CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – Rossview boys basketball visited Kenwood High Friday in search of their fifth consecutive district win.
The Hawks were unable to overcome an abysmal shooting performance, falling 53-32 to the Knights.
Rossview boys basketball coach Johnny Jackson had no answer for his team woes from the floor after the game.
“We couldn’t buy a bucket,” Jackson said. “We were awful from everywhere. We were bad from three, we were bad from the free-throw line, we were bad from two, and give them all the credit. They pressured us and were physical with us and we didn’t handle it.”
Despite the Hawks having a clear size advantage, the Knights were able to utilize their speed and quickness to get the upper hand.
“I would agree,” Kenwood Coach Jason James said of the assessment. “We’re not very big, so we have to find other ways to guard people and I thought we did that.”
Keys to the game
The Knights jumped out on an 8-0 run to start the contest before taking a 20-3 lead into the second quarter.
“I liked our defensive intensity,” said Kenwood boys basketball coach Jason James. “I thought we came out locked in which you have to do against a team like that or you’ll be playing from behind. I thought from a defensive standpoint we were on point and it carried over for the whole game.”
Rossview failed to record a field goal until the five-minute mark of the opening quarter when Spencer Mimms grabbed an offensive rebound and laid the ball in for two points.
Key players
Hawk sophomore Ronald Jessamy got into some early foul trouble and was forced to sit out for most of the first half. Without his presence down low, the Knights took advantage.
Replacing the production lost from players such as James “Scooter” Williams and Kevin McIntosh is near impossible, but being able to go 10 or 11 players deep in their current rotation helps Kenwood out tremendously.
“We felt like we have a lot of guys that can contribute,” James said. “Some more than others depending on the game. We like to try and give a lot of guys a chance to impact the game and remain balanced.”
Kemari McIntosh has since stepped up in his brother’s absence and played an integral part so far this season in the Knights’ success.
“He’s gotten a lot better,” James said. “He’s become more mature on and off the floor. He’s accepting his role as a leader and scorer on our team. He’s tried to do what we’ve asked him to do every day.”
Jaylen Washington led all scorers with 16 points while Caleb Grady and Quentavious Barnes added 10 points each for the Knights.
Tim Williams Jr. knocked down a pair of threes and finished with a team-high six points for the Hawks.
What’s next
In a district in which any team can be beaten on any given night, Jackson is no stranger to the competitiveness that 10-AAA perennially offers.
“This is my 15th year in the league and it’s been like this for all 15 years,” Jackson said. “You have to show up every night to play. It’s funny the kids get four years of it and I’ve had 15 years of it, so it’s not a surprise to me. Obviously we weren’t projected to be at the top of the league at the beginning of the season anyway. There’s going to be more losses for everyone and truthfully there’s not really any upsets. I think any night in this league anyone can win if you don’t show up and play your A game.”
Kenwood has a quick turnaround and will return to action Saturday, Dec. 12 at 12:30 p.m. against Arlington.
“We go to Barlett to play Arlington High School,” James said. “They’re one of the better teams in the city. We’ll try to help our legs, get off our feet and see what happens tomorrow.”
Rossview will lick its wounds before traveling to take on Northwest Friday, Dec. 18 at 7:30 p.m. in another district test.
“It doesn’t get any easier,” Jackson said. “They got probably one of the top point guards in our league. The guy can score it. We have to do a better job defensively and regroup. We are who we are. There’s nights when we can play really well and there’s nights obviously when we can play really bad. We just have to get consistent and show up every night.”