Santa Margarita Rolls Past Kennedy

R.J. Socci scored 19 points and Lenny Collins had 18 Tuesday to lead Santa Margarita over host Kennedy, 59-44, in the second round of the Division II-AA boys’ basketball playoffs.

The Eagles (23-4), ranked second in the county, pulled away with a 13-2 run in the second quarter to double-up on Kennedy, 28-14, at halftime.

Cold shooting combined with Santa Margarita’s size advantage made for a disastrous second quarter for Kennedy, which scored only four points in the eight-minute span. The Eagles controlled the boards, outrebounding Kennedy, 17-9, in the first half, and 31-18 in the game.

It also didn’t help that Chris Johnson, one of Kennedy’s top scorers this season, couldn’t get himself untracked. After leading his team with 22 points in the first round against Los Amigos, Johnson managed only four points Tuesday. His first basket came with 32 seconds left in the third quarter.

Kennedy (15-13) got as close as eight points in the second half before Travis Smith nailed a three-pointer and Socci scored on a layup off an Eagle steal to stretch the lead to 13 points, at 41-28.

“We just seemed to get steals at the right moment,” Santa Margarita Coach Jerry DeBusk said. “But they made us have to scramble and it wasn’t easy to play here.”