Turner leads Kankakee to victory on senior night

Kankakee – With a little over a week until the IHSA State Series begins, the Kankakee girls basketball team knows that if it wants to win a third Class 3A Regional title in a row, it’s got to be playing its best basketball at the right time.

And after a dominant performance against Crete-Monee at home Thursday night, one that led to a no-doubter of a 49-15 win for the host Kays, they just might be getting hot when it matters.

Thursday’s win was the Kays' fourth in their last five games, one that improved their overall record to 17-11 and ended their Southland Athletic Conference record at 9-2, second in the conference.

After a 20-0 run to open the game let the Kays know early that they wouldn’t see much resistance on the scoreboard, head coach Kurt Weigt was proud of how his team continued showing the hustle in the margins — diving for loose balls, boxing out and running the floor — that they’ll need to carry into the postseason.

“This is the time of year that you play against the game,” Weigt said. " … We held them to 15 points and seven turnovers, and we’re really proud of that. They’re really starting to get it and understand what’s going on."

On senior night, four-year starting point guard TaLeah Turner outscored the Warriors on her own, scoring 11 of her game-high 20 points in the first quarter. The senior star didn’t want to take much individual credit for her performance, instead sharing the love with her energetic teammates.

“The energy as a team,” Turner said, was responsible for her big night. “We brought the energy in the first quarter, and by the third we kind of fell asleep on defense, but we brought the energy as a team and that’s how we came out starting on fire.”

One of three seniors on the team, Turner was honored alongside Kendyl Christon and Benkwasha Stroud Thursday, two more players who have all been on the varsity roster since they were freshmen. A veteran coach for more than 30 years, Weigt will never get used to the mixed emotions that come with nights like senior night, especially with this trio of four-year varsity players.

“They’ve been around and been great ambassadors for our kids,” Weigt said. “They’ve done everything we’ve asked them to do. We’re really gonna miss them and it’s always bittersweet for me.”

Sophomore Ava Johnson added a dozen points from the frontcourt while sharpshooter Malea Harrison scored 11 points, including nine in the first quarter. Stroud hit a pair of 3-pointers to tally six points, with Ki’Asia Wilson responsible for the team’s final three points.

The Kays will visit Class 4A power Nazareth Academy at 7 p.m. Monday before they return home for their regular season finale against Bloomington Wednesday.