Coal City girls hoops gets 20th win

COAL CITY — Whether on the hardwood or watching her excel in golf and soccer, Coal City girls basketball coach Brad Schmitt has seen Kylee Kennell have some dominant athletic performances over the year.

But the first half he got from his senior guard in Monday’s home Illinois Central Eight Conference contest with Herscher might take the cake.

Kennell scored 21 of her game-high 26 points in the first half on 9-for-13 shooting, putting the Coalers up 36-22 at the break on their way to a commanding 53-26 win over the Tigers.

“I felt like [the Tigers] were trying to slow down some other things we had, and she just went on a hot streak,” Schmitt said. “She wanted the ball at that point, and a kid gets on that type of roll and is competitive, they want the ball and want to score, and she definitely did that.”

The win improved Coal City’s overall record to 20-7, giving the Coalers three straight 20-win seasons for the second time in program history. They improved to 11-1 in the ICE, staying tied with Manteno atop the conference standings. After a 10-3 start, the Tigers now sit at 12-12 and 5-6 in the ICE.

The Tigers were the only team to score in the game’s first three minutes, leading 4-0 at that point, but after Sydney Larson’s 3-pointer at the five-minute mark got the Coalers on the board, Kennell’s first bucket of the game just 30 seconds later gave them a lead they would hold for all but two possessions the rest of the way.

Kennell’s first dozen points were part of a 15-1 run they went on in the first, and after she quickly scored again in the opening moments of the second, the Coalers never saw their lead go back to single digits.

Seven of Kennell’s first-half points were part of the 10 they scored off 10 first-half Herscher turnovers. After dropping back in a half court defensive look to start the game, the Coalers were able to take advantage of Kennell’s frequent buckets to set up their full-court press that allowed that lead to snowball.

“I ask [the team] each game what they want to do, and we pretty much set the tone as far as the style of play we want that night,” Schmitt said. “They wanted to ease into it, and once we eased into the game, we got into that full-court pressure we like to do.”

As the Coalers reached their 20-win milestone, they’re perhaps setting the stage to be joined by the boys team, sitting at 18-6 with six regular season games left, to give both programs 20-win years in the same year for the first time ever. Paired with a wrestling program that looks well on its way to continued state dominance, Schmitt said the winter has been good to Coaler athletics.

“For us to see some success in all sports during the winter is something I think we’re all proud of,” Schmitt said. “I told them in [the locker room] that they need to be proud of what they’ve accomplished so far, continue to work and hopefully we can finish strong.”

A strong finish is also something Tigers head coach Tim McElroy hopes to see as the team tries to get back to its early-season form. After an injury-plagued middle of the season, they are getting back to full health with just enough time left in the season to do just that.

“That would be the goal, come regionals we look how we used to,” McElroy said. “That being said, it has forced players to step up, and girls have stepped up. I’m really proud of this team.”

In addition to her 26 points, Kennell had a pair of steals, five assists and three rebounds. Jori Tucker added nine points while Larson and Emma Rodriguez had six points apiece.

Herscher’s Pippa Dunnill buried a couple 3-pointers and had a team-high nine points. Anistin Hackley had six, all in the first half.

Both teams are back in action at 6:45 p.m., Thursday, when the Coalers visit Reed-Custer and the Tigers host Manteno.