Stritch girls basketball makes great strides in Kennedy’s 1st year

        
When Keith Kennedy took over the girls basketball program at Cardinal Stritch, his alma mater, he plainly stated that he expected big things from his team in the near future.
       
The first year of a rebuild is always challenging because often, the program must undergo a change in culture, especially when going from a losing one to a winning one.
       
In short, there is a great deal of work left to be done, but the Cardinals, led by Morgan Kennedy and Amaya Hill, did improve by four wins from 3-16 and 0-6 in the Toledo Area Athletic Conference to 7-14 and 2-4 in the league.
       
Keith Kennedy talked about the team’s improvement but noted that there is plenty of room for improvement.
       
“We made some big steps. I was happy. I told the kids after the (sectional) loss to Carey that they had nothing to hold their heads about. We took a step in the right direction,” he said. “(But) we started with 18 players and finished with nine. It was a tough season.”
       
Reasons for players leaving the team included dismissals from school, quitting because they didn’t feel like they were getting enough playing time and injuries.
       
“There were a lot of negative aspects, (but) the core of nine girls took a step in the right direction, though we’re nowhere close to where we need to be. We were holding kids accountable for their actions. If they got three tardies in a week, they had to sit a quarter of a game,” he said. “We had a scoring system for (things like) not finishing homework and acting up in class, for example. If they lost points, we held them accountable. We want to teach these girls how to survive in real life.”
       
Hill, a 5-9 forward, averaged 7.4 points and 12.9 rebounds, one of the highest averages in the entire state, not just in Division VII.
       
“Amaya had a good season. I’m extremely upset she didn’t get first- or second-team in the district,” Keith Kennedy said. “She’s seventh in Ohio for rebounds. How can she average close to 13 rebounds and not get recognition?”
       
Morgan Kennedy, a 5-5 shooting guard, averaged 9.2 points and finished with double digits in each of Stritch’s victories.
       
Keith Kennedy said that the team had four goals this season — (1) win more games; (2) hold opponents to fewer points; (3) score more points and (4) cut down a net at sectionals.
       
The Cardinals succeeded in accomplishing all but the final goal.
       
“We cut our points against by about 21 points per game, increased our scoring by about 17 points per game and improved by four wins,” he said. “I told them after the Carey game, ‘you have nothing to feel bad about.’ They went out and accomplished those goals, and I was extremely proud.”
       
Stritch swept two games against rival Northwood, which is leaving the TAAC for the Sandusky Bay Conference River Division in the offseason and also beat Scott in a close game.
       
“We had to pull out that win against Scott,” Keith Kennedy said. “We let them back into the game and had to control the tempo at the end of the game. We made 7-of-8 free throws in the last few minutes. It’s a testament to the girls.”
       
The other rotational players were Sydney Miller (5-5), Kenzie Kinnie (5-8), Makayla Miltz (5-7), Giana DeGasto (5-6) and Alivia Castro (5-7).
       
There was no set starting lineup.
       
“I don’t think it was the same for any one game because sometimes a player was sitting a quarter (for breaking team rules),” said Keith Kennedy. “Most of the players were between playing 22 and 24 minutes per game.”
       
Keith Kennedy, who credits Marty Castro and Ryan Sheehy, his assistant coaches, for their efforts, had this to say about his other players:
       
“Sydney Miller, as a senior, stepped up to be a leader. She (transferred) to us from Emmanuel Christian. She really stepped into her own this season, and there was a stretch where she was averaging 13 to 14 points per game,” he said. “Her defense was unbelievable. Her on-ball pressure was some of the best I’ve seen in the area.
       
“Alivia Castro really did a nice job for us, Kenzie Kinnie provided senior leadership and Makayla Miltz, with her and Sydney’s on-ball defense, she kept us in a lot of games. They’re two of the best on-ball defenders in Northwest Ohio. Gianna was the most improved player; she really came into her own. Any time people pressed us, we just did not have a really strong ball handler, and Gigi stepped up and took on that role, and helped us break the pressure.”
       
“I’m excited for the steps in the right direction taken but we’ve got a long road of work ahead of us,” he said.