By Anthony Richards
A trip to the state final four is something high school student-athletes dream of but for Bishop Kenny High School the opportunity for both its boys and girls basketball teams to go in the same year is on the line this weekend with a pair of regional final games.
The girls basketball team (25-4) kicks things off with a matchup against Fort Walton Beach High Vikings (23-4) at 7 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 27 and the boys squad (25-3) will face Tallahassee Godby High Cougars (20-6) at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 28.
Both games will be played at the gymnasium on the campus of Bishop Kenny, as the Crusaders are the top seed in their respective region in both the girls and boys playoff brackets.
The Crusaders are averaging 56.6 points per game with junior guard Kathleen Crawley leading the attack with 16 points per game.
One of the things that make the Crusaders tough is their ability to corral rebounds and limit second chance opportunities for opponents, which will be a key in the contest against the Vikings.
Junior Makala DesJarlais is at the center of that success on the boards as she averages nearly double digit rebounds a game.
Finally, the Crusaders have received some major contributions from freshmen this season, including point guard Shea Donovan who has used her quickness and court presence to lead the team with 169 assists and 96 steals, while Khloe Small has blocked 27 shots.
If these two freshmen continue to make their presence known, the Crusaders’ postseason run will surely follow suit.
For the boys, they have maintained the roll they ended the regular season and have won their two playoff games by an average margin of 25.5 points.
This momentum has continued to build as they have won 10 straight games and not lost since January 10.
A major reason for the hot streak is the offense, as they have scored 60 or more points in six of those contests.
The backcourt duo of junior guards Drew Jackson (14.9 ppg) and Hogan Labyak (11.6 ppg) are hard to slow down for opposing defenses, especially since they orchestrate a balanced attack where five players average at least five points per game.
That depth of scoring has been a factor throughout the season, and it remains a strong reason why the Crusaders are one win away from the final four.
