After a somewhat disappointing tournament last year, the Trojans of Kennedy High School cruised to reclaim the 2A girls' title. Kennedy was the top seed in the tournament and had avenged last year's loss to Coquille in the quarter finals and handed Bandon's girls their second loss of the season in the semis. The Trojan's opponents, the Dragons of Monroe, came in as the 6 seed, having knocked off 3rd seeded Central Linn and 2nd seeded Union.
The Dragons drew first blood on their opening possession after Kennedy missed their first shot of the game. This was Monroe's only lead of the game as the Trojans responded by scoring 17 consecutive points. At the end of the quarter, Monroe tossed in another bucket to make it 17-4.
The second quarter was more equal. The teams traded baskets back and forth. At the break, Kennedy center Sophie Carley had racked up 8 rebounds and 11 points. Ellie Cantu had another 10 points for the Trojans.
Monroe had trouble scoring in the second half, shooting a mere 11.5% on the stout Kennedy defense. In addition to having trouble hitting their shots, Monroe struggled to get rebounds being out-rebounded by 10 rebounds. Kennedy refused to slow down on the offensive end. The third quarter ended 42-20.
Kennedy could taste the victory as they exited the huddle. The team took a slower paced, more deliberate approach. Both teams scored 6 points a piece for the quarter. Kennedy's benched rushed the floor when the clock hit 00:00 and the score 48-26.
Cheers, tears, and hugs followed. Sophia Carley ended the game with 20 points, 13 rebounds, and 3 blocks. Ellie Cantu tacked on another 16 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists for the Trojans.
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