Kentridge girls basketball is the 4A state favorite. And the Chargers relish the role of being hunted

When the Kentridge High School girls basketball team won the Class 4A state championship in 2017, they did so from the role of the underdog. Defending state champion Central Valley was the favorite, but suffered an unexpected loss, and the upstart Chargers took advantage.

Central Valley bounced back in 2018, going undefeated and winning both the 4A state championship and the Dick’s Sporting Goods national championship in New York, capping off one of the greatest seasons in state history.

The Bears’ top two players, twins Lacie and Lexie Hull, both graduated and moved on to Stanford, opening the door for the Chargers, who for the first time are the favorites to win the state title.

It’s an unfamiliar role for the Chargers, but one they seem to be enjoying.

“I kind of like it,” junior forward Jordyn Jenkins said. “I kind of like people coming for us and trying to beat us. We all kind of feed off of it. We all have the same goal, and that is to win state again.”

The Chargers (8-0) are off to a good start, and an overwhelming favorite to repeat as 4A NPSL Cascade champions. In its most recent game, Kentridge beat crosstown rival Kentwood by 50 points.

As the favorite, the Chargers expect to get every team’s best shot, but they are more equipped to handle that kind of pressure with two years of growth since winning the state title for the first time.

“Since I’m older now, it’s not as much of a weight on me,” said senior forward JaQuaya Miller, who signed with the University of Washington last month. “We have targets on our back, so every game we come prepared to attack any team that comes on the court with us.”

Miller and Jenkins are a big reason for Kentridge’s success. Together, they form what is arguably the best frontcourt in the state, if not the entire West Coast.

“It’s a big help (to have Jordyn as a teammate), because I know when I’m getting double-teamed I can always dump it off to her to finish,” Miller said. “Or if she’s getting double-teamed, she knows she can always drop it off to me and I’ll finish.

“She’s very strong. She can finish through contact. She can finish through a triple-team or double-team. She can make her free throws. It’s a relief because I don’t have to do all the work, and I have her help.”

The two seem to feed off of each other on the court, making it difficult for other teams to game plan against them.

“I wouldn’t want to go against us,” Jenkins said. “The high-low is unstoppable. We catch each other’s passes, and we just have incredible chemistry. It’s just a natural thing.”

The emergence of junior guard Dayla Ballena, who can shoot from the outside and drive to the basket seemingly at will, has given the Chargers yet another weapon to frustrate opponents.

“All three of us together, we know that we can take over the game,” Miller said. “Dayla, she helps me and Jordyn. She orchestrates our plays. We know how to handle the ball, but she sets us up for even better chances to score than we do by ourselves.”

The Chargers are finding success with first-year head coach Brad McDowell after former head coach Bob Sandall retired following the 2017-18 season. McDowell was the JV coach at Kentridge for the previous eight seasons, which has made what could have been a difficult transition quite seamless.

McDowell admits there is pressure taking over such a talented team, but like his players, he has relished the opportunity.

“Any time you have high expectations, there is pressure,” McDowell said. “I’ve always kind of put my pressure in my planning. I want to make sure that I’m planned out and I know the next opponent or the next two opponents.

“There is pressure, but the expectation causes that pressure and I want to meet that pressure. I understand it, I’m not overwhelmed by it by any means, but I know it’s there. And I have the same expectations too.”