A tight contest on Friday night between the San Fernando Tigers and the Kennedy Golden Cougars was brought to standstill with 6:07 left in the game. The Tigers held a slim 39-36 lead when Kennedy senior guard and team captain John Estrada was shaken up after he took an accidental hit to the head at mid court chasing after a loose ball. After gathering himself to walk off the court, he passed out as he moved behind the Kennedy bench. As a concerned crowd and competitors in the Kennedy gym looked on in silence, he was fortunately brought to consciousness while an ambulance was called to transport him to the hospital. Facing the emotional toll of Estrada’s exit after a 30-minute delay, the Cougars battled back with a renewed focus and with perseverance in the fourth quarter to earn a hard fought 47-44 win against their arch nemesis. 

The Cougars started the game with an emphasis on the defensive end forcing two early turnovers from the Tigers. San Fernando settled down through earning extra opportunities on the offensive glass and took an early 7-4 lead before Kennedy responded with an 8-0 run. Trailing by one with time ticking down in the first quarter, Tigers junior guard Brandon Robinson earned a put-back tip-in at the buzzer to give them a 14-13 lead to end the period. 

Kennedy continued to stay active in the passing lanes in the second quarter while forcing miscues from the San Fernando offense. Cougars Head Coach Kevin Kanemura credited his team’s defensive effort after the game as the key to remaining in the game. “If we don’t play defense, there’s no way in the world we’re going to win any game!”, he chuckled postgame. 

Towards the end of the first half, San Fernando began to attack the paint for the purpose of getting the ball inside. Through the dribble penetration of their guards, the Tigers continued to stay in the game as both teams battled back-and-forth in a physical first half. Estrada brought the Kennedy home crowd to its feet with an acrobatic finish near the end of the first half, as both teams went into the locker room with the game tied 25-25. 

Both teams struggled to get off the schnide at the start of the second half before San Fernando once again attacked the paint. Tigers Junior guards Isaiah Cabrera and Omar Chavez spearheaded their offensive attack pouring in 12 of their 14 third-quarter points. Despite their output, Kennedy kept pace with San Fernando throughout the quarter through their ball movement. “I think in the second half, we did a better job of sharing the basketball”, stated Kanemura. 

The game remained tightly-contested, as San Fernando held onto the aforementioned three-point lead at the end of the third quarter before Estrada’s injury. Fortunately, once he was awakened he was alert and talkative as the paramedics took him to an ambulance to get evaluated for a concussion. Once play resumed following a more than a half-hour delay, the Cougars immediately went on a 11-3 run to regain the lead through forcing key turnovers and second chance opportunities. 

With under a minute left in the game, Kennedy held a 47-42 lead with Cabrera heading to the charity stripe. Unfortunately for San Fernando, he missed both free throws marking their fourth and fifth missed free throws of the quarter. “Usually we’re pretty clutch when it comes down to free throws.”, according to Tigers Head Coach Ted Painchaud postgame, “Free throws definitely, I think, [were] the difference maker in this game today.”

Following the missed foul shots, the Tigers used one of their fouls to give, with thirty seconds left in the game. On the subsequent inbounds play for Kennedy, San Fernando stole the pass from the sideline, which led to a quick layup from junior forward Gavin Reyes. The Cougars once again had trouble with the inbound pass, this time underneath the basket as San Fernando gained new life with a second consecutive turnover. 

Painchaud called a timeout with ten seconds left with one final opportunity to send the game into overtime. Putting the ball in the hands of the sixth leading scorer in the CIF L.A. City Section, Chavez earned the chance to take the last shot yet it came up short and the ball went out of bounds with one second left. After holding onto victory against their rivals, the Cougars maintain their top spot in the Valley Mission League with a 7-1 league record. The Cougars will travel to Panorama on Wednesday, while San Fernando will look to rebound as they travel to Van Nuys to take on the Wolves at 4:30.