Kenwood captures first city championship in dominant win over Butler
Kenwood senior guard Danielle Brooks had accomplished almost everything in her high school career. She became Kenwood's all-time leading scorer — boys or girls — this season, was a starter on last year's IHSA Class 4A state championship and is committed to UIC. But one goal had eluded her over her previous three years: a city championship.
Brooks crossed that achievement off her list after Kenwood's 56-25 win in the CPS city championship over Butler at UIC's Credit Union 1 Arena. It's Kenwood's first city title after four consecutive runner-up finishes.
"Our goal was to be champions," said Brooks, who scored 12 points.
From the beginning of the game, Kenwood played with extra energy and never relented. Every Butler run was snuffed out immediately.
In the third quarter, Kenwood senior guard Valencia Miller got open on a corner three and let it rip. The shot missed off the side of the rim and went up in the air. While other players watched the ball in the air, Miller rushed toward the ball, grabbed her rebound and earned a trip to the free-throw line.
There was a sense of urgency throughout Kenwood's team the entire night. They were quick to lose balls, crashed the glass with verve and had no wasted motion offensively. They played with the poise and purpose.
They didn't come out to merely win a city championship; the Broncos came to strut and show their public-league dominance. Kenwood has never shot it well at Credit Union 1 Arena. The Broncos knew they would need to have a dominant defensive performance to win on Friday.
In the first quarter, Butler's first point didn't come until there were 26.6 seconds left in the first quarter. Kenwood forced Butler into a 0-for-15 showing from the field that made it hard for the Lynx to recover from. Coach Andre Lewis said it was team's finest defensive showing.
"We're trying to do it all together in one year," Lewis said. "We've grown a lot since the beginning of the year. There [were] games that we didn't trust each other in, and that's natural because they're new. The willingness to sacrifice for one another, it comes over time. It comes as a result of what you do off the court as well as what you do on the court ... learning to trust one another. You got to actually go through some things. You've got to fail."
Senior guard Darryelle Smith, who transferred from Fenwick, scored 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Miller scored 12 points and grabbed six rebounds. Sophomore guard Kerminicia Wellington scored 11 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.
The Broncos were relentless defensively, digging on every drive and forcing Butler into tough, off-balance shots at the rim. Butler shot 22.2% from the field for the entire game. Twice in the third quarter, Butler coach Xaver Walton had to call a timeout to avoid 10-second violations.
Kenwood was feisty, particularly senior guard Amillya Henigan, who recorded five steals and was disruptive at the point of attack. Kenwood's ball pressure forced Butler into 17 turnovers.
Friday's win was a culmination for a Broncos team that is playing their best basketball late in the season. The championship is a testament to the foundation laid by previous Broncos teams. The tradition of winning is passed down from player to player over the years.
Brooks, the lone returning starter from last year's state championship-winning team, learned from former Kenwood players Ariella Henigan, Diann Jackson and London Walker-George and is now teaching her Broncos teammates Kenwood's winning ways.
"[Brooks] is a dog, so it's just her bringing my dog out," Smith said.