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Kennedy beats Shakopee to return to state tournament

By Ron Haggstrom, Star Tribune, 03/14/14, 10:15PM CDT

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Seniors Tonoia Wade and Kenisha Bell led the Eagles in the section championship.


Bloomington Kennedy's Tonoia Wade made a first-half shot against Shakopee (Kyndell Harkness, Star Tribune)

Bloomington Kennedy always fares well in the state tournament. The issue has been getting there.

The veteran leadership of the composed Tonoia Wade and fiery Kenisha Bell made sure Friday that Bloomington Kennedy (23-6) was headed back to the Target Center. The tandem fueled a 28-0 run, and the Eagles were on their way to an easy 71-52 victory over Shakopee (23-5) in the Class 4A, Section 2 final at Apple Valley High School.

“We are really hungry right now,” Wade said. “Some of the top teams in the state have gotten knocked off, and we didn’t want to join them.”

The pair ignited a 15-0 run to end the first half, giving the Eagles a comfortable 37-20 lead. Wade made three three-pointers and Bell chipped in with four points during the spurt.

The duo picked up right where they left off at the start of the second half. Bell scored five points and Wade four as the Eagles scored the first 13 points, making it 50-20. Shakopee went scoreless for nearly 12 minutes over the two halves.

“We played up to our potential tonight,” said Wade, a senior forward who finished with 24 points.

The Eagles were the state tournament runner-up a year ago, falling to Hopkins 68-45 in the finals. They were also the runner-up in 2006 after winning the title in 2005.

“We were determined to get back to state,” said Bell, a senior guard who scored 19 points. “Our goal since the start of the season has been to win the state championship.”

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