected. What wasn’t expected was the way Kennedy played--even if it was the league opener for both teams.

“I didn’t think we played very well for most of the game,” Kennedy Coach Craig Raub said after the Cougars improved to 9-3 overall. “We played a fine first quarter, but then we lost some of our intensity, and I was not pleased that we did.”

Senior center Diane DeCree, who had 15 points at intermission, finished with a game-high 24 points for Kennedy, and teammates Tisa Rush and Yolanda Lewis, both senior guards, each added 18.

El Camino, which trailed by 12 at halftime, cut the lead to 35-25, but Kennedy went on a 14-3 run to put the game away.

“We’re a very young team, and they’re (Kennedy) one of the best teams in the Valley,” El Camino’s Neil Ludlow said. “But we played them tough in the second half and I was proud of that.”

Kennedy opened a 9-3 lead with 3:27 left in the first period and built the advantage to 21-7 by the quarter’s end when April Ham scored from close range and Lewis connected on two free throws.

Kerrie Marshall, El Camino’s 5-7 junior forward, scored 10 of her team-high 16 points in the period as the Conquistadors pulled to within 25-15.

Forward Lisa Huffaker and guard Nicole Nelson each had 14 points for El Camino.