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Cardinals dominate post in win over Walsh Jesuit
By Nate Ulrich Beacon Journal sportswriter
Published on Saturday, Nov 24, 2007
The season opener between the Kenmore and Walsh Jesuit boys basketball teams indicated that only the tall survive.
The Cardinals used their height advantage wisely to dominate the post and defeat the Warriors 68-54 on Friday night at Kenmore High School.
Kenmore's 6-foot-9 senior forward Antoine Norris scored a game-high 18 points and grabbed seven rebounds to carry the Cardinals over the Warriors in a season opener for the second consecutive year.
''Our size was the difference,'' Kenmore coach Dan Freeman said. ''We're huge. You've got big guys, but you don't always play big. Tonight, I thought the guys played really big. Norris did a great job in the post getting the ball. He's got good footwork, and he finished his shots.''
Junior forward Laquon Smith, who is 6 feet 7, and senior guard Wesley Payne, 6-3, each scored 12 points for the Cardinals.
Kenmore led 15-13 at the end of the first quarter. Then Norris helped jump-start the Cardinals with seven points in the first two minutes, 38 seconds of the second quarter. Norris finished the first half with 12 points, helping Kenmore gain a 34-23 advantage.
''I thought that my size was big tonight,'' Norris said. ''Most of my post moves worked really good. I usually have a big size advantage. I didn't really show it last year, but I plan on showing it this year.''
Norris did most of his damage in the first half, however, and Walsh Jesuit was able to capitalize in the second half by Please see Kenmore , C5
Continued from Page C4
narrowing the gap to 50-46 with 5:34 left in the game.
Junior forward Chris Ameen scored 12 of his team-high 16 points in the second half to help the Warriors stay within striking distance until late.
Junior forward Andrew Pavloff, who finished with 13 points, and senior guard Collin Shea, who had 12 points, were also key contributors to Walsh Jesuit's second-half charge.
''They're a scrappy team,'' Freeman said of the Warriors. ''They execute well, and they play very physical. In years past, we didn't win games like this because our guys weren't real physical. But last year and this year, our kids have been real physical, and we're able to match up with them.''
After the Warriors cut the deficit to four points, the Cardinals responded with a 9-0 run that proved to be the knockout punch. It gave Kenmore a 59-46 lead with 3:33 left, and the Cardinals cruised the rest of the way.
Kenmore was able to squash Walsh Jesuit's rally with suffocating pressure defense. The Cardinals used their speed to trap effectively and step into passing lanes. The Warriors committed seven of their 24 turnovers in the fourth quarter.
''Kenmore has got some skill,'' Walsh Jesuit coach John Norris said. ''They have some ability, and they took advantage of some of the mistakes we made.
''It came down to a few basic things: rebounding, free throws and turnovers. They beat us in all three.''
Freeman said he was pleased with the way the Cardinals began a new season.
''We did exactly what I thought we could do,'' he said. ''I thought we could pound it inside, pound the boards and dominate the middle.''
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nateulrich2007@yahoo.com. Read the high school blog at http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/varsity_letters/.
The season opener between the Kenmore and Walsh Jesuit boys basketball teams indicated that only the tall survive.
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