Preview: Kennedy Cougars vs. Franklin Wildcats
The Kennedy Cougars will head out on the road to face off against the Franklin Wildcats at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Last Friday, Kennedy was fully in charge, breezing past Laguna Creek 61-18 on the road. Given Kennedy's advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 231st, while Laguna Creek is ranked 744th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
It was another big night for Kacie Shinmoto, who scored 16 points along with seven rebounds and six assists. She is on a roll when it comes to points, as she's now scored 16 or more in the last three games she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Kaylee Wong, who scored 11 points along with two steals.
Meanwhile, Franklin waltzed into their match on Friday with six straight wins but they left with seven. They blew past Elk Grove, posting a 65-21 win on the road.
Kennedy's victory ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 16-9. As for Franklin, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won ten of their last 11 matchups, which provided a massive bump to their 19-9 record this season.
Kennedy was able to grind out a solid victory over Franklin in their previous matchup back in November of 2023, winning 63-50. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Franklin's Aletha Singleton, who scored 15 points along with four steals. Now that she's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Kennedy still be able to contain Singleton? There's only one way to find out.
