15 Jan Kennedy Eagles Best Richmond Oilers By 33 in Intracity Varsity Basketball Matchup

Kennedy Eagles senior point guard Jayson Scarbrough drives to the hole, where he scored most of his game-high 15 points.

Story and photos by Joe Porrello

Kennedy High’s varsity boys basketball team defended their home court against cross-city rival  Richmond High on Friday to the tune of a 55-22 drubbing.

Though the game was close to start, a tenacious Eagles defense caused a frenetic Oilers pace that resulted in the latter having more turnovers than points and Kennedy permanently pulling away.

 

Separated by just about 2.5 miles, the two teams’ head-to-head matchups have recently been as one-sided as their most recent battle: Richmond High last won the intracity bout in 2021, having now lost six straight against the Eagles while going 2-19 over the last decade.

It was Kennedy’s first Tri-County-Stone League win this season, with four of their last five league victories coming against Richmond High.

 

One noticeable omission from the Oilers sideline was returning coach Ken Carter, who was on the sidelines with the team for one game earlier this season. He missed the team’s first three games after finishing his move from Texas to the Bay Area. Now, he has been absent for the last three matchups.

According to second-year Richmond High assistant coach Ted Briscoe, Carter has to finish completing certification courses for areas like concussion protocol and CPR required by the West Contra Costa Unified School District before he can return to the bench.

 

“They’re trying to go by the book with this and do everything properly,” said Briscoe. “They told (Carter) he couldn’t even help out in the meantime.”

Without their head coach, the Oilers did not score until halfway through the opening quarter when guard Keyden Washington made his first of two three-point shots in the frame. Richmond High would not make a three pointer again in the game outside of Washington’s pair.

Applying a spirited effort thereafter, Richmond High went into the first break tied 11-11.

 

Continuing to fight in the second quarter, the Oilers faced a 25-18 halftime deficit in large part due to Eagles senior forward Teyshawn Chilton, who scored all seven of his points for the game in the frame.

The third quarter featured Eagles senior guard Jayson Scarbrough amassing 11 points en route to a game-high 15. He alone more than doubled the Oilers’ scoring output in the quarter and equaled their amount of made free throws for the game with five.

 

“Our coaches told us to come out aggressive immediately and jump these cats out of the gym,” said Scarbrough.

Kennedy High’s 42-22 advantage heading into the final frame could have been significantly larger if not for numerous missed high-percentage chances at point-blank range. 

“As a point guard, I should be slowing the game down more and I’m working on that,” said Scarbrough.

The Eagles defense helped widen the margin after halftime, limiting Richmond High to just four second half points, resulting in a 33-point defeat and their second consecutive bout with just 22 points.

Joining Scarbrough in double-figure scoring were two fellow Eagles seniors. Forward Tyler Martin finished right behind his teammate with 14 points, and wing Darion Adams added 10.

Having no double-digit scorers, the Oilers’ were led by Washington, who paced his team with seven points.

 

Aside from their offensive output, Kennedy’s high scorer said he and the other fourth-year players need to step up vocally and be leaders to improve their team’s chances moving forward.

Holding an overall record of 6-11 with eight games remaining in the regular season, the Eagles look to avoid a fifth straight losing season.

 

Kennedy High head coach Michael Booker said his team needs to execute at a higher level in their next game against El Cerrito High — where he coached for about a decade — if they want to win their game on the road this season after losing the first four.

“We play a really tough team on Wednesday, and if we play like that again, we’re not going to have a positive outcome,” he said.

 

Scarbrough took it a step further.

“We were just trying to get ready for our game against El Cerrito — that’s our rival, not Richmond High,” he said.

And Briscoe had a similar sentiment.

“Obviously, they’re better than us,” he said. “We don’t have a rivalry with anybody right now.”

Being outscored by more than double this season, the Oilers did have one bright spot about a month ago when they won their first game in over a year — and first at Richmond High in almost two years — snapping a 16-game losing skid.

“Things started out pretty rough… we’re just trying to salvage some type of season,” said Briscoe. “The team is already better than last year.”

The Oilers assistant coach says it felt like things were trending upward for the team and hopes they do not fall back into old habits.

 

A losing culture, according to Briscoe, contributes to a “here we go again” attitude once facing a large deficit. 

“Teams that are used to winning are going to believe they can come back, but we seem to not have the confidence or believe we’re supposed to win,” he said.

Having gone just about two years without a victory in league play or at home, Richmond High aims to break both dubious streaks in their next game against John Swett High on Wednesday.