Cedar Rapids Kennedy stays undefeated with dominant substate final win
By Douglas Miles
IOWA CITY – State-bound and still perfect.
The dream season for the Cedar Rapids Kennedy boys' basketball team raced onward Tuesday night after a 76-48 rout of North Scott at Iowa City West High School in a Class 4A substate final.
The victory earned the Cougars their second trip to the state tournament in two years, but this time they're bringing a No. 1 ranking and a perfect 22-0 record.
"They are competitively mature," Kennedy Coach Jon McKowen said after the game at Iowa City West High School. "They spend time in the film room. They do it the right way. And they truly enjoy it. They have fun in practice. They have fun in games. And that allows you just to lock in and do it the right way every day."
When the first set of boys' basketball rankings were released three weeks into the season and Kennedy was at No. 1 in 4A, McKowen brought the subject before the entire team.
"I asked them the first day (after the rankings release)," McKowen said. "I said, 'Do you guys want to talk about this? Do we want to talk about how to handle that pressure or that target on your back?' And they said, 'No, it doesn't bother us. It is not what we care about.' Again, it is just a mature group. They just go about it the right way."
Kennedy remains No. 1 in every poll – including SB Live Iowa's Power 25 Feb. 13 rankings – and are the top seed in 4A state tournament bracket. The Cougars will open with a state quarterfinal game against No. 8-seed Pleasant Valley (19-5) on Wednesday, Mar. 8 at 2 p.m. at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.
"We have just got to play hard, lock in, have good practices," junior Cyrus Courtney said. "And we will see the reward."
The Cougars won 20 of their 22 games by double digits this season. Only Iowa City West (seven points) and Cedar Falls (nine) were vanquished by less than 10 points.
"We take every team seriously no matter who they are or what their record is," Kennedy junior forward Micah Schlaak said.
After a tightly contested first quarter ended with Kennedy up, 13-10, the Cougars found breathing room in the second by scoring 16 of the first 20 points of the frame. By halftime, Kennedy had matched its largest lead of the first half at 39-23.
"We just went against the mismatches we had against them," Courtney said. "And then we just kept going at it."
Courtney led the way with 17 points and 10 rebounds for Kennedy, which held North Scott to 14 fewer points than its scoring average throughout the season. The 28-point final margin was Kennedy's largest lead of the night.
"Just defense, really," said senior Colby Dolphin, a Kirkwood recruit. "It was close early and just a couple of stops we strung up, a couple stops and then we started hitting shots. But really, it was just the defensive side of the ball that we got the job done."
Dolphin chipped in 16 points, including a pair of three-point baskets, while Schlaak and sophomore reserve guard Trey McKowen added 10 apiece.
Kavon Phillips poured in 16 points and Brennan Reid posted 12 for North Scott, which ends its season at 17-6.
Kennedy won its last state championship in 1984. The Cougars reached the semifinals of the state tournament last season before losing by 19 to Ames.
"Last year, didn't have a lot of experience," Dolphin said. "Just got our feet wet in there at the state tournament. But this year, we have got the experience and we are ready to make a run at it."
Boys basketball
CLASS 4A SUBSTATE FINAL
No. 1 Cedar Rapids Kennedy 76, North Scott 48
At Iowa City West High School
NORTH SCOTT (48): Tyler Watkins 1 1-2 4, Kyler Gerardy 1 1-2 3, Brennan Reid 3 3-4 12, Kavon Phillips 5 6-6 16, Colin Albrecht 0 0-0 0, Drew Sacia 1 0-0 3, Drew Kilburg 2 3-4 7, Cayden Meskimen 1 0-0 3, Cole Kilburg 0 0-0 0, Totals 14 14-18 48.
CEDAR RAPIDS KENNEDY (76): Kenzie Reed 2 3-4 7, Colby Dolphin 6 2-3 16, Cyrus Courtney 7 2-3 17, Micah Schlaak 5 0-0 10, Carter Newhouse 1 1-2 4, Trey McKowen 3 2-2 10, Jace Scott 1 0-0 3, Griffin Gerdes 0 0-0 0, Tristan Steichen 1 0-0 2, Reid Hall 0 0-0 0, Nolan Grawe 1 0-0 3, Trevan Krumrei 1 1-2 4, Totals 28 11-16 76.
North Scott 10 13 10 15–48
Cedar Rapids Kennedy 13 26 17 20–76
Three-point goals – North Scott 6 (Reid 3, Sacia 1, Watkins 1, Meskimen 1), Cedar Rapids Kennedy 9 (Dolphin 2, McKowen 2, Scott 1, Courtney 1, Krumrei 1, Newhouse 1, Grawe 1); Rebounds – North Scott 15 (Phillips 4), Cedar Rapids Kennedy 24 (Courtney 10); Total fouls – North Scott 16, Cedar Rapids Kennedy 17; Fouled out – None.
