As a five-year varsity player and her team’s leading scorer, Kennedy Sanders is used to being in the spotlight. But when the Park Center public address announcer singled out Sanders and congratulated her for breaking Chaska’s all-time assists record during Thursday’s game against Eden Prairie, her face immediately turned red.
“I knew I was close to the record,” Sanders said. “It’s awkward sometimes just standing there alone.”
For many years now, Sanders has been a player to watch. This year, it’s been taken to another level. Sanders is leading the way for Chaska in multiple facets, including assists. Her success loomed large on Thursday as her Hawks took down rival Class 4A, Section 2 rival Eden Prairie 72-63 at the Park Center Holiday Tournament.
Playing five years on varsity has allowed for Sanders to rack up statistics. But besides her extended time on the floor for Chaska, she’s put up significant numbers. She was a key player on the 2021 Hawks squad that captured the Class 4A state championship and is committed to play college basketball at Colorado.
After falling behind early to Eden Prairie, Chaska pulled ahead with an 11-0 run late in the first half and never looked back as the Hawks defeated the Eagles 72-63 at Park Center High School on Thursday.
The Eagles (8-2) got out to a strong start as sophomore Tori Schlagel led her team with seven first-half points and 19 total points. She was one of seven players to score for Eden Prairie, ranked No. 3 in Class 4A by Minnesota Basketball News.
In the final minutes of the first half, Chaska (8-1) pulled ahead and took a seven-point lead into halftime. Senior guard Kennedy Sanders poured in 11 first-half points while also becoming the program’s all-time assist leader.
The seven-point lead for the No. 4-4A Hawks quickly dissipated as the teams started trading baskets for a majority of the half. Eden Prairie senior guard Ashley Fritz ignited the Eagles offense by scoring her team’s first 11 points of the half. Fritz finished the game with 17 points.
Chaska countered, however, with the duo of Sanders and senior forward Kylie Silus. While Sanders scored 11 in the half to finish with 22, she also found success feeding Silus in the post. The senior forward finished with 11 points.
Senior guard Ashley Schuelke was also a big factor in the win for the Hawks as she finished with 17 points.
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