Jeannette’s ‘fire and ice’ duo lead crucial victory over Serra Catholic

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, February 2, 2018 | 10:00 PM

Jeannette basketball coach Adrian Batts described his senior duo of Tre Cunningham and Robert Kennedy as “Fire and Ice.”

He couldn't have been more correct Friday night at Serra.

Cunningham came out sizzling in the first half, and Kennedy finished off the Eagles with his coolness in the second half as Jeannette, playing without 6-foot-5 junior Anthony Johnson for the third consecutive game, defeated Serra, 50-46, in a first-place showdown in Section 2-AA in front of a sellout crowd.

Cunningham scored 18 of his team-high 20 points in the first half as Jeannette rallied to take a 29-26 lead at halftime.

In the second half, it was Kennedy who took control. He scored 10 of his 16 points, added six assists, and he and Jackson Pruitt finished off the Eagles.

Jeannette (14-2, 8-1) leads in the section by a half-game over Serra (15-3, 8-2) and swept the season series. Jeannette won the first meeting 71-70 in overtime Jan. 9.

“Our guys understand about competing and playing as hard as you can,” Batts said. “We have eight guys who were championship football players. Their mindset was to compete to the end.

“Our keys to the victory were we had to defend, rebound and take good shots. Most importantly, we had to make free throws. Jackson made a few big shots, and it was a total team effort.”

The game went back-and-forth for the duration. Serra used a 9-0 run to close the first quarter and take a 15-12 lead.

Cunningham, playing with two early fouls, scored 10 points in the second quarter to help Jeannette grab a 29-26 lead.

“It was a total team effort to get the win on the road,” Batts said. “It was senior leadership. Tre got us going, and Robert finished. Its like fire and ice. Tre was on fire, and Robert was smooth as ice. It was a joy to see.”

Jeannette pushed the lead to 35-26 to begin the third quarter, but behind Jimmy Moon, Serra went on another 9-0 run to tie the score.

“The first game we played them, we got overwhelmed by the moment,” Serra coach Jim Walthers said. “I thought we'd come out stronger, and we came out sluggish again.

“We got back into it. We'd a lead, and every time we'd get the lead to three or four, we'd make a mistake and they'd go on a run.”

Serra turned the ball over 13 times, seven in the second quarter, and it didn't make shots. They were 16 for 53, including 2 of 20, from beyond the 3-point line. Jeannette was a lot better: 22 for 50, including 18 of 35 inside the 3-point line.

“Anthony isn't our entire team,” Cunningham said. “We play with who we have. We came ready to play.

“I was a decoy in the second half, and it opened things up for Robert.”

Kennedy said he enjoyed setting up his teammates and getting the much-needed win.

“We needed people to step up with Anthony out,” Kennedy said. “He's a great dude, and he kept talking us up. Jackson, Marcus (Barnes), Seth (Howard) and A.J. (Sharp) stepped up for us.”

Paul Schofield is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at pschofield@tribweb.com or via Twitter @Schofield_Trib.

Tags: Jeannette