Down to the Wire: Kennedy Slides by Calhoun to Charge Into the Playoffs

It was a tale of two very different situations.

For the Lady Cougars (9-3, 11-6), it was about the seniors and their last game at Kennedy High School. Steph Roney and Taylor Kruter were honored with gifts and accolades, and they were relaxed because their first round matchup in the playoffs is set. They will be battling Great Neck South on Friday. The start time has not been announced.

For Calhoun (5-7, 6-11), the story was the complete opposite. After losing their first six games of the season, the Colts were one win away from an improbable playoff berth last night, and although they played hard, it was just not meant to be as Kennedy inched out a victory, 46-45.  

Calhoun coach Dave Radtke was proud nonetheless.

"These girls believe in themselves," he said. "I try to squeeze every ounce out of them, but sometimes you just run out of gas."

Calhoun actually had the ball with 4.8 seconds left, but they were unable to get a quality shot at the basket for a chance to win. Kennedy blocked off all of the paths, and the ball was knocked away.

"We played a very nice defensive game tonight," Kennedy coach Debra Cipolla Minafo said. "The veterans really played well down the stretch, and it's important when they can do that."

Carly Thea lead the way in scoring for the Cougars with 12. Roney added nine to the effort, and Kruter and Morgan Kitton contributed seven apiece.

For Roney, it was bittersweet to eliminate Calhoun from playoff contention and earn a win in her last regular season game at the Kennedy gym.

"After losing to Calhoun last time, we needed to stick it to them," Roney said. "This is definitely the kind of win that gives us momentum as we head into the playoffs."

Kruter nailed the shot that would eventually be the game-winner, but she was quick to give the credit to her coach.

"Coach prepared us very well for this," Kruter said. "We work well as a team, and I think we made smart decisions tonight. One mistake could be the difference."

Jessica Ruggerio led the way for the Colts with 17, and 10 of those points came during crunch time in the fourth quarter.

"This was certainly a game that was full of emotion," Ruggerio said. "All we can do now is learn from this and move forward. What I do think is that next year we are going to be really good and we might just take it all the way."

Meaghan O'Sullivan added 11 for Calhoun, and Danielle Losee chipped in eight.

The game started off well for Kennedy, but things got interesting when Cipolla-Minafo emptied her bench early. The Colts were able to get back in the game, and they trailed by just one at the end of a quarter.

Kennedy continued to pound it at Calhoun, but Ruggerio and O'Sullivan were able to answer with points of their own, and the first half ended with the Cougars up by two.

The third quarter was an opportunity for Calhoun. The Colts opened up a seven point lead, but their defensive tactics led to foul shots which would trim the lead to three at the end of the third period.

The fourth quarter went back and forth as well, but the Cougars had the momentum at the right time, and they ensured themselves the win.

"If the game was one minute longer, things might have been different," Radtke said. "These girls are going to get better from this."

Kennedy now focuses its attention on top-seeded Great Neck South on Friday. Great Neck is 12-1 in conference play, with its sole loss coming at the hands of the Cougars two weeks ago.  

In her last home game on the court, Roney made it clear that Kennedy has plenty of confidence heading into the postseason.  

"We're going to beat them," Roney said of Great Neck.  "With the way that we have been rolling, I don't see any way we can lose."

Calhoun- Jessica Ruggerio, 17; Meghan O'Sullivan, 11; Danielle Losee, 8; Erin Green, 4; Katie Berghorn, 3; Dana Silvester, 2

Kennedy- Carly Thea, 14; Steph Roney, 9; Taylor Kruter, 7; Morgan Kitton, 7; Allie Kellar, 5; Kerri Stalzer, 4