John F. Kennedy’s Jace Kollie found himself in an unusual position — one he’d strove to avoid since becoming a starter for the Silver Spring-based Cavaliers.
The 6’4” guard is the school’s leading scorer, but an illness prompted Kennedy head coach Leonard Myers to have Kollie kick off Friday’s game against Gaithersburg on the bench.
Regardless of limited minutes, Kollie still paced the Cavaliers with 13 points, in addition to five rebounds in a 49-45 come from behind victory over the Gaithersburg Trojans.
“It’s weird for me, not hearing my name, ‘Jace Kollie’ as a starter and coming off the bench,” said the senior, who scored 11 points in the second half, including some crucial free throws at the end of the game. “No matter what, you still got to bring energy.”
At the end of the first half, Kennedy trailed 24-17. The gap only worsened as Gaithersburg opened the second half with six consecutive points, extending the lead to 13.
The Cavaliers strung a few baskets together and responded with an 11-0 run of its own to slash the deficit from double digits to two points.
With four seconds left in the quarter, trailing by three, Kennedy was at the free throw line.
After making the first free throw, the second attempt clanked off the rim, finding sophomore Cesare Bonaparte for an offensive rebound. The sophomore missed a contested second chance, but the ensuing rebound found an uncovered Kollie, who tied the game with a putback layup right as the quarter expired, sending his teammates into a momentary frenzy.
“Everybody else was happy, but I was like ‘that’s not it, there’s no way we’re tied with this team,’” said Kollie. “We should be winning.”
With 4:30 remaining in the game, Gaithersburg led 45-42. For the next two minutes the score remained unchanged.
Kennedy’s Anthony Pineda, a small, shifty guard, drilled a mid-range jumper to bring the difference to a single point with 2:30 remaining. Only 20 seconds later, junior forward Yannis Kiki used his size to give the Cavaliers their first lead since the opening quarter.
With the score the same in the final minute, Gaithersburg’s Angel Long, who led all scorers with 18 points, had the ball in his hands, just outside the arc. He took one dribble to his right, crossed the ball back over to his left hand and pulled a shot from the free throw line. However, suffocating defense from sophomore Michael Wright ensured the ball never touched the rim.
“We definitely stayed with it, didn’t give up and made some tough-minded plays down the stretch,” said Myers. “We weren’t worried, but we knew we had little margin for error, so we had to execute and stay disciplined.”
Kollie converted three-of-four free throw attempts in the final minute to extend the lead. The senior scored six of Kennedy’s 12 fourth quarter points.
“That was one of the reasons we brought him off the bench, so he could be fresh to finish,” said Myers. “I think it was good that he got to rest early, and then he definitely made some big plays down the stretch.”
Both teams entered the matchup on two-game losing streaks.
The Trojans are now 1-4, with this loss coming two days after a 56-55 defeat against Walter Johnson.
The pain of inexperience for a team starting only two seniors was prevalent in certain moments. Kennedy comfortably dominated the boards. And while neither team shot the ball particularly well, Gaithersburg failed to make a single three-pointer, while its opposition were successful on four attempts, including three in the second half.
“We deserved to lose. We don’t do any of the little things right. We don’t box out, we don’t get open properly, we don’t secure the ball,” said Gaithersburg head coach Jeff Holda. “These are all things that are prerequisites to winning. Like any team, we’re young and we don’t know how to win. It’s very frustrating as a coach because we have some talent, but we’re more concerned with other things than winning.”
For Kennedy, now 3-2 on the season, the win gives a satisfying ending for what had been a disappointing week of basketball.
The Cavaliers lost by two against Springbrook on Monday, followed by a 27-point blowout loss against Whitman two days before the game against Gaithersburg.
“I thought we learned from those and learned what we need to do to improve as a team,” said Myers. “It feels good when you win and you want that for your conference going forward.”
Upcoming Games:
Kennedy: @ Wheaton (Dec. 19, 5:30 p.m.), vs. Blair (Thu, Dec. 21, 5:30 p.m.), vs. Einstein (Mon., Jan. 8)
Gaithersburg: vs. Quince Orchard (Dec. 19, 5:30 p.m.), vs. Magruder (Thu Dec. 21, 7:15 p.m.), @ Seneca Valley (Thu, Jan. 4, 5:30 p.m.)
