Kennedy captures first CIF championship with victory over league rival Laguna Hills

Kennedy’s basketball team celebrates after winning a CIF title Saturday night. (PHOTOS: Tom Connolly, For OC Sports Zone).

Kennedy’s girls basketball team was virtually unstoppable Saturday night, defeating league rival Laguna Hills 55-28 in the CIF Division 7 championship game at Azusa Pacific University. 

Kennedy’s victory secured the Fighting Irish the school’s first girls basketball CIF championship in the school’s history. Saturday’s win marked the third time Kennedy has defeated Laguna Hills this season. 

Kennedy’s 6-0 freshman forward TaNita Paul was more than the Hawks could handle as she scored 13 points, had 21 rebounds, eight assists and five steals.

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“It’s great to be a part of a team that won the school’s first girls championship in school’s history and for it to happen in my first year is amazing, said Paul. 

Kennedy Coach Nori Nishida said his team executed effectively.

“These girls worked hard every day in practice and tonight they executed everything so well,” said Nishida. “We had a seven-game losing streak earlier in the season but they never quit working hard and we recovered. We had high hopes and expectations for this season and despite losing a key player to an injury we remained focused and its unbleievable to be a CIF champion.” 

Laguna Hills guard Cameron McDermott made the first basket of the game to give the Hawks an early 2-0 lead.

However, Laguna Hills’ fortune was short-lived as the Fighting Irish quickly dominated play at both ends of the floor, storming back to go on a 17-0 run and take a commanding 17-2 lead after the first quarter.

The Fighting Irish increased its defensive pressure and lead in the second quarter.

Paul scored eight points, had 12 rebounds, five steals and five assists in the first half to propel Kennedy to a 27-8 lead at the break. 

The Fighting Irish, who were co-champions of the Golden West League this season, used a pressing defense that caused problems for the Hawks.

Laguna Hills committed 14 turnovers in the first half and made only 3 of 22 shots. Jessie Collins also scored eight points and helped Kennedy hold a 25-10 advantage on the boards in the opening half. Kennedy consistently limited Laguna Hills to a single shot on the offensive end and had 12 steals in the first 16 minutes of the game.  

The Fighting Irish led 43-20 after three quarters and cruised to victory. 

Alyssa Lacorte scored 11 points and had three steals and Collins scored 10 points and had five rebounds to help spark Kennedy. 

“It’s been a great turnaround for our program over the last few years,” said Collins. “We’ve turn the tables as a team.”

Kennedy (20-12) has won 12 consecutive games and 14 of its last 15 games. Laguna Hills had its seven-game winning streak snapped and dropped to 17-11.  

Despite the setback, the Hawks battled throughout the game and Laguna Hills coach Jim Martin said he was proud of his team to reach the CIF finals.

“Kennedy get up and down the court so fast; kudos to them,” said Martin. “They caused a lot of turnovers and got out to a big lead and we couldn’t recover. We ran into a tough team. Nevertheless, this season has been a great journey for us. I’m proud of our girls.”

Kennedy outrebounded Laguna Hills 45-19 in the game and held the Hawks to under 30 percent shooting. 

Keira McDermott (14 points) and Cameron McDermott (12 points) led the Hawks.

Both teams will compete in the CIF So CaL Regionals next week.

Notes:

—-Kennedy’s TaNiya Paul has averaged 16.5 points, 16.3 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 3.8 steals per game this season. 

—-Kennedy coach Nori Nishida said that Paul, a 6-0 freshman forward, grew 5 inches last summer and has been a key contributor to the Fighting Irish’s success this season. 

—-Kennedy defeated San Jacinto, Long Beach Poly, Cajon, and Burroughs in the first four rounds of the playoffs. Laguna Hills beat Mary Star of the Sea, Capo Valley Christian, Foothill Tech, and Patriot in its first four rounds of the playoffs before reaching the finals. 

—-Laguna Hills Coach Jim Martin, who is in his 28th year as head coach of the Hawks, led his team to championships in 1997, 2000, 2007, 2008 and 2012.

“This has been a very good year for us,” said Martin, who won championships in each of his five previous trips to the CIF finals with the last one being in 2012. ”We’ve had to battle to get into the playoffs and we’ve had an unexpected run in the playoffs, complete with three long bus rides for away games, but it’s been enjoyable. The girls are very excited.”