Cedar Rapids Kennedy tops Washington for third time this boys’ basketball season in substate final

SOLON — He gingerly walked up a ladder and cut down a souvenir piece of net from one of the baskets at Solon High School postgame, just as the rest of his Cedar Rapids Kennedy teammates did.

He maneuvered his way back down that latter and limped a bit around the court to continue slapping hands and hugging everyone as this celebration continued.

Cedar Rapids Kennedy’s boys’ basketball team will need Kenzie Reed at next week’s state tournament in Des Moines. He’s the Class 4A leader in assists, a superb junior point guard who makes this high-powered Cougars offense go.

Reed injured his left ankle in the fourth quarter, rolling it when he came down in the lane after competing defensively for an interior pass from opponent Cedar Rapids Washington. He didn’t play the rest of a 4A substate final that Kennedy won, 53-36.

“My ankle, it’s a little stiff,” Reed said. “But we’ll work on it during the week. Hopefully it’ll heal before state. I had (an injury on my) right one a couple weeks back, and that healed up. Tonight, I just hurt my left one. Came down on it wrong.”

That was about the only negative news in a game Kennedy pretty much dominated. The Cougars (20-3) outscored Washington (13-10) by 13 points in the second quarter to build a 30-16 halftime lead and kept that comfortable cushion the entire second half.

Kennedy beat Washington twice in the regular season as well. The Cougars are 4A’s fourth seed, taking on fifth-seeded Waukee Northwest (20-4) in a state tourney quarterfinal game Wednesday, March 9, at 10:30 a.m.

“All eight teams that get to go down there have a chance,” said Kennedy Coach Jon McKowen. “They all have a chance to win it. In big games like that, ... If you get hot, if you stay in sync with each other, play loose, then anybody’s got a chance down there.”

This Kennedy team has been 3-point-centric most of the season, but didn’t especially shoot it well from beyond the arc here, going just 4 for 16. But the dribble-drive game was strong, as was the balance.

Colby Dolphin led the way with 13 points, with big men Jackson Bowman and Craig Mills chipping in eight, the same total that guard Carter Newhouse contributed off the bench.

“Tonight we had to grind out this win,” said Dolphin, who also starred defensively, taking three charging fouls. “We didn’t shoot it well, but we kind of spaced the floor and got to the rim. Penetration was big tonight. We dumped it down to the bigs tonight. It just helps us that we have guys who can drive, but that also can shoot, too. It spaces the floor.”

Meanwhile, Washington didn’t shoot it well and didn’t rebound, either. Kennedy held a 28-18 advantage on the glass, with the Cougars getting multiple second shots and not giving the Warriors any when the game was still in the balance in the first half.

Traijan Sain capped a terrific junior season with a team-high 18 points. Guard Jesse Sellers added 10, but two other Washington starters (Jaden Harris and Will Hodges) went scoreless.

“We felt like we had our guys prepared, but we didn’t really do what we needed to do,” said Washington Coach Justin Decker. “Scouting report was that Dolphin went to his left almost every time, they had eight or nine offensive rebounds and scored on four or five of them that first half. We dug ourselves a hole. It is what it is. It just didn’t go our way.”

This was the second year in a row Washington lost a substate final game. Decker talked postgame about his program being able to take that next step, which is highly plausible considering all five starters will return, as well as a couple of important bench players.

“Frustrating way to end it,” Decker said. “We didn’t play good, and that’s it. It is what it is.”

AT SOLON

CEDAR RAPIDS WASHINGTON (36): J.J. Willis 2-4 0-0 4, Traijan Sain 7-15 3-4 18, Jaden Harris 0-2 0-0 0, Will Hodges 0-3 0-0 0, Jesse Sellers 4-10 0-0 10, Stevie Cain 2-4 0-0 4, Bryce Brim 0-2 0-0 0, Omoro Crusoe 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 15-40 3-4 36.

CEDAR RAPIDS KENNEDY (53): Jackson Bowman 4-9 0-0 8, Craig Mills 4-4 0-0 8, Colby Dolphin 4-11 4-4 13, Carson Blietz 2-7 0-0 5, Kenzie Reed 3-5 0-0 7, Cyrus Courtney 2-5 0-0 4, Carter Newhouse 3-4 0-0 8, Gannon Hall 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 22-45 5-5 53.

Halftime - Kennedy 30, Washington 16. 3-point goals - Washington 3-10 (Sain 1-1, Harris 0-1, Hodges 0-1, Sellers 2-5, Brim 0-2), Kennedy 4-16 (Bowman 0-1, Dolphin 0-3, Blietz 1-5, Reed 1-2, Courtney 0-2, Newhouse 2-4. Rebounds - Washington 18 (Willis, Sain, Hodges 4), Kenned 28 (Bowman 9). Total fouls - Washington 13, Kennedy 11. Technical foul - Harris. Fouled out - Harris. Turnovers - Washington 11, Kennedy 12.

Comments: (319)-398-8258, jeff.johnson@thegazette.com