What’s wrong with Kenwood? That’s been the most-asked question of the last month of the basketball season. The preseason No. 1 Broncos, loaded with future college talent and size, have underachieved.
It turns out Kenwood’s troubles were quickly solved by a big game from senior Chris Riddle.
The revitalized DePaul recruit scored 31 points to lead the No. 21 Broncos to an 82-70 win against No. 3 Mount Carmel at the When Sides Collide Shootout on Saturday.
It’s the first loss of the season to an Illinois team for the Caravan. Mike Irvin’s preseason top-ranked Kenwood squad has underacheived throughout the first two months of the season, but the Broncos appear to be turning things around.
“We came out and beat them,” Irvin said. “I just didn’t want to win. I wanted to show everyone we are ready. There aren’t championships won in November or January. Our goal is to win a city or state championship. We are peaking at the right time. We are tough down low. Now we are intimidating.”
Aleks Alston scored 20 for the Broncos. The 6-9 junior is one of the area’s most dangerous shooters. He was hot from outside, made midrange shots and rebounded well.
“We just played together as a team,” Riddle said. “This wasn’t about me. We had a great week of practice and played really well in all of our games this week.”
Mount Carmel star Angelo Ciaravino, a Northwestern recruit, played through an injury and was limited to five points. Sophomore Noah Mister, a transfer from Kenwood, led the Caravan (21-3) with 17 points.
Riddle started the season well but has been inconsistent over the past month. He opened the game with a jumper, hit a three pointer a few seconds later and scored 17 in the first half.
“Chris’s overall talent is unbelievable,” Irvin said. “He came to play. I challenged him on the defense end and he stepped up to that. He held Ciaravino to under double figures. That’s where we are going to make our mark this postseason.”
Freshman Devin Cleveland added 13 points for Kenwood and Calvin Robins scored 10 and grabbed nine rebounds.
