Girls’ Basketball Playoffs : Kennedy’s Second-Quarter Surge Sparks Win

Kennedy High, the two-time City Section 4-A Division champion, overcame a slow start to surge past visiting Gardena, 71-53, in the first round of the playoffs Friday.

The Golden Cougars (15-6) advance to the quarterfinal round Wednesday against Washington, which defeated Jordan, 61-56, in another first-round playoff game Friday.

“We knew after the first quarter that we had to come out and really play,” said Falicia Stanley, the Golden Cougars’ leading scorer with 21 points. “We knew we had to win.”

Kennedy led, 17-16, at the end of the first quarter, then outscored Gardena, 16-4, during a four-minute stretch in the second period. Kennedy converted 8 of 10 field-goal attempts in the run.

“Every time we come out, we always start out slow,” said Kennedy’s Debbie Barnard, who scored 11 points.

Gardena pulled to within seven points, 43-36, in the third quarter, but after a timeout, Kennedy outscored Gardena, 13-4, over the last 3 1/2 minutes of the third quarter and the first minute of the fourth period for a 58-40 lead.