Slippery Rock's Tim Maxwell and Kennedy's Marcus Render, right, go airborne for a rebound during the Boys Underclassmen title game.
HOYLE TOURNAMENT
Eagles 75 Slippery Rock 43>
Lady Eagles 43 Grove City 30
KC girls, boys sweep underclass title tilts
By Ed Farrell Herald Sports Writer
The Kennedy Christian High boys' and girls' basketball teams accomplished a feat exceeded by only one other school in the 500-member PIAA annals this past scholastic season, as both clubs advanced to the Class A Western Regional finals.
And although both Kennedy contingents fell one step shy of Hershey, they made an early statement regarding the '97-98 campaign Saturday afternoon in the Sharon Lions Club-W.U. Hoyle Tournament of Champions 60th anniversary event.
The Kennedy girls, alias Sacred Heart, decisioned Neely-Cashdollar (Grove City), 43-30, to capture their third consecutive Hoyle underclassmen crown. Then the Kennedy boys made it a clean sweep by disposing of Slippery Rock, 75-43.
Paced by most valuable player Carlos Oatis' 14 points, the Golden Eagles won the nightcap by converting 19 of 31 (61.3 percent) second-half floor shots after assuming a 27-16 halftime lead.
``I think we played very, very well for three days, especially coming back after just getting done a week-and-a-half ago,'' assessed Kennedy assistant coach Mike Bluey, who worked the bench while head coach Joe Votino observed from press row. ``We may still be a little down from what happened (a 51-50 setback to eventual PIAA titlist Sewickley Academy in the west finale), but kids are a lot more resilient, so I thought they bounced back.''
Slippery Rock, on a traditional 3-point play by 6-foot-6 eighth-grader Ben Zajac, drew within 31-23 at the 13:08 juncture of the second half. But the Golden Eagles' defensive intensity resulted in 13 Rockets' turnovers during the 16-minute second stanza.
Offensively, Kennedy was led by John Reimold's 6-for-7 second-half marksmanship which was complemented by Lamar Jefferson's 7-for-9 performance, all the result of breakaway layups following Slippery Rock miscues or slashing drives.
``We definitely turned it up,'' Bluey acknowledged. ``I thought we played well the first eight minutes of the first half. We got a lead and they slowed down and let (Slippery Rock) back in the game. But I was really happy that we came out and played real hard and aggressively, a lot more in the second half compared with the last eight minutes of the first half.''
Reimold, a 6-4 freshman, led Kennedy with 16 points, and was followed by Carlos Oatis, frosh Ryan McElhinny and Damon Clayton, each of whom tallied 13, and Jefferson, who chipped in a dozen. Clayton also hauled in a game-high 11 caroms.
Slippery Rock was led by Ben Zajac's 19-point, 5-rebound effort and Tim Maxwell's 10 points. Ben Zajac also emerged as the division's leading marksman from the charity stripe, converting 83 percent for the tourney following his 9-for-10 effort against Kennedy. Adam Zajac, the division's leading scorer, labored through a 2-for-14, 6-point, 4-rebound outing.
GIRLS' UNDERCLASSMEN FINALS
Tim Cimperman/Herald
With the aid of a Tara Stevens pick, Kennedy Christian speedster Katie Meier drives around Grove City's Cara Denniston, center, during the Hoyle Tournament Girls Underclassmen championship game.
On the strength of Sara Laslow's 9-point, 4-rebound first-half performance, Sacred Heart built a 20-16 margin at intermission, then Neely/Cashdollar struggled through a 3-for-18 second-half shooting performance that resulted in 14 points in 16 minutes.
Laslow, a first-team All-Tourney Team selection, finished with 13 points and tourney MVP Jamie Cicuto grabbed a game-high 15 caroms and contributed nine second-half points.
Nine players scored for Kennedy, while Neely-Cashdollar _ minus stalwarts Erin Kennedy and Mandy Clelland, who are attending the NCAA Women's Final Four in Cincinnati _ was led by Cara Denniston's 11 points and Julie Laird's nine rebounds.
``It feels good to know that we're only the second team (Elmcor won the '80, '81 and '82 boys' titles) in the history of the tournament to win three in a row,'' said Kennedy head coach Father Rick Tomasone. ``(Kennedy's play) was a little bit choppy. We haven't done anything in the gym since our season ended last Wednesday (in a loss to eventual PIAA champion Williamsburg in the west finals), so you lose an awful lot of offensive continuity when you do that.''
After coming so agonizingly close to the trip to Hershey _ only Lewistown's boys' and girls' teams accomplished that feat _ Tomasone, perhaps speaking for both Kennedy programs, admitted he hopes the Hoyle Tournament titles are a precursor of things to come.
``I certainly hope so. I think the kids look pretty good holding that championship trophy,'' he quipped.
Published Sunday, March 30, 1997
