Kennedy boys get Hershey finale

The Eagles defeated Duquesne 65-61 in the semifinal contest Tuesday.
By BRIAN RICHESSON
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
MONACA, Pa. -- The Kennedy Christian High boys basketball team has a date with history, and the Golden Eagles are ready to impress.
Overcoming Duquesne in the closing minutes of Tuesday's 65-61 PIAA semifinal victory, Kennedy Christian positioned itself for a fourth straight Class A state title.
The Golden Eagles will play Fairfield Friday at 3 p.m. at Hersheypark Arena in Hershey, Pa. Fairfield defeated Old Forge 59-55.
The only team to win four straight Pennsylvania titles is Carlisle (1985-88), of Quad A.
"I really want to tie this record," Kennedy Christian coach Joe Votino said. "Not for me. But just to be a part of history."
Wasn't easy: For a short time Tuesday, a hint of doubt cascaded over the dome at the Community College of Beaver County.
Duquesne (17-12) did everything it could to dampen the cheer of Kennedy Christian fans, some of whom dressed as Hershey Kisses.
"I know our kids knew they were a good team," Votino said of Duquesne, "but I'm not quite sure they knew they were that good."
Two seniors, however, stepped forward for the Golden Eagles (26-5) to help send them east.
"Great poise, great senior leadership," Votino exclaimed. "It was so nice to see them get their poise back and win the game."
Keenan Christiansen's 3-pointer erased Kennedy Christian's one-point deficit (56-55) with 3 minutes, 23 seconds remaining. It was Christiansen's sixth 3-pointer of the game and he ended with 18 points.
"When we went down by one, we could have folded," Votino said. "But Keenan came out and hit the big 3.
"I don't remember the last time we were down by one point with two or three minutes to go," Votino added. "That just shows you how much character we have."
Inside presence: With the score tied 59-59, senior Gary Satterwhite took a pass from Christiansen down low and scored to give the Golden Eagles the lead for good with 52 seconds remaining.
"I was just thinking about going back to Hershey," Satterwhite said.
Satterwhite's basket capped his dominating performance in the paint, as he finished with 22 points, 21 rebounds and five blocks.
"My teammates kept throwing me the ball inside and I kept converting," Satterwhite said. "Coach said I was outsizing everybody."
Satterwhite benefits from being knowledgeable of his game, Duquesne coach Montel Staples said.
"He's left-handed, he's 6-foot-5, he knows how to use his weight," Staples said. "He's a good post player who knows how to get position."
Defensive assignment: Kennedy Christian's defensive strategy against Duquesne was to slow junior Jerome Corbett, who came in averaging 20.2 points.
Having the task of defending Corbett was Kennedy Christian senior Nick George, who held the Duquesne standout to 12 points.
"Nick George is our best defensive player," Christiansen said. "Without Nick's pressure defense, we wouldn't have done it."
Corbett had a chance to tie the score with 31 seconds remaining, but he split a pair of free throws and Kennedy Christian clung to a 61-60 lead.
Duquesne, which made seven 3-pointers to keep it in the game, was led by senior Daniel Demery's 16 points. Junior Shelby Jefferies added 11.
"We had five tapes on [Duquesne] and they didn't hit one outside shot," Votino said. "So we packed [our defense] in -- we never do that."
George sealed the Golden Eagles' win by stealing the ball as the final seconds ticked away. Fans then pelted the floor with Hershey Kisses.
Junior Nolan Reimold added 17 points for Kennedy Christian.
"The way we played down the stretch is because of Coach Votino," Christiansen said. "Every day in practice, he's the one who's shaped us and made us keep our heads on straight, no matter if we're up or down."