Kennedy’s defensive intensity limited Burlington to only six points in the second quarter and it was that defense that proved to be the difference as the Cougars downed Burlington, 54-46, in boys basketball Friday night at Kennedy.

The Cougars built an eight-point lead at half and maintained it throughout the second half for the victory.  Defense and fresh legs were the difference in the game.

“It’s not easy to play with that kind of intensity,” said first-year Kennedy Coach Jon McKowen.  “We are deep and we can play a lot of kids.”

A.J. Carter and John Bardsley led Kennedy (1-0) with 13 points apiece and Drew Heitland came in off the bench to contribute 11.

“We don’t have any super stars,” said McKowen.  “We have to be able to spread teams out.  We worked inside-out really well tonight, but we will get better.  We got good shots and as the season goes on we will hit more of them.”

“I was shooting well all week (in practice),” said Carter. “I was playing with confidence so when they gave me an opening I tried to take advantage of it.”

Heitland and Austin Holzer manned the inside and controlled the lane, complementing each other in a solid rotation.

“We do a lot of running drills in practice,” said Heitland. “Austin and I rotate in and out and that way we both stay fresh.  We are able to run the court and we have great guards who get us the ball.”

“This group of kids works hard and are eager to learn,” said McKowen.  “I worked with these kids all summer so it seems like I have been here for three or four years rather than three or four months.

"We have spent a lot of time on process and we will need to emphasize shooting fundamentals in the coming days.  We can build on this successful beginning.”

Burlington dropped to 0-2.

BURLINGTON (46): Porter 3 0-0 9, Plein 5 1-3 11, Martin 3 0-0 8, Mack 2 0-2 4, Bloomer 1 0-1 3, Chrisman 2 0-1 6, Fleming 1 0-0 2, Massner 1 1-3 3. Totals 18 2-10 46.

KENNEDY (54): Carter 5 2-4 13, Bardsley 3 7-7 13, Murdock 0 3-4 3, Buck 0 1-2 1, Holzer 2 2-2 6, Daniels 1 1-2 3, Bil 0 0-0 0, Heisler 1 0-0 3, Heitland 5 1-5 11, Jacobus 0 1-2 1. Totals 17 18-28 54.

Halftime – Kennedy 26, Burlington 18. 3-point goals – Burlington 8 (Porter 3, Martin 2, Bloomer 1, Chrisman 2), Kennedy 3 (Carter 1, Bardsley 1, Heisler 1). Fouled out – none.