Kendall opened their bid for a third consecutive Genesee Region Division I boy’s basketball title with a 53-42 loss to Barker in the non-conference season start for both teams.
Brandon Miller had three field goals and Jacob Ramsdell added a pair of baskets to help stake the Eagles to a 13-11 second quarter lead, but Barker closed the half on a 9-4 run to take a lead they would not relinquish.
The two teams combined for 32 points in the third quarter as Kendall closed to within one point of the lead on a three-pointer by junior Collin Lewis and a put-back at the horn by Ramsdell. Barker then put the contest out of reach with a 13-2 run to open the final eight minute quarter.
Ramsdell tied Barker’s Nathan Luckman with a game-high 17 points. He added 13 rebounds and five blocked shots. Miller finished with ten points despite leaving with an ankle injury late in the third quarter. Lewis and freshman Nathan Warters each scored five points with Warters adding three assists and three steals.
Kendall, under first year head coach Matthew Zimmer, started a pair of seniors, two juniors and a freshman as they try to add to their run of Region championships. Their 2014-15 season ended in the second round of the Section V playoffs with a road loss to Dundee.
