Cougars Top Jets on Jam the Gym Night

If you want to win a basketball game, it always starts with defense and rebounding. Just ask the Kennedy boys, who proved this thinking true last night. The Cougars eliminated the East Meadow inside game and they didn't allow second chances, and that led them to a 49-37 victory.

Joey Karo led the way in scoring for the Cougars with 14, and Brendan Mills tallied 12 points as well. But all of the Cougars contributed in what was a true team effort.

The fans also arrived in droves, as it was "Jam the Gym" night at Kennedy. Many prizes were given away that ranged from gift cards to a brand new Laptop Mini.

"We knew it was a big game," said Adrian Rose, who was all over the place and grabbed several key rebounds throughout the contest. "We started out slow last game. We couldn't let that happen again."

Kennedy (8-3) actually came out of the gate a bit sloppy, but they quickly got their game together. The Cougars were winning the battles to the loose ball and were forcing their way to the foul line, and they jumped out to a 9-0 lead.

East Meadow (5-8) couldn't find an answer for the defensive pressure that Kennedy was applying. Kennedy continued to give the Jets the chance to take the outside shot, and that played into Kennedy's philosophy. The Cougars had the big bodies of Mills and Rose down low at all times, so it was rare that a rebound would get into East Meadow's hands.

"They kept daring us to take the outside shot," said East Meadow coach Barry Dickson. "We need to make more shots when we have those open looks."

It wasn't until there was only 1:46 remaining in the first quarter that East Meadow would score their first basket, and that would be the only one that they would get in the period. The first quarter ended with Kennedy leading 18-3.

"We played an excellent first quarter," coach Rory Block said. "We played good defense, and we rebounded fairly well. I was happy with our effort."

The second quarter started in messy fashion for Kennedy, as they had a number of passes telegraphed and intercepted. East Meadow was also drawing fouls, but they weren't making any of their free throws.

The Jets began to apply a full court press, and Kennedy took some time to adjust. More of East Meadow's jump shots began to fall, and the lead was reduced to just eight. The first half would end with the Cougars leading 25-15.

"I knew that East Meadow was going to be a tough match up," Block said. "Remember, this is the only team that gave Plainview a loss this season."

The third quarter belonged to Mills. After scoring just four points in the first half, the Cougars' rebounding machine established himself down low, and East Meadow could do nothing but continuously foul him.

"I have to get to the right spot," Mills said. "When I get there and get the ball, I need to make sure I go up as hard as I can. That's my job."

Mills continued to go to the line, and the Cougars' lead rose to 11. That's what it would be at the end of the third quarter. Kennedy led 37-26.

The fourth quarter was a big game of keep away for Kennedy. Each time the Cougars had possession, they made sure to milk the shot clock, and they still managed to keep on scoring. Combine that with solid rebounding and aggressive defense, and Kennedy increased its lead to 16.

East Meadow showed a little bit of life during the last couple of minutes in the fourth, but Karo hit a three pointer with 1:20 left that would be the icing on the cake.

"They completely outplayed us in every facet of the game tonight," Dickson said. "They're a good defensive rebounding team and they play solid defense. It's hard to score when you are not getting second chances."

East Meadow failed to yield a player in double figures in scoring, as Rob Franzese led the way with nine points.

"We played hard," Franzese said. "We fell behind though, and we were unable to find that run in us that we needed to get back over the hump."

Kennedy's next game is next Friday at 7 p.m. when they host Freeport, a team that defeated the Cougars earlier this month.