HERSHEY, Pa. -- In 81 years of PIAA boys' basketball, there has been only one other team to equal Kennedy Christian's accomplishment of four titles in a row. But never has a team dominated a title game the way the Eagles did yesterday.
Kennedy Christian pummeled Fairfield, 87-45, in the Class A championship game at Hersheypark Arena. The win gave the Eagles their fourth championship in a row. The only other team to win four PIAA titles in a row was Carlisle, which won Class AAAA from 1985-88.
But Kennedy Christian (27-5) put an exclamation point next to its fourth title. The 42-point margin of victory was the biggest blowout in PIAA history, regardless of classification. It surpassed the 1953 Class A debacle, which Jenkintown won against Centre Hall, 88-51.
Think of it. There had been 406 teams that played in PIAA title games before yesterday, but none won as impressively as Kennedy Christian.
"I guess it was kind of anticlimactic," said Kennedy Christian Coach Joe Votino. "But it's still the same feeling as the other ones we won. I guess this one's a little more special because it's the fourth in a row."
Many questioned how good Fairfield was because the Green Knights were the No. 4 team from District 3 and came into the game with an 18-14 record. Against Kennedy Christian, Fairfield looked more like Awfulfield.
"We had one tape on them. I really didn't know how good they were because it's hard to tell on tape," Votino said. "But I have admiration for them. They came this far."
This is how bad it was for the Green Knights:
They made only two baskets in the first half and shot 13 percent (two for 16) from the field in the first two quarters.
They made only five of 14 free throws in the first half.
They scored a basket with 3:26 remaining in the first quarter to trail, 8-7. But they did not have a field goal the rest of the half and went 9:26 without scoring a point.
Kennedy Christian scored 26 points in a row at one point in the first half and led at halftime, 37-10.
"People told us all week we would get blown out," said Fairfield Coach Ken Brown. "Once it started happening, I think it sort of takes your heart out a little."
Senior guard/forward Keenan Christiansen scored 27 points to lead Kennedy Christian. Senior center Gary Saterwhite added 17 points, 9 rebounds and 6 blocked shots, and junior guard Dan McElhiney had 12 points. Kennedy Christian shot 54 percent (30 for 56) from the field and 90 percent (18 for 20) from the free-throw line.
Christiansen had five 3-pointers, four in the first 11 minutes of the game. He finished this season with 104 3-pointers and his career with 274.
"They had one kid [Christiansen] hitting NBA range 3-pointers, the big kid [Saterwhite] in the middle blocking every shot, and a ton of great players," Brown said. "That is one of the best Class A teams I've ever seen. No team that we beat on our way here could have handled them. They absolutely dominated us."
Votino said, "Keenan was really ready to play today. He was on fire."
Guard Andy Winebrenner led Fairfield with 25 points.
"You know, [in 1997] we lost to Sewickley Academy by a point in the semifinals," Votino said. "This could have been a five-year run."
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