Two dominant guards in Kai Bradford and Aharon Young are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. A feisty cat fight is on tap when the McClatchy Lions face off against the Kennedy Cougars at 7:30 p.m. on Friday... Keep an eye on the score for this one: both posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
McClatchy is headed into the match having just suffered their biggest defeat since December 6, 2024 on Wednesday. They came up short against Destiny Christian Academy, falling 78-55. While losing is never fun, McClatchy can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 372nd, while Destiny Christian Academy is ranked 101st).
| 01/22/25 vs Destiny Christian Academy | 21 |
| 12/10/24 @ Christian Brothers | 20 |
| 01/10/25 @ Cordova | 19 |
| 01/06/25 @ Kennedy | 17 |
| 01/17/25 @ Grant | 17 |
The losing side was boosted by Nehemiah Miller, who posted 21 points and six boards. Those 21 points gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Xavier Payne, who scored seven points.
Meanwhile, Kennedy came up short against Antelope on Wednesday and fell 81-74. Despite running the score up even higher than they did in their prior game on Friday (66), the Cougars still had to take the loss.
McClatchy will need focus on slowing down Young, one of several Kennedy players who made an impact when they last played. He had 15 points. Jordan Lawrence was another key player, putting up 15 points.
Kennedy has been struggling recently as they've lost three of their last four contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 11-7 record this season. As for McClatchy, they dropped their record down to 11-7 with the loss, which was their third straight at home.
Some high-performance offense is likely on the agenda as the two teams are some of the highest scoring teams in the league. McClatchy hasn't had any problem running up the score this season, having averaged 67.6 points per game. However, it's not like Kennedy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 62.8 points. With both teams so easily able to put up points, the only question left is who can run the score up higher.
McClatchy couldn't quite finish off Kennedy in their previous meeting on January 6th and fell 65-63. Will McClatchy have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other basketball content.
