Boys Baketball: Bluebirds Flying High

Travis Jenkins and Jonathan Richardson admit playing basketball at was not too fun two years ago.

That season, the Bluebirds went 4-16 and their future did not seem too bright. But much of that changed last season as Kenwood went 12-12 and advanced to the Class 4A North semifinals. That playoff run , a team that beat Kenwood twice in the regular season, in the regional quarterfinals.

“That win over Woodlawn proved to me we could compete with just about anyone in the county,” said Jenkins, a senior guard.

That belief has proved to be true so far this season as Kenwood is 7-1 and riding a seven-game winning streak heading into its game at 6:30 p.m. against visiting .

Kenwood’s winning streak includes winning the Overlea Holiday Tournament over winter break. During that two-day event, the Bluebirds defeated and North Harford, 74-46 and 65-35, respectively.

In the championship game against North Harford, Kenwood was especially dominant as it outscored its opponent, 22-2 in the third quarter.

“The last two years have been fun playing with a bunch of people I like to be with,” said Richardson, a senior forward. “The success we had last season made us hungry this year and has us believing in each other.”

Richardson and Jenkins are among the key players for a balanced Kenwood team. Richardson averages 10.5 points and 5 rebounds while Jenkins averages 9.9 points, 4.1 assists and 3.6 steals.

Kenwood coach Chris Kelly has also been impressed with the play of junior guard Dana Johns, who averages 9.9 points and 2.5 steals while shooting 45 percent for three-point range.

Another key player, Kelly said, is senior forward Yasir Young, who averages 5 points and is shooting 60 percent from the field.

Kelly said has gained confidence this season, which will be key as Kenwood enters the heart of the schedule. This includes games against (Jan. 11), at Woodlawn (Jan. 13), against Hereford (Feb. 10) and at Milford Mill (Feb. 13). Milford Mill enters the week ranked fifth in the latest Varsity Sports Network Top 20 poll.

“Milford Mill is obviously the class of the county, but we’re all competing for that second spot,” Kelly said. “We’ll know how good we really are over the next couple of weeks. But I believe that if we execute like I know we can, we can play against just about anybody and that’s all you can ask for as a coach.”