Kennedy Girls Basketball

Strait, Cougars shoot down J-Hawks

Senior Courtney Strait, second in scoring in Class 4A, was at it again Friday as seventh ranked Kennedy whipped Jefferson, 70-35, in the opener of an intra-city girl/boy basketball doubleheader.

Strait led all scorers with 24 points in just over three quarters of play. She sat out all but a minute of the final quarter.

“She is a great shooter and we left her wide open,” Jefferson Coach Larry Niemeyer said. “If you leave her open she is going to hit shots.”

It was the second meeting between the crosstown rivals and things went about the same way as the last time, an 81-39 Kennedy win on Jan. 13.

“We were totally outplayed on offense and defense,” Niemeyer said. “They got whatever they wanted.”

The Cougars again took control from the start en route to a blowout win.

“Same thing,” Niemeyer said. “We missed some easy shots and free throws. We have to score early and we have some trouble with that.”

With Jefferson leading 4-3, the Cougars went on a 22-4 run to close out the first quarter and take control of the game with a 25-8 lead. Strait led the way, going 4 of 5 from distance. She tossed in 14 points in the first quarter.

“I just focused on catching and shooting,” Strait said. “Once I got going it was just about keeping my stroke and muscle memory. I was open so I kept shooting.”

The second quarter didn’t go any better for Jefferson as Kennedy shut down J-Hawk leading scorer Maddie Koolbeck and held the J-Hawks to just seven attempted field goals.

“We were concerned with them getting on the basket side. We wanted to keep them in front and have backside help if they caught it inside,” Strait said about the defense on Koolbeck and other J-Hawk posts. “Last time we got beat on their cuts.”

“I definitely felt like I was getting bumped (underneath),” said Koolbeck, who finished with 16 points. “I didn’t do a good enough job going up strong though.”

The Cougars led 41-14 at halftime.

Kennedy slammed the door in the third quarter with a 15-2 run to start the second half and left no doubt that it was all Cougars on this night.

Kennedy exploited the J-Hawk zone with quick ball movement to work the ball inside for easy buckets.

Jefferson attempted to switch things up with a man to man defense, but it was too late. The Cougars were on a roll and stretched the lead to 38 by the end of the third.

“We focused on the 2-3 zone in particular at practice this week. We wanted to move the ball around quick,” Strait said. “We were able to keep the ball moving and get people open.”

The J-Hawks won the final quarter 10-7 when the Cougars emptied the bench to get everyone playing time.

Sophomore Paige Hendrickson joined Strait in double digits with 11.

Kennedy (12-8, 9-7) wraps up the regular season Saturday in a non-conference game at Marion.

Jefferson (8-13, 3-13) ended the regular season on a sour note. The J-Hawks start regionals on Wednesday when they host Marshalltown.

“We have to come ready to play as a team (against Marshalltown),” Koolbeck said. “Hopefully a good few days of practice will get us ready.”

KENNEDY (70): Madi Meier 3 0-0 6, Courtney Strait 8 2-2 24, Kaylese Johnson 2 0-0 4, Paige Hendrickson 5 0-0 11, Stephanie Botkin 2 3-4 7, Jordan Holmes 3 0-0 7, Capria Davis 0 0-0 0, Mariah Simmons 0 0-0 0, Sarah Zinser 3 1-1 7, Taylor Wagner 2 0-0 4, Aryn Nelson 0 0-0 0, Taylor Sohn 0 0-0 0, Setsuna Yokota 0 0-0 0, Grace Reinhart 0 0-0 0. Totals 28 6-7 70.

JEFFERSON (35): Alleigha Church-Green 0 1-2 1, Maddy Blietz 2 1-3 5, Dani Stromert 2 2-2 6, Maddie Koolbeck 7 2-4 16, Kieley Brathwaite 3 1-2 7, Kylie Jonas 0 0-0 0, Hannah Towns 0 0-0 0, Molly Evans 0 0-0 0, Bethany Polansky 0 0-0 0. Totals 14 7-13 35.

Halftime – Kennedy 41, Jefferson 14. 3-point goals – Kennedy 8 (Strait 6, Hendrickson, Holmes) Jefferson 0. Total Fouls – Kennedy 14 Jefferson 10.

No. 2 West girls whip No. 7 Kennedy

IOWA CITY - Cedar Rapids Kennedy has been one of the hottest teams in the state, winning six of its last seven and rising to seventh in the latest 4A rankings.

But No. 2 West High showed why it remains one the hottest teams of the season, topping Kennedy, 72-44, Tuesday at West High.

"We just keep pushing the ball, and it leads to teams being pretty tired," West senior Shelly Stumpff said. "We did a great job of pushing the ball up the court, and I think we got in their heads."

West (19-1, 15-0) were certain up in the jersey of Kennedy (11-8, 8-7) senior Courtney Strait. The leading scorer in the MVC coming in, Strait was held to six points on 3-of-9 shooting.

"We knew we had to keep her down," West senior Mckenzie Piper said. "To hold her to six points really helped us a lot. I think it took them out of their game, definitely, and she sets up their offense, too."

West Coach B.J. Mayer credited Jessica Shull and Tatum Klein with keeping Strait in check.

Kennedy Coach Dennis Roloff said Strait has been the focus of a lot of defensive game plans lately.

"The last three or four games she's just been hammered on," Roloff said. "If the officials don't call it, she's not going to yell, scream or cry ... she's just going to play the game."

Early in the game, Strait's teammates picked her up. Sophomores Paige Hendrickson and Jordan Holmes hit 3-pointers for the Cougars during a 12-1 run that put Kennedy on top early, 20-16.

West got a 3-pointer at the buzzer from Shull, but trailed after a quarter, 20-19.

"We knew they would have to shoot lights out, and they did in the first quarter," Stumpff said. "We knew it'd be hard to keep that up. We needed to keep up the ball pressure and close out on their shooters."

Strait opened the second quarter with a jumper to make it 22-19, but the Women of Troy got consecutive 3-pointers from Stumpff, Klein and junior Ally Disterhoft to ignite a 17-1 run.

"I didn't think they were going to shoot as well as they did in the first quarter," Mayer said. "They were making pretty much everything. We did a much better job the rest of the game."

Kennedy hit just 9-of-39 (23 percent) the final three quarters. West was 30-of-53 (57 percent) for the game.

"We were able to get out and run, that's been a trademark of ours," Mayer said. "We also made some shots from the outside in our run."

Kennedy put together a 12-4 run late in the third quarter to cut the lead to 10 and force a West High timeout, but the Women of Troy closed out the final 10 minutes on a 23-2 run. A 3-pointer at the buzzer by Grace Reinhart kept the Cougars from scoring just two points in the final quarter.

"We're down a couple of kids, and all the kids they keep putting in - he's not putting in slouches, every one of them can score," Roloff said. "We really got tired in the second half. It was hard to keep them from scoring."

West High was able to put in a lineup of all seniors the last few minutes on Senior Night.

"It was fun to see everyone get some playing time," Piper said.

Disterhoft led West with 18 points and five rebounds. Tatum Klein had 14 ponts, Piper 12, Stumpff 10, and Shull eight.

Hendrickson led the Cougars with 13 points and Strait had a game-best nine rebounds.

"We've been playing well," Roloff said. "We let turnovers and a few easy baskets get away from us. Down 10-12 points ... its easier to play in front than to play behind."

KENNEDY (44): Madison Meier 2-6 0-0 5, Courtney Strait 3-9 0-0 6, Kaylese Johnson 1-5 1-2 3, Paige Hendrickson 6-12 0-0 13, Stephanie Botkin 1-7 2-2 4, Jordan Holmes 3-7 0-0 8, Capria Davis 0-3 0-0 0, Sarah Zinser 1-2 0-0 2, Aryn Nelson 0-0 0-0 0, Grace Reinhart 1-1 0-0 3, Taylor Sohn 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 18-53 3-4 44.

I.C. WEST (72): Ally Disterhoft 7-12 2-4 18, Brianna Sturtz 2-4 0-0 4, Shelly Stumpff 4-7 0-0 10, Jessica Shull 2-6 2-4 8, Mckenzie Piper 6-10 0-0 12, Shahana Williams 1-2 0-0 2, Tatum Klein 6-8 1-1 14, Kelley Fliehler 0-0 0-0 0, Griffin Reed 0-0 0-0 0, Mackenzie Haight 1-2 0-0 2, Lauren Larson 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 30-53 5-9 72.

Halftime - West 38, Kennedy 26. 3-point goals - Kennedy 5-23 (Meier 1-5, Strait 0-2, Johnson 0-2, Hendrickson 1-5, Botkin 0-1, Holmes 2-5, Davis 0-1, Sohn 0-1, Reinhart 1-1), West 7-17 (Disterhoft 2-4, Sturtz 0-2, Stumpff 2-3, Shull 2-4, Piper 0-1, Klein 1-2, Haight 0-1). Rebounds - Kennedy 27 (Strait 9), West 34 (Disterhoft 5, Piper 5). Turnovers - Kennedy 15, West 15. Total fouls - Kennedy 16, West 10.

Strait helps Kennedy top Linn-Mar

Courtney Strait helped the Kennedy Cougars bounce back Saturday night with a victory.

Strait tossed in 16 points as the seventh-ranked Cougars defeated Linn-Mar, 40-29, in a Mississippi Valley Conference game in the Linn-Mar gym.

Kennedy (11-7, 8-6) saw its six-game winning streak end at Washington Friday night, but the Cougars came right back and got on the winning path again.

Kristen Eiles scored seven points for Linn-Mar (9-10, 5-9).

KENNEDY (40): Madi Meier 1 0-0 3, Courtney Strait 3 9-11 16, Kaylese Johnson 1 0-0 3, Aryn Nelson 0 0-0 0, Jordan Holmes 0 2-4 2, Paige Hendrickson 3 0-1 6, Stephanie Botkin 1 1-4 3, Capria Davis 1 0-0 3, Sarah Zinser 2 0-0 4. Totals 12 12-20 40.

LINN-MAR (29): Hannah Yearling 0 0-0 0, Mykaela Brandt 0 0-0 0, Sara Strauel 2 0-0 4, Rachel Thrune 0 0-0 0, Jenna Harms 3 0-0 6, Kristen Eiles 2 2-2 7, Courtney Major 1 0-0 3, Lannie Nietert 2 1-3 5, Alexis Libenguth 2 0-0 4. Totals 12 3-5 29.

Halftime - Kennedy 14, Linn-Mar 12. 3-point goals - Kennedy 4 (Meier 1, Strait 1, Johnson 1, Davis 1), Linn-Mar 2 (Eiles 1, Major 1).

No. 10 Warriors halt No. 7 Kennedy's streak

The Washington Warriors had one mission on Friday night: Stop Courtney Strait.

Mission accomplished.

Using a smothering man-to-man defense, No. 10 Washington shut down one of the state’s best scorers and defeated No. 7 Kennedy, 66-50, on Hall of Fame Night at the Warrior gym.

The mercurial Warriors moved to 12-6 (10-4 MVC), while the Cougars had a six-game winning streak snapped and dropped to 10-7 (7-6). Washington has won four of their last five games with two regular season contests left.

Kennedy Coach Dennis Roloff was impressed with the Warriors, but felt Strait was roughed up.

“Wash caught fire with a big run and we never recovered from that,” he said. “They played very well, they shot very well, which they should on their home floor. They lived up to their billing and did a nice job.

“Courtney took a beating tonight,” he said. “There was a lot of holding and that, but unless the official calls it, you do it. She got kneed late in the game and that hurt and I don’t even know if she will be able to play tomorrow night.

“They focused on her and the kids (who guarded her) each had four fouls. They could have fouled out very easily."

Roloff says Strait is one of the hardest workers he has ever coached.

“She is a tough kid and puts the work in. She is a gym rat and just a fantastic kid,” he said. “Everyone would like to have one like her.”

Back on Jan. 6, Strait torched the Warriors with 34 points in a 62-59 upset win. She has committed to play collegiately at Division II Truman State University in Kirksville, Mo.

Strait averages 21.2 points per game, but Tasha Roundtree and Brooke Foreman took turns shadowing the dangerous 5-10 senior, limiting her to just one field goal and seven points in the first half as the Warriors built a 25-20 lead. Strait finished with five field goals and hit 10-of-12 free throws for 21 points.

Roundtree and Foreman did everything from face-blocking to full denial, to fronting her in the post. It worked. Strait had few open looks and did not get into an offensive rhythm.

Warrior Coach Frank Howell was surprised to learn that Washington had a 20-0 run in the second and third quarters.

“I didn’t realize that it was twenty-zero. I didn’t know it was that extreme,” he said. “This Kennedy team has turned a lot of heads this season. I mean, they are for real. They came in with a six-game win streak, so for us to be able to do that against such a good team on Hall of Fame Night is a big deal for us.”

Trailing 20-12 in the second frame, the Warriors ran off 13 straight points to close out the half and then scored seven more points to start the third quarter to lead, 32-20. Strait broke the drought with two free throws with 5:53 left in the third quarter, but the damage had been done and Kennedy had to play catch-up for the rest of the game.

Washington led 44-33 after three sessions and by as many as 17 points in the fourth quarter.

“I was pleased overall,” Howell said. “We had Tasha and Brooke on Strait at times and then we were able to bring back side help. One of the things we hoped would happen was that if the ball came out of her hands, it would be difficult for her to get it back in her hands. We did a really good job of that.”

Madison Meier swished a pair of 3-point goals and had 12 points, the only other double-figure scorer for the Cougars. Promising freshman Stephanie Botkin, averaging nine points a game, got into foul trouble and had just three points.

Washington enjoyed its most balanced effort of the year with four players in double-digits including Danielle Franklin with 15 (five rebounds and two steals), Abby Herb 12 points (eight rebounds and three blocks), Foreman 11 points (6-of-8 shooting and four assists) and Jazz Royster played a solid game with a double-double of 10 points and 10 boards.

Washington outrebounded Kennedy 37-25 and had 16 turnovers to the Cougars’ 20. The Warriors limited Kennedy to just 26 percent shooting on the night. Washington hit 48 percent from the floor and had 16 assists for the second straight game.

The Warriors host Cedar Falls on Tuesday and then finish the regular season at Linn-Mar. Kennedy travels to Linn-Mar Saturday and also plays Iowa City West, Jefferson and Marion to close out the season before tournament play begins.

Howell said that he is looking forward to Regional play. The Warriors get a bye in the first round and will play either Clinton or North Scott in the regional semifinal at home on Feb. 17. Iowa City High is on the other side of the bracket. City High beat Washington in overtime on Jan. 23.

“Hopefully, we can get back to the regional final again,” he said.

KENNEDY (50) Madison Meier 4 2-2 12, Courtney Strait 5 10-12 21, Kaylese Johnson 0 0-0 0, Jordan Holmes 3 2-3 9, Paige Hendrickson 1 3-4 5, Stephanie Botkin 1 1-6 3, Capria Davis 0 0-1 0. Totals 14 18-28 50.

WASHINGTON (66) Jazz Royster 4 2-2 10, Madison Kramer 3 0-2 7, Kelli Klaus 3 0-0 6, Abby Herb 3 6-8 12, Brooke Foreman 5 1-4 11,  Aleena Hobbs 1 0-0 2, Danielle Franklin 6 2-2 15, Tasha Roundtree 1 0-0 3, Totals 26 10-15 66.

Halftime -- Washington 25, Kennedy 20. 3-point goals - Washington 4-12 (Foreman 1, Kramer 1, Roundtree 1, Franklin 1). Kennedy 5-16 (Meier 2, Strait 1, Holmes 1).