Sports

Analysis: Frustrating Finish for Kemp, Evergreen Park

Marcus Kemp looked nearly unstoppable in the Mustangs' regional game against Joliet Catholic on Monday night, but he and his teammates didn't like the way things turned out.

CALUMET CITY—Early in , senior center Marcus Kemp had most of Evergreen Park’s baskets. He was getting the ball to fed to him on the low post and converting at a rate of 80 percent. Kemp had eight of his 12 points in the first quarter alone.

Despite his own and his team's best efforts, the Mustangs fell to Joliet Catholic, 63-52, bringing an end to Evergreen’s season. 

Kemp had the Hillmen's number, but all of the sudden, the Mustangs stopped feeding him the ball. Kemp, understandably disappointed after the game, voiced his feelings. 

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"I tried to get them into the game with my intensity, but it seemed like they didn't want to play today," Kemp said. "I wasn't playing to my abilities and lost my energy.”

The team's intensity faded as well, despite Kemp’s attempts to be a motivating force on the floor. Kemp added four points in the fourth quarter to finish the game with 12. He also pulled down a pair of rebounds.

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Evergreen Park, which finished with a record of 5-24, faced a number of obstacles this year, losing players because of discipline issues.

"We had to build what we could with what we had left," Kemp said.

Kemp will try to build on his high school basketball career after the school year. He plans to try out for a potential walk-on spot with Southern Illinois University upon his arrival in arrival in Carbondale in the fall.

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