Hayden's clutch shooting helps Kennedy escape Washington

CEDAR RAPIDS — She likes to shoot it from there.

'I guess that's my favorite spot,' Cedar Rapids Kennedy's Sydney Hayden said. 'Especially compared to the corner or the top of the key. I like shooting there.'

'There' is beyond the arc, to the right of the hoop, approximately halfway between the corner and the top of the key. That was the money ball three times in the most crucial of moments Tuesday night for the senior guard.

Hayden forced overtime with six seconds left, then made two more in the extra period as the Class 5A seventh-ranked Cougars survived Cedar Rapids Washington's upset bid, 67-59, at the Warrior gym. All three were from 'there.'

'We knew if we kept fighting, we could do it,' said Hayden, who finished with a game-high 17 points.

Two free throws by Vanessa Eniola gave Washington (3-4) a 49-47 lead with 1:27 left. After a Kennedy free throw, Jessica Puk made two free throws with 17 seconds remaining to put the Warriors ahead, 51-48.

After a timeout, Kennedy star Lela Sellers took the inbounds pass, drove down court, to the lane, turned and fired a pass backward to an open Hayden. Splish, splash.

'I knew I had to do something,' said Sellers, the Liberty University commit. 'Get it to the hoop, score and get fouled. But I saw Sydney right at the end, and I knew if I kicked it out, she would make that shot. It was just awesome.'

Sellers was riddled with foul problems but had a huge block and free throw in overtime, as Kennedy (7-1) took a 57-54 lead. A Puk drive made it a one-point game again, but Hayden stepped up with a 3 from 'there' with 1:55 left to put the Cougars up by four.

Wash didn't get any closer.

All five Kennedy starters finished in double figures in scoring. Hailey Dolphin had 13, Sellers 12, Linden Runels 11 and Carly Langhurst 10. Eniola had 14 points to lead Washington, with Joniqua Clark adding 12 and Puk 11.

'It's awesome to know we can count on each other, that it's not all one person,' said Sellers, who came in averaging 19 points per game. 'We all need each other and work together.'

—————————————————————

AT C.R. WASHINGTON

C.R. KENNEDY (67): Linden Runels 3-9 5-6 11, Lela Sellers 4-6 3-7 12, Hailey Dolphin 1-3 11-12 13, Carly Langhurst 3-7 4-5 10, Sydney Hayden 5-10 3-4 17, Olivia Hellweg 0-2 0-0 0, Kendal Meier 0-1 0-0 0, Ashley Hamilton 1-4 2-2 4, Alana Steele 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 17-38 28-36 67.

C.R. WASHINGTON (59): Jessica Puk 4-7 2-2 11, Jayla Johnson 4-9 0-0 8, Payton Bruner 3-11 0-0 8, Anne Visser 0-6 1-2 1, Joniqua Clark 4-14 2-2 12, Vanessa Eniola 4-7 6-6 14, Caitlin Riley 1-4 0-0 3, Brittany Hoeger 0-1 0-0 0, Melanie Hoeger 0-0 0-0 0, Devon O'Donnell 0-0 0-0 0, Grace Carey 1-1 0-0 2, Sandra Mia 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-60 11-15 59.

Halftime — Kennedy 21, Washington 20. End of Regulation — Kennedy 51, Washington 51. 3-point goals — Runels 0-3, Sellers 1-1, Hayden 4-6, Hellweg 0-2, Hamilton 0-2, Steele 0-1), Washington 6-19 (Puk 1-2, Bruner 2-4, Visser 0-4, Clark 2-5, Riley 1-4). Rebounds — Kennedy 42 (Sellers 10, Langhurst 9), Washington 31 (Clark 5). Total fouls — Kennedy 13, Washington 24. Fouled out — Visser, Clark. Turnovers — Kennedy 19, Washington 14.

l Comments: (319) 398-8259; jeff.johnson@thegazette.com