By Chris May
Boys Basketball Coordinator
INDIANAPOLIS – In a presidential election year, it would figure a team with the most Kennedys this side of Hyannis Port was led to victory by a young man named Kennedy in a Catholic school rivalry.
In an emotionally charged game delayed by weather and played in front of an overflow crowd, Indianapolis Chatard senior guard Jimmy Kennedy scored eight points in the final 2:41 as the Class 3A No. 9 Trojans scored the last 11 points of a 61-55 upset at 4A No. 7 Indianapolis Cathedral.
Chatard students rushed the floor after their rivalry win.
“That was one of the greatest feelings in sports I’ve had,” Kennedy said after hitting five free throws in the final 70 seconds and giving his schoolmates reason to hoist him up in the postgame celebration. “That’s the first time I’ve ever beat Cathedral on the varsity level, and when the fans rushed on to the court I was going crazy.
“It was awesome!”
Added a beaming Chatard coach Chris Quinn: “This is one of our top wins over the last few years. Beating the number seven team in the state on their home court, and being our biggest rival … it was a great win for us.”
Kennedy, nicknamed “Mr. Clutch” and one of three Kennedy brothers on the team, scored 10 of his 16 points in the final quarter. He hit a 3-pointer and nailed five of six free throw attempts in the final minutes when there was little doubt who would take control for the Trojans.
“Jimmy doesn’t lack for confidence,” Quinn said. “We want to give the ball to him if it comes down to a situation like this. We have the confidence in him that he’s going to make plays and he’s going to hit shots at the end.”
Kennedy said he had told his teammates to get him the ball in the closing minutes.
“Once we get under three minutes to go, I want to have the ball, especially at the free throw line,” the senior said. “That’s always a focal point – to get me the ball so I can finish at the free throw line.”
But it wasn’t just Kennedy’s offense that shined in the victory.
The 5’10” Kennedy was matched up defensively on 6’3” shooting guard Sean Esposito, who leads the Fighting Irish in scoring at just over 20 points per game. At halftime, Esposito was scoreless – by the end of the game, he had just four points on 2-of-8 shooting after being guarded primarily by Kennedy.
“Jimmy likes that challenge,” Quinn said. “We didn’t want Esposito to get wide-open looks – we said you can’t give him an inch, or he’s going to bury it on us.
“We did a great job of keeping a guy on him at all times, and even when he did get looks we were contesting it and getting a hand in his face.”
While Kennedy’s defense and late scoring seemed to be the guiding forces toward victory, the Trojans played well in numerous facets of the game leading to the late comeback.
“I told them in the locker room this was a total team effort – everybody that got in the game did their part,” Quinn said. “Our guys said that hustle won this game, and it did.”
Notably, the hustle on the glass.
Chatard, considerably undersized compared with its opponent, outrebounded Cathedral 35-29, including an astounding 17 offensive rebounds. Slender 6’3” senior Michael Zimmerman gathered seven offensive rebounds, while 6’4” Daryn Hightower had four offensive boards and 10 total rebounds.
“Michael and Daryn just go a hundred percent all the time,” Kennedy said. “They aren’t the biggest guys, but they’ll battle with you.”
The Trojans also found an outside touch, going 8 of 17 (47 percent) from 3-point land.
Sophomore Taylor Wayer – after airballing an early trey and hearing about it from the Cathedral students – finished 4 of 8 beyond the arc en route to 16 points. Meanwhile, Chatard bottled up Cathedral’s normally potent combination of Esposito and Patrick Paligraf to just 2 of 5 on long-range looks.
The Trojans also excelled with their typical low-turnover style, committing eight turnovers (Cathedral had nine) while playing with plenty of emotion.
Following a close junior varsity contest (won by Cathedral, 44-37) played in front of a full house, and with the respective student sections already engaging in chants back and forth, the varsity contest was delayed by about 10 minutes due to a tornado watch.
With the Catholic school rivalry and their recent 0-2 record against the Irish on their minds, the Trojans were also motivated by the return of Kennedy’s brother Billy, back from a broken bone in his hand.
“Billy, who was one of our starters and has been out for about two-and-a-half weeks, came back tonight, and I think that was a huge inspiration for us,” Quinn said.
Billy played about five minutes, Jimmy finished with 16 points, and younger brother junior Pat finished with a team-high nine assists in spreading the Kennedy influence throughout the game.
Zimmerman had 13 points and seven rebounds, Hightower finished with seven points and 10 boards, and Pat Kennedy added six points for the Trojans, who won despite shooting just 39 percent (20 of 51) for the game.
Cathedral forwards Kelsey Barlow and Errick Peck were the dominant scorers for the Irish. Barlow scored 17 points and had six rebounds while Peck notched 16 and seven. Paligraf finished with 10 points, senior guard Dave McMahon had seven, and Esposito finished with four for the junior-dominated Irish, who lost despite hitting 49 percent (22 of 45) for the game.
“This is something we’ve always dreamed of,” Jimmy Kennedy said. “We were the only people tonight who came to this gym that thought we could win, and we knew we could do it.”
The victory erased a two-game losing streak for the Trojans, who began the year 10-0 and continue a tough stretch.
“Rivalry Week just started,” Jimmy Kennedy said. “We beat Brebeuf, Cathedral, and next we have to look forward to Roncalli.
“We can’t have a lapse after a big win.”
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