14 Jan Kennedy High Basketball Snaps Losing Streak With Big Win Over Richmond High

A Kennedy Eagle soars in for a rebound during the second quarter of an intraleague matchup with Richmond High.

Story and photos by Joe Porrello

The Kennedy High boys varsity basketball squad showed out on their home court in an intracity battle with Richmond High on Jan. 9, as the Eagles won handily by a score of 77-32.

Both teams are ranked near the bottom of 1,444 teams in California, with the Kennedy Eagles at No. 1,219 and the Richmond Oilers at No. 1,367.

Coming in with 12 straight losses, Kennedy High players were all smiles after earning their first victory since January 2025 — also against the Oilers.

First-year Kennedy head coach Ted Briscoe remembered that game well. At the time, he was the head coach at Richmond High.

“I feel for Richmond because I’ve been on the other side; it’s bittersweet because I know people over there, and they’re going through a tough time,” he said.

Richmond High entered having not been in the win column for over a year, with 17 consecutive losses dating back to December 2024.

That same month, legendary former Oilers coach Ken Carter came back to coach the team, but after a logistical snafu involving incomplete employment paperwork, Briscoe — then an assistant — took over in a pinch. As last season approached, Carter said he preferred to help out from afar, according to Briscoe, who continued another season as interim head coach.

Officially applying for the Richmond High head coaching job this year, Briscoe was only offered the junior varsity position, leading to his departure. But he doesn’t hold a grudge.

“It wasn’t more important than any other game — I have no animosity toward them and wish them all the best,” he said.

Kennedy played with urgency from the opening tip, causing havoc on defense that produced easy transition buckets at the rim. The Eagles opened the game on a 17–3 run and led by 23 points at the end of the first quarter.

 

Briscoe pointed to experience as a major factor; Richmond High has just one senior on its roster.

The Eagles would keep the momentum and continue building their lead in the following frame, going on a 16-3 run that caused Richmond High head coach Kenny Spaight to throw his clipboard behind the team bench. From that point on — about midway through the second quarter — the Oilers stepped up their defensive tenacity and made the Eagles work hard to get open shots, resulting in a 19-19 tie over the next combined two quarters.

Already facing a 68-26 deficit entering the fourth, Richmond High was playing for pride and kept the score from getting more lopsided.

 

“It’s evident that we’re outmatched in most games, but my goal is to teach the kids how to compete at a high level,” said Spaight. “I’m not really worried about them making shots because that’s out of my control — what I can control is their effort and their communication.”

Losing by 45, the Oilers finished one point shy of their average margin of defeat this season and prevented another outcome like their 101-11 loss to Vallejo High in December.

Keeping his team motivated on such a tough streak, Spaight says, isn’t an easy task.

 

“It’s tough, to say the least; I’m still trying to figure out tactics that actually work… I’m not used to losing,” he said. “If they don’t want to play this sport, there’s only so much I can teach them.”

Kennedy entered the game with its own struggles, having lost by an average of 40 this season and being outscored by more than double overall.

While both teams went 6-10 from the free throw line, the Eagles had nine players score — four in double figures — and sank seven three-pointers. Richmond High had no players score over nine points and made just two shots from beyond the arc.

 

The Eagles scored less than 20 in three of their previous four games before scoring a season-high 77 — their most in over three years.

“I could tell before the game they had a different type of vibe, they were relaxed and confident, which they have to learn to do against everybody they play,” said Briscoe.

On defense, the 32 points allowed was almost half Kennedy High’s former season-low of 63 and the fewest they surrendered since 2022 — also against Richmond High. The margin of victory was their largest since winning by 52 in the aforementioned game.

The Eagles have won eight straight against Richmond High, going back to 2021, and have a chance to extend the streak when they meet for a second and final matchup on Jan. 28.

 

Where the game will be played remains to be seen. The location of the Jan. 9 game changed about half a dozen times on MaxPreps and was ultimately played at Kennedy, though the last update showed it being held at Richmond High.

“I got a call that it was at Kennedy at like noon (on gameday),” said Spaight, who wasn’t given an explanation for the flip-flopping of location.

Kennedy now sits at 1-9 overall and is fourth of seven teams in the Tri-County-Stone League at 1-2 in league play. At 0-7 overall, the Oilers remain in last place and have 34 consecutive league losses since January 2023.

Part of their struggles, say both coaches, stem from having trouble with players attending practice on a regular basis.

“It bothers me more when they miss practice than when they lose games,” Briscoe said.

The varsity basketball issues at both schools continue to build, according to Briscoe, as trouble finding players has led to Richmond High having only eight on its roster.

“The stigma of losing is so bad that a lot of kids don’t think they can make a change,” he said.

Richmond High’s only overall winning season in 18 years came in 2021, while the Eagles’ last winning campaign came in 2019.

Kennedy has nine games remaining to try snowballing their first win into a playoff push, while Richmond High has seven games left to break their losing streak.

Both squads lost to teams Tuesday that came in with just two wins apiece as Kennedy fell 77-38 to Vallejo High and Richmond High was defeated 67-17 by Hercules High. Kennedy and Richmond each next play Friday, at home against Hercules (3-9) and on the road versus El Cerrito High (13-4), respectively.