Hoops: Kentwood and Kentridge split doubleheader

When Kentwood and Kentridge collide on the basketball court, the stands are packed, the environment gets testy and no matter the records or how teams are playing, the competitive nature and will to win comes out in these two teams.

The boys and girls games were split decisions in a doubleheader Jan. 9. For the nightcap, the Conk boys team improved on their great season, downing the Chargers 70-63, as Kentwood now sits at 10-3 this season.

The appetizer, the girls game, came down to the wire. The Kentridge girls got the better of Kentwood, 62-57, with clutch shooting down the stretch to outlast the Conks.

The win sealed a three-game win streak for the Charger girls. But the wins haven’t come easy as they faced some adversity over the recent stretch of games.

“One of the things I have really enjoyed is the resiliency… The fact that they are willing to keep going and not get down on themselves. That is a huge part in girls basketball, the confidence that ‘We can do it,’” Kentridge Head Coach Brad McDowell said.

The two sides were tied at 57-57, but a huge three-point shot from Raelyn Ofrancia put the Chargers in front, then two made free-throws later, the Chargers won their third straight game. Ofrancia does fancy that right corner and drilled the shot that gave Kentridge a tidal wave of momentum with 30 seconds left in the game.

“Her feet were set, she was ready. She likes that corner three. As it went up, I felt good as it was going in… It was exciting… She is a team player and wants to support her teammates. When her time was called, she was ready,” McDowell said.

But it wasn’t just Ofrancia the entire game as the Chargers’ supporting cast rose to the occasion against Kentwood. Jaya Brown got in a groove in the second quarter with a seven-point quarter. She finished with 15 points in the win for Kentridge, but more importantly, had countless rebounds for the Chargers over this three-game win streak.

“Jaya’s rebounding has been huge for us. She has done a great job getting that timely defensive rebound… Those rebounds have been huge… That was a big key for us,” McDowell said.

At halftime, Kentidge had a slim one point lead, 29-28. Kentwood’s Jessica Ajayi had 14 first-half points. But in the second half, she picked up all five fouls and left the game with four minutes left.

The girls game brought some unexpected intensity, with both sides doing a little trash talking throughout the game. For McDowell, he likes seeing the fire from his young group with just one senior. But there is a line that he doesn’t want his team to cross.

“There is always a balance to that. It was nice to see the girls turn up the dial a little bit, but we have to make sure we don’t turn it too far. Rivalry games are fun. That’s where the rivalry comes from,” McDowell said.

Boys game

For the boys game, Kentwood was coming off of a brutal loss against Kennedy Catholic where they fell apart in the last 11 seconds earlier in the week.

Over the days following at practice, the Conks had two great days of practice.

“After Tuesday, we were a little disappointed. I feel like that helped us change our mindset and lock in and prepare us for this game. I’m proud of my guys,” said Kentwood’s Mason St. Louis.

There was an emphasis on getting out of the gate with an extreme pace, and Kentwood accomplished that goal.

“It was important for us to come out today and hit first,” said Kentwood Head Coach Blake Solomon.

At the end of the first quarter, Kentwood was in front 20-8. But in the second quarter and throughout the rest of the game, the Conks never crushed the soul of the Kentridge. Due to that fact, the Chargers were able to cut into massive double-digit leads three times to cut the leads down to five points, four points, and even three points throughout the game.

“Every time we got it up 10 to 13, we would be careless for a couple possessions… We are learning we gotta go for 32 minutes. Once we put it together for all 32, we are going to become the team we know that we are going to be,” Solomon said. “We just gotta shore up those stupid mistakes when we have a chance to put our foot on the gas.”

Despite the disappointment of that part of the Conquerors’ game, they still managed to extend the lead after those lapses in judgment. With four minutes until halftime, Kentridge, after trailing by 12, cut the lead to three at 25-22. But Brandon Tagle and Cory Tita made back-to-back-to-back three-pointers.

St. Louis was the most consistent player on the night for the Conks — whenever they needed some solid play on offense, St. Louis answered the call.

“He’s really good. He can shoot it, put the ball on the floor… When you got a guy who can shoot and put the ball on the floor, it is really hard to guard… He’s really confident and confidence is key for him,” Solomon said.

St. Louis spoke on that confidence he is playing with this season.

“I’ve put in a lot of work. I’ve practiced a lot, so I’m confident in my game no matter who we play. I’m just going to go out there and give it my all,” he said.

Giovanni Moimoi scored just one field goal in the first half, a standout player made minimal impact against Kentwood. A trio of Kentwood defenders played part in that — Aaron Ton, Jacob Bail and Tita are standout defenders for Solomon.

Bail continues to be one of the more impressive first-year varsity players in the NPSL.

“He’s really big for our team… He might not be getting the most shots, but he’s always giving great effort. He’s really big for our team, very impactful,” St. Louis said.

Kentwood took a seven point lead into the fourth quarter and that was where the lead remained as the Conks went on to win and get their season back on track.