SAN FRANCISCO — With a healthy Joey Kennedy, the University Red Devils are operating on a different level.
Kennedy, a 6-foot-6 junior, posted a game-high 19 points and eight rebounds in a 70-46 NCS Division 4 quarterfinal win over Del Norte at Kezar Pavilion, securing a 12th consecutive state tournament appearance for the Red Devils. But his value went far beyond the box score, creating openings for his teammates as University (23-7) pulled away in the second half.
“Joey’s a great inside passer,” sophomore Gus Parsons said. “When he catches it in the post, I can cut and he’ll look for me. That’s been the source of my inside buckets.”
Parsons scored just four points on Saturday, but he was one of 13 different players to find the scoresheet for the Red Devils, who blew the game open with a 27-12 third quarter. His behind-the-back pass to Grant Lyon for a transition layup was part of a 10-1 run to open the third quarter and put the third-seeded Devils ahead by 19.
“I can thread the needle a little bit,” Parsons said. “My passing is a big part of my game.”
Kennedy’s mid-January return from a knee injury has allowed Parsons to transition from an inside role as an undersized post to a more free-flowing one, which was on display with his four points, four assists and three rebounds. His flashy pass to Lyon followed one of Lyon’s six assists, which came when the Linfield College commit found Kennedy on the top of the arc for a 3-pointer to put University up 37-22. In all, the hosts recorded assists on 24 of their 28 made baskets. Lyon and Parsons combined for 10 of the 24 and Cole Boake finished with 13 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
“We wear the other team down,” University head coach Randy Bessolo said. “The cumulative effect of non-stop pressure breaks teams down, and they broke down at the start of the third quarter.”
Del Norte (16-8) hung around for the first half, trailing just 15-9 after a quarter and 32-22 at the break behind Adriel Horton, who scored 13 of his team-high 15 points in the first half as the sixth-seeded Warriors acclimated to the fast pace far better than most opponents had managed. Another Redwood Empire team, Fortuna, could never adjust to University’s style in the first round, falling 84-26.
“They were aggressive against our press and they used it against us,” Bessolo said.
Edwin Zepeda scored 12 for the visitors, who were playing with a full team for just the second time since the start of the calendar year.
“These seniors are such tough kids,” first-year Del Norte head coach Cris Rice said. “We’ve usually had 7-10 guys instead of our full 12. Obviously, we would have liked to had a full group all year, but they battled.”
Hulking senior center Konner Price didn’t score, but had a team-high seven rebounds for the visitors.
“That’s probably the most physical team we’ve played against, and that style favored them,” Rice said of University. “I was impressed with how many kids they rotated in and how well they trapped.”
