Cedar Rapids Kennedy boys basketball holds off Iowa City West to stay undefeated
CEDAR RAPIDS — Cedar Rapids Kennedy boys basketball held a narrow lead for most of its matchup against Iowa City West but was able to pull away in the fourth quarter, beating the Trojans 55-48.
"I'm really proud of our kids," said Kennedy coach Jon McKowen. "We just take it one game at a time. ...I just have such a mature group of kids that they approach every day the right way, and that's allowed us to have a lot of success this year."
Cedar Rapids (17-0) held a 9-0 lead before Kareem Earl snapped Iowa City’s scoring drought halfway through the first quarter. He scored 5 more points in the opening frame and was nearly the only Trojans player to put up points before Brady Simcox netted a 3-pointer with under a minute to go in the first.
West kept things close in the second quarter, but Kennedy’s lead never wavered. The Cougars were up 13-10 after one and held a 23-20 lead at halftime.
The Trojans crept closer to Cedar Rapids’ lead in the third quarter, but the Cougars had a response each time Iowa City (10-8) got too close. Kennedy almost saw its lead disappear at the end of the third, but they stayed up, 35-33, after Jack McCaffery’s buzzer-beater bounced off the rim.
West took a lead early in the final frame, but It didn't take long for Kennedy to take it back with Iowa City struggling to keep possession on offense. The Cougars pulled further ahead in the fourth and West couldn't bridge the gap.
Colby Dolphin led the Cougars with 20 points and Micah Schlaak contributed 17. Earl led the Trojans with 17 points.
Kennedy’s dominant defense paid off
The Cougars were relentless from tipoff to the final buzzer. It didn’t matter which Iowa City player had possession or who Cedar Rapids was guarding, the all-around effort was there from the entire team.
"It's impossible to prepare for their intensity on defense," said West coach Steve Bergman. "They just don't let you feel good about yourself ever. And at times, we gave into it."
Kennedy forced several turnovers in the first quarter that made West uncomfortable. It took time for the Trojans to get into a groove, and part of that had to do with how Cedar Rapids kept putting the ball back in its own hands. The Cougars’ game plan can revolve around Kenzie Reed and Dolphin — who each contribute their fair share of impact moments — but Schaak as well.
Schlaak piled on the points early for Cedar Rapids, and that aspect of his game didn’t slow down much. On defense, his 6-foot-6 frame matched up well against Iowa City’s 6-foot-8 McCaffery. He played well in the paint, limiting McCaffery and Earl’s opportunities.
"Micah does whatever we need him to do," McKowen said. "He's really good on the boards, he's great on defense, he's a great rebounder. It was Micah early and then Colby late, and the great part is our team is so unselfish, they keep giving the successful guy the ball."
Trojans need Earl on slow shooting night
Iowa City spread around the scoring, but only Earl had a major impact on the box score. His 17 points were much needed for the Trojans to have a shot against the only undefeated team left in Class 4A.
Earl was limited by two fouls in the first half but tightened things up in the second, at least until late in the fourth quarter.
Where Earl separated himself was his play against Reed. Kennedy's 5-foot-11 guard is not an easy matchup and contributes to his team from all over the court. Earl, though, did a solid job of limiting Reed's scoring chances and held Reed to 2 points. This would have been a different game if Earl allowed Reed to have more opportunities.
Alyssa Hertel is the college sports recruiting reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact Alyssa at ahertel@dmreg.com or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Undefeated Cedar Rapids Kennedy boys basketball beats Iowa City West
