Benet was faced with a unique situation on Saturday. It’s highly unusual for a high school coach to guarantee a victory against an opponent.
That’s what Kenwood coach Mike Irvin did on Friday after his team lost to Camden, NJ.
“I’m going into that hostile environment and coming out with a win,” Irvin said. “I’m guaranteeing victory tomorrow.”
That didn’t happen. The No. 1 Broncos never led at any point and lost 67-53.
“Our kids were aware of [Irvin’s statement],” Benet coach Gene Heidkamp said. “We had to take care of our business. We didn’t play well [Friday] night and we knew we were playing one of the best teams in the state on our home floor. Just the actual experience to play in this packed gym is something our kids will never forget.”
Brady Kunka was the star for the No. 4 Redwings (22-1). The senior scored 24 points, shooting 5 for 8 from three-point range. He also had four rebounds. Benet doesn’t have any post players, so crashing the boards and defending the interior was a key focus.
“We all saw [Irvin’s comments] last night,” Kunka said. “We addressed it as a team and moved on. And once we got the momentum there was no looking back.”
Benet point guard Brayden Fagbemi scored 15 and handled Kenwood’s pressure with ease. Senior Niko Abusara added 12 points and eight rebounds for the Redwings.
Benet led 36-31 at halftime. Kenwood (16-5) hung around within five or six points for most of the third quarter. The Redwings grabbed a 54-41 advantage on a three by Andy Nash with 5:40 left to play and sailed from there.
“It was a packed house like I’ve never seen before,” Kunka said. “It was a once in a lifetime opportunity for us as a team. It just feels great.”
Calvin Robins Jr. led the Broncos with 15 points and nine rebounds and Chris Riddle added 10 points. Kansas State recruit Dai Dai Ames, one of the state’s most talented guards, scored eight.
“[Abusara] did a great job [defending Ames],” Fagbemi said. “But we all made sure we had eyes on him. It’s a five-on-five game and one person is not going to beat us.”
Irvin and Kenwood began the week celebrating the school’s first time with the No. 1 ranking. The Broncos played three exciting games this weekend: a neighborhood rivalry against Hyde Park, a showcase against the top player in the country, and a road game in a sold-out suburban gym in front of all the area’s hoop heads.
That’s an incredibly exciting fun stretch for any high school team. But the Broncos lost all three games, including the one Irvin guaranteed they would win. So, what now?
“We are young,” Irvin said. “I’m trying to win a state championship. To win a state championship you have to experience this. Going back-to-back-to-back means we don’t have walkthroughs and we can’t really break down the opponents. It’s a process. We are going to regroup. We’re still good. But the preparation that we should have had was not there. But I’d do it all over again, those were worthwhile games.”
