Girls Basketball: Kenwood Falls at Home to Hereford

Junior center Denesha Tatum was Kenwood’s high-scorer with 14 points, but Hereford senior forward Kiki Oosterwijk led all players with 20 points, which aided her Bulls en route to a 59-46 victory. 

“This was definitely a different game then we expected,” Oosterwijk said. “[Kenwood] put up an amazing fight. We fought hard and hustled for every point.” 

The Bulls (14-1) started the game on a 12-2 run. Kenwood (6-8) went on a run of their own, outscoring the Bulls 14-9 to end the first quarter and trailed by just five at 21-16. 

“We had to make some substitutions early on in the game,” Kenwood coach Chanel Wright-Greene said. “Not to say that our bench is not good, but we were quickly down by 13. It is something that goes back to practicing as a team.” 

Hereford started the second quarter with a 10-2 run, increasing its lead to 31-18. Kenwood closed the gap with a 6-3 run in the final two minutes of the half, but the Bulls took a 34-24 lead into the intermission. 

The Bluebirds outscored the Bulls 14-11 in the third, but the quarter belonged to Oosterwijk. She scored eight of her team’s 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting during that span. 

Oosterwijk said she attributed her performance to good cuts and posting up. She also stated her teammates made good passes throughout the night. 

Kenwood trailed by nine as the fourth quarter began and cut the lead to six early. But the Bulls pulled away down the stretch and left with a 13-point victory. 

“We fought the majority of the game,” Wright-Greene said. “We came out [in the beginning of the game] in man-to-man defense and [Hereford] took advantage early before we switched to a 3-2.” 

Senior guard Miranda Cozart was one of three Bluebirds to finish with double digit points, scoring 11 points and dishing out three assists. She said although the Bluebirds played well at times, they gave Hereford too many opportunities. 

“We let them get into the post too much and gave up too many second chance shots,” Cozart said. 

Tatum finished one assist shy of a double-double and made 7-of-10 shots. Sophomore guard Cierra Wilson ended the game with 10 points, six assists and four steals. 

Free throw shooting allowed the Bluebirds to stay close throughout the game. Kenwood made 12-of-15, including 10-of-12 in the second half. 

But offensive mistakes are what prevented Kenwood from winning. The Bluebirds committed 27 turnovers and missed 12 layups. 

“We haven’t practiced as a team in two weeks,” Wright-Greene said. “Not that it’s an excuse, but in high school basketball you have to be able to come back to the table and make corrections.” 

Kenwood closes out its home schedule tonight, as they play host to Franklin. It will be senior night for the Bluebirds and tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m.