Tired of losing, Kenworthy takes command

January 27th 2:31 pm | Van Williams    

Enough was enough. Dessirea Kenworthy had watched the Kotzebue girls basketball team drop three consecutive games and the losing was starting to bum her out.

She responded with the game of her life.

The 5-foot-3 senior guard poured in a career-high 34 points to lift the Lady Huskies to a 56-46 victory Saturday over host Dillingham.

Kenworthy scored 17 points in each half and got the free-throw line 17 times, thanks to her dribble drives.

"I can go either way, but I'm more confident with my right hand," she said. "I like to take it in."

The most points she had in a quarter was 11 in the second quarter, although she also had 10 in the fourth quarter.

As the point guard, she had the ball in her hands most of the time, so she would just read the defense and attack on the fly.

She either kept the ball or passed to teammate Colleen Snyder, who scored 14 points thanks to four 3-pointers.

"She and Colleen work really well together and feed off each other," Kotzebue coach Jake Stoops said. "Dessirea is so quick that you have to give help to keep her from getting to the rim and Colleen is a knock-down 3-point shooter and you can't leave her."

For Kenworthy, the 34-point explosion capped a tumultuous week that saw her spend a few days in the hospital due to the stomach flu.

"I was sick. They gave me IV and antibiotics," she said.

She returned to the court in the first game against Dillingham, scoring 11 points before fouling out in a 54-32 loss.

"I sat on the bench most of the game," Kenworthy said. "I watched the game and how they worked and what the defense did."

The next night she scored more points than her entire team did the previous game.

"It's not about me," she said about her scoring spree. "It's about the team and doing whatever it takes to win."

Reach Van Williams at sports@reportalaska.com.

 

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