Basketball Recap: Andrew Otuyelu's Big Game Can't Quite Lead Kenwood over Joppatowne

Kenwood came up into this matchup off a tough 21-point loss last Wednesday. This time they kept things ultra-competitive, but unfortunately the final result was the same. They fell just short of the Joppatowne Mariners by a score of 66-64 on Friday. While losing is never fun, the Bluebirds can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Maryland basketball rankings (they are ranked 201st, while the Mariners are ranked 89th).

Kenwood lost despite a true team effort on offense, the best among them being Andrew Otuyelu, who dropped a double-double on 19 points and 11 boards. Those 11 rebounds gave Otuyelu a new career-high. Christian Bookman was another key player, going 7 of 12 en route to 17 points and eight boards.

Kishann Smith was his usual excellent self, going 10 for 15 on his way to 28 points and eight rebounds for Joppatowne. Smith has been hot recently, having also posted two or more steals the last three times he's played. Another player making a difference was Braxton Jackson, who dropped a double-double on 13 points and 16 boards.

Kenwood has traveled a rocky road recently having lost three of their last four matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 2-5 record this season. That patch can't be blamed on the team's offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 56.8 points per game. As for Joppatowne, they are on a roll lately: they've won six of their last seven contests, which provided a nice bump to their 9-2 record this season.

Kenwood wasted no time getting back out on the court and has already played their next game, a 64-38 defeat against New Town on the 13th. Joppatowne has also already played their next matchup, a 60-45 loss against Edgewood on the 13th.