The game was circled in red on the calendar for months: Kenwood vs. Curie. The preseason No. 1 Broncos, loaded with college recruits, against the Condors, the team that ascended to the top spot in the Super 25 after a blistering opening month.
It was close for a half, thanks to some rough shooting from Curie. But then the Condors crushed visiting No. 8 Kenwood, dominating the third quarter to win 68-49 on Thursday.
The Broncos (12-5, 4-2 Red-South/Central) have two players already signed with colleges, Jaden Smith (Arizona State) and Chris Riddle (DePaul). Senior Calvin Robins will be a D1 recruit. Alek Alston is one of the top juniors in the state and sophomore Rajan Roberts and freshman Devin Cleveland are top ten players in the state in their classes.
But all that individual talent is underachieving as a team. Kenwood coach Mike Irvin was frustrated after the loss.
“If they played Mike Irvin basketball where they moved the basketball we would be the best team in the state,” Irvin said. “Until they get off that me, me me and understand we win when we have 15-plus assists…I can’t come out to these games and it’s all about “I.” It has to be what is on the chest and that is Kenwood basketball. When we move the basketball it is beautiful. But when we dribble, dribble, dribble this is what happens.”
Kenwood had 22 turnovers overall and was outscored 28-4 in the third quarter.
“In the first half we were getting bullied around, they were pushing us,” Curie senior Carlos Harris said. “But I talked to my team and told them to push them around back. Because it is Public League basketball. The ref isn’t going to call it.”
Curie (17-1, 5-0) shot just 2-for-16 from three-point range in the first half and Kenwood led 28-24.
“For us to shoot that bad and be in the game like that we knew once the shots were going in they couldn’t hang with us,” Condors senior Will Gonzalez said. “And we showed in the second half what we do.”
Harris scored a game-high 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds. The UIC recruit has been the best player in the Public League this season and one of the best in the state.
“[Kenwood] is a talented team,” Harris said. “We just have the five seniors but we know how to play together. We have chemistry together. It isn’t about talent. It’s just hard work and all that.”
Gonzalez and Brockett scored 11 points for Curie. Derrick Dowdell, an athletic 6-4 junior, scored eight. He’s emerged as a significant force off the bench for the Condors over the last month, supplying high energy, rebounding and momentum-changing dunks.
“We start five seniors and we’ve been in the wars,” Condors coach Mike Oliver said. “When you come back from [the Pontiac Holiday Tournament] you’ve seen everything. So nothing is going to surprise us. We don’t worry about size. We can play any style of basketball.”
Roberts led Kenwood with 17 points and Cleveland scored seven.
