Mount Vernon jolts Kennedy with a massive second half, 56-30

CEDAR RAPIDS — This was 20 minutes of competitive, back-and-forth basketball.

And 12 minutes of Mount Vernon dominance, utter and complete.

The Mustangs landed a 35-7 haymaker to conclude the game and ran away from Cedar Rapids Kennedy, 56-30, in the opening contest of Rivalry Saturday at Johnson Hall.

“We came in here ready for a battle,” said Mount Vernon senior Lilly See, who led all scorers with 15 points, all after intermission. “We kept our heads up and looked for openings.”

Those openings got a lot wider and a lot more frequent in the second half.

“We got down the floor a lot better. We were able to play our posts back and forth,” Mustangs Coach Nate Sanderson said. “And we handled their pressure a lot better in the second half.”

Mount Vernon (2-0) actually faced a 23-21 deficit midway through the third quarter. But a 9-0 run put the Mustangs ahead for good, then they held Kennedy (0-2) without a field goal for the final 9 minutes, 17 seconds.

All-state volleyball player Chloe Meester ignited Mount Vernon early, scoring eight straight points for a 10-4 lead. Kennedy got even, 17-17, at halftime.

Freshman guard Courtney Franck added eight points. Peyton Simpson registered seven points, five rebounds, four assists and four steals.

Lexi Moore, Addy Alber and Kaliyah Sain scored eight points apiece for Kennedy.

“We shot (48 percent) and they shot (22),” Sanderson said. “You have a good chance to win if you do that.”

Mount Vernon 56, Cedar Rapids Kennedy 30

At Johnson Hall

C.R. KENNEDY (30): Ella Moser 0-3 0-0 0, Sidney Swartzendruber 0-2 0-0 0, Lexi Moore 3-6 2-8 8, Addy Alber 3-7 2-5 8, Kaliyah Sain 3-14 1-2 8, Addison Swartzendruber 0-2 0-0 0, Jacey Powell 0-1 0-0 0, Gracie Park 2-6 0-0 6, Kyla Wright 0-1 0. Totals 11-42 5-15 30.

MOUNT VERNON (56): Kameron Brand 0-1 1-2 1, Courtney Franck 2-3 3-6 8, Lilly See 6-10 2-4 15, Brynley Rasmussen 2-2 0-2 4, Peyton Simpson 2-9 3-4 7, Taylor Franck 1-2 0-0 2, Abbie Moss 0-0 0-0 0, Elsa Appleton 0-0 0-0 0, Chloe Meester 6-14 2-3 14, Josie Niehaus 0-1 0-0 0, Eryn Jackson 2-2 0-1 5, Lillian Wischmeyer 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-44 11-22 56.

C.R. Kennedy 4 13 12 1 — 30

Mount Vernon 10 7 21 18 — 56

3-point goals: Kennedy 3-17 (A. Swartzendruber 0-1, Powell 0-1, Park 2-5, Moser 0-1, S. Swartzendruber 0-2, Sain 1-7), Mount Vernon 3-9 (C. Franck 1-1, See 1-2, Jackson 1-1, Simpson 0-5). Team fouls: Kennedy 20, Mount Vernon 10. Fouled out: none. Rebounds: Kennedy 32 (Sain 8), Mount Vernon 26 (See 8). Assists: Kennedy 6 (Moser 2), Mount Vernon 8 (Simpson 4). Steals: Kennedy 7 (Sain 3), Mount Vernon 15 (Simpson 4). Turnovers: Kennedy 23, Mount Vernon 14.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com