Kentlake seeks first championship in 10 years

Winning the SPSL 4A Northeast conference would go a long way toward the kind of favorable draw Kentlake will need for a run to the regional tournament

By Eric Mandel • January 28, 2015 6:05 pm
Sophomore Kylee Johnson goes up for a shot against a crowd of defenders Jan. 24 against Tahoma. The Falcons beat the Bears 42-36
Sophomore Kylee Johnson goes up for a shot against a crowd of defenders Jan. 24 against Tahoma. The Falcons beat the Bears 42-36

Winning the SPSL 4A Northeast conference would go a long way toward the kind of favorable draw Kentlake will need for a run to the regional tournament. But beyond that, there’s some Falcon pride at stake.

“It’s been nine or ten years since we’ve been able to put a banner up in our gym, so that would be a very, very cool thing,” said Kentlake girls head basketball coach Scott Simmons.

Kentlake took another big step towards their first conference title since the 2004-05 season with a 42-36 win over Tahoma Saturday night. As of press deadline Tuesday, Kentlake was 5-1 in conference with matchups against Kent-Meridian (2-4 in conference) and Kentwood (0-6 in conference) before the district tournament. The Falcons split the regular season games against Kentridge, which also had just one loss as of Tuesday. This means a tie-breaker scenario may be on the horizon.

“It’s not surprising… that it is two of us neck-and-neck at the end,” Simmons said. “I know our girls are competitive kids and like to step up in big games… It could just be one of those classic battles.”

Led by sophomore point guard Sydney Peterson, the youthful Falcons have scored an average of nearly 51 points per game in conference, while surrendering just over 39 points to their opponents. Simmons credited Peterson’s fellow underclassmen, Jada Leonard, Kylee Johnson and Aniston Denckla for building strong chemistry throughout the squad and supporting one another.

“It’s hard to stop talking about the kids because I’m very proud of each and every one of them,” Simmons said.

The 2004-05 Falcons squad finished fifth overall at state. Simmons hopes to build enough momentum to give that placing a run.

“This group, they have the potential,” he said. “If we don’t at least make it to regionals we would be disappointed in ourselves and underachieved.”

Kentwood boys

The Kentwood boys basketball team kept their undefeated conference record with a 70-59 win over second-place Kentridge on Jan. 24. As of press time Tuesday, Kentwood owned a 6-0 conference record, 16-2 overall.

Kentlake defeated Tahoma earlier in the day, 44-40, for their second conference win of the season. At 2-4, the Falcons were third in the five-team conference, as of Tuesday. Tahoma sits in last with a 1-6 record.