Forget 0-5: Surging Kennedy wins 9th game of its last 11

CEDAR RAPIDS — With each passing game, 0-5 becomes more and more of a distant memory.

Bentley Dill registered 17 points and nine rebounds, including a riveting 3-point run in the third quarter, and Class 5A 15th-ranked Cedar Rapids Kennedy topped 4A No. 10 Cedar Rapids Xavier, 49-40, in a Mississippi Valley Conference girls basketball game Friday night at Ron Thillen Gymnasium.

“I have the mentality that every shot in going to go in,” said Dill, a sophomore. “When they’re not going in, I have to keep my head up and keep shooting it.”

They weren’t always going in Friday (she was 4-of-17 from the floor), but Dill drilled three 3-pointers in the first 3:10 of the third quarter — they had to combine for 75 feet of distance.

As a result, the Cougars (9-7 overall, 7-3 MVC) won for the ninth time in the last 11 games after starting the season 0-for-5.

“It started when they started trusting each other and trusting us coaches,” Kennedy co-head coach Madi Parker said.

“Everyone’s going to lock in on Bentley. I’ve never had a kid more competitive than her. You give her the toughest conditioning workout, and she’ll say, ‘I want to do it.’”

Kennedy led from start to finish and avenged a 60-50 loss to the Saints 24 days ago.

Dill’s second trey of her third-quarter barrage gave the Cougars their largest lead, 28-16.

Xavier (9-8, 6-5) got within 41-36 with 6:58 left, but scored just four points the rest of the way.

Kennedy held the Saints to 29-percent shooting (14 of 48).

“Defense has been a main focus in practice,” Parker said. “They’ve got to get three stops in a row, or we’re going to keep going (on a drill).”

Dill added, “The coaches have drilled it hard that we had to go harder at each other in practice.”

Alaysia Williams added eight points for Kennedy.

Brooklyn Emerson paced Xavier with 12 points (she was 4-of-5 from long distance) before fouling out late. Jaselle Lang scored 10, and Madden Wilson posted nine points and five assists.

BOYS: CEDAR RAPIDS KENNEDY 68, CEDAR RAPIDS XAVIER 49

The Cougars (8-6, 4-4) hit 14 3-pointers -- 10 in the first half -- and placed four players in double figures.

Jaxson Bean led Kennedy with 16 points. Lawson Neighbor added 15, Kaden Gomez 12, Justin Powell 10.

Zander Murray scored 22 points for Xavier (9-6, 5-3).

Cedar Rapids Kennedy 49, Cedar Rapids Xavier 40

At C.R. Xavier

C.R. KENNEDY (49): Bentley Dill 4-17 6-7 17, Payton Thier 2-5 1-2 7, Alaina Canney 3-6 1-1 7, Lola Sain 1-4 0-0 2, Addison Stallman 2-7 1-2 6, Alaysia Williams 3-6 0-1 8, Isabella Senters 1-1 0-0 2, Abby Wedemeier 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 16-46 9-14 49.

C.R. XAVIER (40): Madden Wilson 3-9 1-2 9, Jaselle Lang 3-5 4-5 10, Brooklyn Emerson 4-5 0-2 12, Reese Komenda 1-7 0-0 2, Samantha Dorrity 1-13 0-0 2, Cayleigh O’Brien 0-1 1-2 1, Kyanna Harbeck 2-8 0-0 4. Totals 14-48 6-11 40.

C.R. Kennedy 9 13 19 8 — 49

C.R. Xavier 5 10 19 6 — 40

3-point goals: Kennedy 8-23 (Dill 3-9, Thier 2-4, Sain 0-1, Stallman 1-4, Williams 2-5), Xavier 6-23 (Wilson 2-4, Lang 0-2, Emerson 4-5, Komenda 0-2, Dorrity 0-7, Harbeck 0-3). Team fouls: Kennedy 13, Xavier 19. Fouled out: Emerson. Rebounds: Kennedy 34 (Dill 9), Xavier 34 (Dorrity 8). Assists: Kennedy 10 (Dill 3), Xavier 9 (Wilson 5). Steals: Kennedy 4 (Dill 2), Xavier 4 (Wilson 2). Turnovers: Kennedy 11, Xavier 12.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com