Kennedy Boys Basketball Routs Calhoun on Senior Night

After scoring just two points in the first quarter of last week's loss to Great Neck South, the Kennedy Cougars  boys basketball team looked to get off to a slightly better start against Calhoun -- that they did, and then some.

Before a packed house on senior night, the Cougars came roaring out of the gate, notching a 25-point first quarter and dispatching rival Calhoun, 50-27 Monday night. Kennedy finished tied with the Colts with a 9-5 conference record, and both teams are headed to the playoffs.

"We've been a little down, we haven't been playing well, so to come up with a lot of energy, big crowd, district rival, everything kind of played into [the win]," Cougars head coach Rory Block said.

Indeed, it was an emotional night, with nine Kennedy seniors honored before the game and the gym packed with fans from both schools. They saw the Cougars carry that emotion over into the start of play, as they jumped to a quick 7-0 lead.

Two of the seniors, Will Colon and Joey Karo, each hit a pair of three's. Karo's second three-pointer came at the buzzer, as the Cougars held a 25-8 lead after one and were never really challenged the rest of the way.

"We were just looking for each other ... we started getting rebounds, crashing the boards and hitting some big shots," Colon said.

It was a defensive struggle the rest of the night, as Calhoun managed only single digits in every quarter. After scoring 25 in the first, the Cougars only scored 25 over the final three frames. The rim seemed to shrink for both sides, though strong Kennedy defense early on was a key as well.

"We didn't let [Calhoun] get into the paint early, and when they did, [Brian] O'Gorman's back there blocking shots," Block said. "We kind of forced them to hit shots from the outside ... thankfully they weren't too hot."

Colon led the Cougars with 10 points, O'Gorman chipped in with eight and Mike Teich added seven. Three Calhoun players tied for the team lead with five.

The lopsided score allowed Kennedy reserves to see some late action, including seniors Andrew Hirsch and Alec Stone, who got into the scoring column in their final regular season game. The game was all about the seniors, getting ready for the playoffs and a major offensive outpouring from several of Kennedy's players.

"We wanted to prove something and we certainly did," Block said. "We can put the ball in the basket. The seniors did a great job of moving the ball, getting everyone involved and knocking down shots."

If they can knock down a few more come playoff time, it could be a sweet final season for Kennedy Cougar senior class.