Kentwood High School girls basketball a year ago was 5-2 and coming off a 37-point win against Federal Way.
This year, Kentwood traveled to Auburn Riverside to take on a Ravens squad under new leadership and looking to find direction in the 4A North Puget Sound League (NPSL).
Kentwood is also looking to find direction this year as the Conquerors have now dropped four straight games, with the fourth loss coming Dec. 12 to the Ravens, 51-31.
“It is definitely a disappointing start to the season… We’re just working though stuff and working to figure things out,” Kentwood coach Jordan Nero said.
Four-game losing streaks don’t happen that often for the Kentwood girls basketball teams. The last time they lost four straight was the tail end of the 2018-19 season and the first game of the 2019-20 season.
What has been extremely difficult is the way Kentwood has been dropping games this season. All four losses have an average margin of 25.5 points, the largest at Auburn (43) and the closest at Tahoma (18).
But if there is some light, the Conks went down to Camas and put up 52 points in the loss. That is the most points Camas has given up since an OT win against Garfield this past Jan. 15. For an in-state, regulation game Camas hasn’t given up 52 points since Jan. 16, 2023, in a win against Tahoma where the Bears scored 53. So that is rare air for the Conks in a season with not too many highs.
Against Riverside it was just tough to get going, as the Conks scored just one point in the first quarter. It doesn’t matter how good you are, but coming back from a place that low is not easy. Ava Valentine’s one made free throw was it, and the Conks were down 13-1 after the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Kentwood had some better luck. At the break, Kentwood trailed 26-10.
Coming out of the halftime break, there was some resilience from the Conks, but it was clear the game was out of reach. Kentwood was playing for pride because they had no other choice.
Up until the fourth quarter, reigning NPSL MVP Jessica Ajayi was kept in check, which was part of the reason Kentwood was so far behind. She had just two points, but the former MVP got cooking in the fourth quarter with a 12-point quarter.
Kentwood lost 63-19 to Lake Washington on Dec. 14 before hosting one-win Stadium on Dec. 17.
“We want to be playing our best ball in January and February. We are still preaching that, but with the start it is tough to continue to sell that. But we are just going to keep working,” Nero said.
There is also an importance to emphasize the season is a marathon, not a sprint. But that comes as a challenge for Nero as the immediate feeling is so dreary.
“Eventually we will figure it out cause we always do. It is definitely a gut punch right now,” he said.
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Kentwood’s Jessica Ajayi faces a plethora of Raven defenders. Ben Ray / The Reporter
