Preview: Kennedy Cougars vs. Laguna Creek Cardinals
Kennedy and Laguna Creek are an even 5-5 against one another since January of 2018, but not for long. The Kennedy Cougars will head out on the road to take on the Laguna Creek Cardinals at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, both teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Kennedy suffered their biggest defeat yet this season on Wednesday. Their tough 79-57 defeat to Grant might stick with them for a while. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest defeat Kennedy has suffered against Grant since January 30, 2019.
Kennedy's loss came about despite a quality game from Noah Hayes II, who scored 13 points. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Hayes II has scored all season. Taylor Shirley was another key contributor, scoring seven points along with seven rebounds and four blocks.
Laguna Creek posted their biggest win since December 28, 2023 on Wednesday. Everything went their way against McClatchy as Laguna Creek made off with a 77-51 win. Given Laguna Creek's advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 199th, while McClatchy is ranked 794th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Kennedy's defeat dropped their record down to 13-8. As for Laguna Creek, they are on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 12-9 record this season.
Kennedy and Laguna Creek were neck-and-neck when the teams last played back in February of 2023, but Kennedy came up empty-handed after a 38-37 loss. Can Kennedy avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
