Kennedy Girls Basketball

Sellers shines like an All-American

Lela Sellers remembers as a little girl her mom saying that someday she might be on the McDonald’s All-American high school basketball team.

“I thought then, ‘Oh, that’s only for really good players,’” she said Tuesday night after it was announced to Kennedy fans that she has indeed been nominated for the prestigious national honor.

The smooth and unselfish 6-foot senior turned in an All-American performance on her home court with 30 seemingly effortless points to lead the Class 5A second-ranked Cougars to a 68-49 romp over the young but gritty Prairie Hawks.

“My real dream has always been to play in the WNBA (pro league),” said Sellers, who turned down major Big 10 and SEC schools to play next year at smaller but perennial Division I NCAA tournament qualifier Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va.

In addition to tying her career-best on 12-of-17 shooting with her future college coach in the crowd, she also led her team with 11 rebounds and four assists.

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No. 2 Cougars knock off Wahlert

DUBUQUE – Right now, the Kennedy girls basketball team's winning formula is as true as H₂0: Hydrogen plus oxygen equals water.

The usual Lela Sellers razzle-dazzle, balanced scoring, sniper shooting, lockdown defense and quality bench contributions have made the Cougars the hottest club in Iowa Class 5A this side of undefeated Indianola.

Dubuque Wahlert threw everything it had at the No. 2-ranked Cougars on Friday night with an inspired, intense defensive effort, but the Cougars knew exactly what chess moves to make in running their winning streak to 12.

Sellers muscled her way to a game-high 15 points, Sydney Hayden delivered a trio of 3-pointers, Ashley Hamilton exploded off the bench for eight tide-turning third-quarter points and Kennedy rode a third-quarter surge to a breakaway 60-41 road victory in one of the Mississippi Valley Conference's toughest venues.

It may be early January, but the fun-loving Cougars' sizzling play is leaving opponents sun-burned. Cyndi Lauper of “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” fame didn't have this much fun.

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Cougars bop Lions for 11th in row

On her 18th birthday Tuesday night, Lela Sellers’ wish came true.

Fellow Kennedy seniors Linden Runels and Sydney Hayden made sure of it.

"All I wanted for my birthday was a ‘W,’ and we got it,” Sellers said after her 17-point performance helped lead the Class 5A fourth-ranked Cougars to a 60-47 win over ninth-ranked Linn-Mar.

The silky-smooth 6-foot Division I signee may have been high scorer, but a strong supporting cast made the difference in a 19-8 fourth quarter that sealed Kennedy’s 11th straight victory.

None were more helpful than the unheralded Runels and sharpshooter Hayden. With the game on the line, the two came through.

After a sometimes-sloppy three quarters, the Cougars had inched ahead of the Lions (6-2) just 41-39. But Hayden, the state’s leading 3-point shooter who was held to only two points in the first half, hit her first long-range shot of the night to open the final period.

When Kennedy super sophomore Hailey Dolphin hit a short jumper soon after, the Cougars were off to the races on a 11-0 three-minute run.

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Sellers helps Cougars win 10th in row

The Kennedy Cougars have found a remedy for teams that like to double-team Lela Sellers near the basket and make it hard for her to get her hands on the basketball.

The solution? Move the lanky 5-foot-11 senior to point guard and let her create her own offense.

It worked Saturday night.

Sellers poured in 26 points as the Cougars handed North Scott its first loss of the season, 56-52, in a battle of highly ranked teams at the Kennedy gym to begin the new year.

Kennedy, ranked No. 4 in Class 5A, won its 10th straight game and raised its record to 10-1. North Scott, ranked No. 9 in Class 4A, fell to 8-1 after beginning the season with eight straight victories.

Sellers has the ability to play any position on the floor. Coach Tony Vis likes to station her near the basket to use her long arms and jumping ability, but not when the opponent sags its defense to slow her down.

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