By Mike Clark
Jazlynn Givens’ journey hasn’t always been easy.
The Kenwood senior played on the JV team her first two years and had her junior year limited because of an ACL injury. So forgive the 5-foot-9 guard/forward for wanting this season to keep going for as long as possible.
The Broncos advanced to the Elite Eight (Super-Sectional) for the first time in program history on Thursday, beating Public League rival Whitney Young 75-63 to win the Class 4A Proviso East Sectional.
Givens led four scorers in double figures for Kenwood (30-5), scoring 18 points and grabbing six rebounds. Sophomore Ariella Henigan (14 points, 6 rebounds, 4 steals), soph Diann Jackson (12 points, 14 rebounds) and senior Jazelle Young (11 points, 7 rebounds) also had big games.
“We worked hard for this,” Givens said. “I told the team, ‘I’m not ready for the season to be over. We want this state title and this means a lot. especially this being my last (high-school) year.”
Kenwood has some of the state’s top young players, including Henigan, Jackson and freshman Danielle Brooks. But there’s no doubting the steadying influence of a veteran like Givens.
Coach Andre Lewis said he was “ecstatic” to see Givens play such a big role on such a big stage.
“She’s a kid who’s really grown through the program,” Lewis said. “She’s come back really strong (from the ACL injury). She’s bought into being a leader and being a star in her role. And she doesn’t mind the younger kids getting their shine.That’s what makes this team special. We don’t have any cliques on this team.”
Kenwood split its first two meetings with Young this season, winning 68-63 on Jan. 28 and losing 58-45 in the Public League final on Feb. 11.
The Broncos controlled this one from the start. They raced to a 16-3 lead late in the first quarter and were up by as many as 23 in the second before heading into halftime ahead 38-17. Young (26-6) got no closer than 13 in the second half.
“We have to learn how to come back from being behind,” Young assistant coach Angie Foster said. “That’s one thing we haven’t done well.”
Sophomore Destiny Jackson did her best to keep the Dolphins in the game, scoring a game-high 26.
Foster wasn’t surprised by Jackson stepping up.
“From the beginning of the season, it’s been a drastic change especially in the leadership role and guiding the team,” Foster said. “She wanted to take the game into her own hands and win the game.”
Fellow soph Kiaya Johnson had 19 points and Missouri-bound senior Skylar Jones finished with 12.
“We just tried to make it really difficult for her to get to the basket,” Lewis said of Jones. “Tried to clog up the lane as much as we could. She’s a great player. She’s gonna have a wonderful career at Mizzou, but we just wanted to make it really difficult tonight.”
That’s what the Broncos did.
“(It) just wasn’t our day,” Foster said. “Kenwood played the better game and they won. They’re a great team.”
