Basketball Game Preview: McClatchy Lions vs. Kennedy Cougars

Two dominant guards in Kai Bradford and Aharon Young are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. A feisty cat fight will be fought when the McClatchy Lions face off against the Kennedy Cougars at 7:30 p.m. on Monday... McClatchy will be looking to extend their current seven-game winning streak.

McClatchy saw some tournament action back in December of 2024. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat Chavez 69-41. The Lions have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won six matches by 28 points or more this season.

Bradford continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, dropping a double-double on 24 points and ten assists. His afternoon made it five games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Eugene Castillo, who posted 14 points and six rebounds.

Meanwhile, Kennedy beat Woodland Christian 74-61 on Saturday. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Cougars.

McClatchy better focus on containing Jordan Lawrence and Young as the pair were huge in Kennedy's win. Lawrence had 21 points, while Young put up 18 points. Young has been hot, having posted 17 or more points the last seven times he's played. Noah Hayes II was another key player, putting up ten points.

McClatchy has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won eight of their last nine games, which provided a nice bump to their 9-3 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 77.1 points per game. As for Kennedy, their victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 8-4.

McClatchy came up short against Kennedy in their previous matchup back in February of 2024, falling 69-59. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Lawrence, who went 9 of 11 on his way to 25 points along with six rebounds and three steals. Now that McClatchy knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.