The Kennedy Commanders will venture away from home to take on the Denver West Cowboys at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.
Kennedy is headed into the game out to prove that what happened against DSST: Green Valley Ranch on Tuesday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Kennedy had to suffer through a 73-40 loss at the hands of DSST: Green Valley Ranch. While losing is never fun, the Commanders can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Colorado basketball rankings (they are ranked 309th, while the Raptors are ranked 70th).
Kennedy's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Anthony Zink, who went 5-for-12 to rack up 13 points, and Xavier Benavidez, who posted eight points.
Meanwhile, Denver West made easy work of DSST: College View on Wednesday and carried off a 65-45 win. The Cowboys have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won eight contests by 20 points or more this season.
Denver West's win came from a few key players Kennedy will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Jeremiah Parker, who dropped a double-double with 14 points and ten boards. The team also got some help courtesy of Ari Cowens, who went 7-for-10 on his way to 21 points.
Denver West smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 12 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in 12 consecutive matchups.
Denver West has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won nine of their last ten games, which provided a nice bump to their 17-2 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 66.4 points over those games. As for Kennedy, they dropped their record down to 3-15 with the defeat, which was their seventh straight on the road.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Kennedy has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 25.6 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Denver West struggles in that department as they've been averaging 30.1 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Kennedy was taken down by Denver West 83-56 in their previous matchup back in January of 2024. Can Kennedy avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
