When you’re one of the top teams in the state, you receive every team’s best shot. Kenwood is coming off a hard-fought, intensity-filled game against Bolingbrook at the Chicago Elite Classic.
Now, they found themselves on the road in a conference matchup against Hyde Park: This game wasn’t going to be an easy task. Hyde Park has senior guard Jazmyne Bynum — one of the best guards in the state — and 6-4 Mia Gaines, blocking shots and deterring others. She finished with six points, 11 rebounds and five blocks.
These arduous games make champions. Kenwood didn’t start off strong: They were down 15-8 after the first quarter. They were getting out-rebounded, out-hustled and out of sorts offensively. The Broncos struggled guarding Bynum, who had 12 of her 15 points in the first half. But this is a talented team with championship aspirations; they weren’t — and didn’t — let that stand.
“I thought we didn’t play to our full potential,” Kenwood coach Andre Lewis said. “I thought we did a very bad job of rebounding the ball in the first half and came out and played lackadaisical.”
Bynum led Hyde Park’s first-half tempo. The senior guard was breaking Kenwood’s press with her speed and quickness. Her fleetness created shots for her teammates and put pressure on Kenwood’s defense, forcing them to collapse on her.
“I thought we did an extremely poor job guarding her [Bynum],” Lewis said. “In the second half, we got a little bit better, but it’s not a good enough job in order to achieve our goals.”
But this isn’t a Kenwood team that lacks confidence. They openly talk about their goals and ambitions. They strive to attain the team accolades that comes with a lengthy state playoff run.
Kenwood (8-1, 2-0) played more urgently and met the tempo and break-neck pace that Hyde Park played with. They showed they could pull out the tough wins even when they didn’t look their best in their 52-41 win over a good Thunderbirds team (7-1, 1-1).
“I just saw more aggression from everybody, just waiting to get it off the board because we were lacking rebounds in the first half,” forward Diann Jackson said.
Jackson and junior guard Ariella Henigan were the catalysts in the turnaround. The junior duo each scored six points in the second quarter to give the Broncos the halftime lead.
Jackson — who finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds — was a huge part in setting the tone. The junior forward displayed all the facets of her game: She knocked down a mid-range jumper, finished in the paint and scored an impressive up-and-under against Gaines in the fourth quarter.
“She definitely picked it up from the first quarter,” Henigan said of Jackson. “She got more rebounds and scored more, but she had that nice move on the baseline, the reverse layup, so just doing what she was supposed to do from the beginning.”
Lewis’ simple yet effective message played a role in Jackson’s renewed energy.
“My coach told me, ‘Nobody on the floor is better than me,’ Jackson said, “ so I believed that.”
Jackson controlled the glass the second half, and blocked a shot. She and Henigan helped close out a win that wasn’t flawless, but it’s the type of win good teams have. The win wasn’t flawless, but it’s the type of win good teams have. The Broncos took care of business in their second Red-South/Central conference win.
Kenwood’s already played a challenging schedule: The Broncos hold impressive wins over Homewood-Flossmoor, Benet, Batavia and St. Ignatius. Lewis filled the schedule with tough opponents to prepare them for the playoffs.
“We just came in thinking it was gonna be easier, but as we see, it wasn’t,” Henigan said. “We just have to keep putting more wins in the books and keeping the losses to a minimum.”
