Kennedy Forfeits Game With Louisville After Coach Is Ejected

It was bad enough that four members of Kennedy High’s girls basketball team didn’t show up Saturday night for the San Gabriel Tournament finals against Louisville.

It was too much when Kennedy no longer had a coach.

With 4:45 left in the third period, his team trailing, 35-24, Craig Raub was assessed a third technical foul by official Ed Palmquist and was asked to leave the gymnasium.

Raub refused, debated and lingered for about 15 minutes. Then, suddenly, the game was declared a forfeit.

Ugly scene? “Too ugly,” Raub said at game’s end, still openly showing his anger. “It got uglier and uglier. It was unfortunate. He (Palmquist) started going crazy. His emotions got away.”

Unfortunately for both teams--and a small, but vocal crowd--so did the chance to see who was best between two Valley-area powers.

Kennedy was 3-0 before Saturday night’s final. Louisville, No. 2 in the Southern Section, entered the contest 2-0.

“It was an unfortunate set of circumstances,” Louisville Coach Brian O’Hara said. “I feel bad for Kennedy. Their girls and our girls wanted to finish.”

At the time, it appeared Andrea Knapp would put this one away for Louisville. Knapp, sluggish in the first quarter, scored six points in the first half. But she scored nine in the third to break the game open.

In the consolation game on Saturday, Julie Arlotto scored 20 and Paula Cooper 18 to lead Simi Valley to a 58-44 victory over Oceanview.

Chino beat Dos Pueblos, 63-46, to finish third in the tournament.