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Kennett boys basketball team upends state-ranked Saxony Lutheran 68-64
Kennett’s No. 50 Mark Wagster (right) attempts to block a shot by Saxony Lutheran center Trae Robinson in a varsity boys basketball game Wednesday night at Kennett High School.
KENNETT, Mo. - The Kennett Indians varsity boys basketball team secured its first victory of the season against a state-ranked opponent Wednesday night.
Kennett made seven of eight free throws and secured an offensive rebound on the only free throw it missed in the closing two minutes of regulation as it edged the visiting Saxony Lutheran Crusaders 68-64.
“We’ve had games cancelled because of weather and we’ve been concentrating on the little things with our extra time,” Kennett coach Lennies McFerren said. “Free throws were a point of emphasis and for these guys to step out here and perform when the lights come on is a great feeling. We look like a whole different ball club right now than the last time we played against Sikeston. I think what it boils down to is they are beginning to buy into the system and they are trying to do what we are asking them to do.”
Nothing was decided with less than 10 seconds remaining in regulation. Kennett burned its final timeout after sophomore Carter Maddox made the first of two free throw attempts to pad the Indians’ lead to 66-64 with 7.5 seconds remaining. After the timeout, Maddox missed the second free throw attempt, but Kennett freshman Kobe Gates secured an offensive rebound and was fouled with 6.3 seconds remaining. Gates made both of his free throws and the Kennett defense followed by forcing a turnover to seal a win.
“That was all on Kobe,” McFerren said of his freshman’s offensive board. “He did that on his own.”
Kennett enjoyed a 19-15 lead at the end of the first quarter and 33-31 lead at halftime before Saxony Lutheran rallied to move ahead 47-45 by the start of the fourth period.
Kennett opened the fourth quarter on a 12-2 run to take its largest lead of the game at 57-49 with 4:35 left. A pair of 3-pointers by Jalen Williams and a 2-pointer by Chris Palmer allowed Saxony Lutheran to erase all of its trouble less than a minute later and tie things up at 57-57 with 4:00 remaining.
Saxony Lutheran took a 60-59 lead when Williams knocked down his seventh 3-pointer of the night with 3:26 remaining. But the Crusaders did not score again until the closing minute of regulation.
Gates made a pair of free throws with 1:39 left to give Kennett a 61-60 lead. Patrick Maddox added a pair of free throws with 1:02 left to pad the Indians’ lead to 63-60.
Saxony Lutheran guard Dewayne Giboney broke his team’s scoring drought when he made a pair of free throws with 44 seconds left to trim the deficit to 63-62. Gates made a transition layup against the Saxony Lutheran press shortly after to increase Kennett’s lead to 65-62 with 35 seconds left.
Saxony Lutheran missed out on a chance to tie things up when Williams missed a 3-pointer on his team’s next offensive possession. The Crusaders maintained possession after the missed shot when a jump ball was called with 16.5 seconds remaining. Following a timeout, Giboney made a layup with eight seconds left to cut the deficit to 65-64.
But the Crusaders never got another shot off after Giboney’s layup.
“We played with no energy, no passion, no toughness and still had the ball with a lead in the final minutes,” Saxony Lutheran coach Kevin Williams said. “We should have just held on to the basketball. Obviously, we are not playing our best so why are we making plays that are even remotely questionable to score. If it’s not a wide open layup just keep turning it and win the game.
“I think because we’ve had some success and we’ve got a good record going they think they are just going to show up and win the game and it just doesn’t work like that,” Williams added. “Kennett is a well-coached team. Coach Mac played for my father and I grew up watching him. You have to give them credit because they had more fight than us every inch of the way. They acted like it mattered to them to where we at times were just going through the motions.”
Kennett senior Patrick Maddox, who hit a half court shot to end the first quarter, led all scorers with 27 points.
Sophomore forward Jackson Henfling knocked down two of the Indians’ three treys. He finished with 15 points.
Gates also finished in double digits with 13 points. He made a pair of 2-pointers and went six of six from the free throw line in the fourth quarter.
“We’ve been telling them to attack the basket instead of settling for outside shots,” McFerren said. “If you do that the outside shots will come. Our guys just played a super game tonight. All the players and the assistant coaches worked their butts off to get this victory tonight.”
Williams, who hit seven of his team’s 10 treys, paced the Crusaders with 27 points.
Paiton Miller, who hit Saxony Lutheran’s other three treys, also finished in double digits with 13 points.
Saxony Lutheran center Trae Robinson recorded nine points before fouling out with 6:34 left in the fourth quarter.
“Run your offense,” Williams said. “When we actually executed it looked easy at times. A lot of times I think they think because we do have some kids that can score we are just going to score off of one pass and thinking that way is how you get beat.”
Saxony Lutheran, which is ranked No. 8 in the latest Class 3 state poll, drops to 14-4 with the loss. The Crusaders are back in action Friday when they host Notre Dame Regional High School of Cape Girardeau.
“It doesn’t get any easier,” Williams said. “Notre Dame is a good team. But right now our biggest problem is not our opponent it is ourselves. We have to do the work. When you are bigger and stronger and you don’t come out with a rebound there is a problem. That is something we have to fix as a club if we plan on making a run at this thing.”
Kennett (4-10) will play its next varsity contest at home on Jan. 23 against Poplar Bluff.
“Tonight’s win speaks volumes,” McFerren said. “Saxony is well-coached and has one of the better teams in the area. I’m just proud of these guys, and to say the least, this is probably the best I’ve felt in a long time this season.”
Notes: Kennett beat Saxony Lutheran 43-38 in the junior varsity contest.
Kennett 68, Saxony Lutheran 64
SLS 15 16 16 17 - 64
KHS 19 14 12 23 - 68
SAXONY LUTHERAN (64) - Dewayne Giboney 9, Paiton Miller 13, Chris Palmer 2, Jalen Williams 27, Trae Robinson 9. Trevor Ochs 4. FG 23, FT 8/13, F 21. (3-pointers: Williams 7, Miller 3. Fouled out: Robinson).
KENNETT (68) - Marsayv’Aun Harrell 8, Carter Maddox 4, Kobe Gates 13, Jackson Henfling 15, Patrick Maddox 27, Mark Wagster 1. FG 21, FT 22/31, F 11. (3-pointers: Gates 1, Henfling 2; Fouled out: None).
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Kennett’s Kobe Gates (right) jumps for the tip with Saxony Lutheran’s Jalen Williams Wednesday.