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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Jennifer Kerns Lake City Year: Senior Sport: Basketball Position: Guard

Her pick-your-pocket-clean smile has returned, and Jennifer Kerns’ game in general, and the play of the Lake City High School girls basketball team in specific, will ultimately benefit most.

Kerns was thrilled that the Timberwolves avenged an earlier loss to Sandpoint with a 63-37 win Friday at Sandpoint. But it was the news she received in the mail prior to boarding the bus for Sandpoint that excited her most.

She reached the standard needed to qualify for an athletic scholarship on her Scholastic Aptitude Test. A weighty burden was lifted from her shoulders.

“I don’t think (the news) had a big impact immediately,” Kerns said, laughing and recalling her 1-of-8 shooting effort in the first half against Sandpoint. “It really didn’t hit me until (Monday).”

Kerns scored 18 of her game-high 20 points in the second half as she made 4 of 5 3-pointers. She also had seven assists and six rebounds.

Pacific-10, Western Athletic and West Coast Conference schools that had backed off recruiting Kerns in the fall after she scored below the SAT standard have started calling again, she said.

“I was stressed out big time waiting to find out,” said Kerns, who retook the test in early December. “My team has seen a difference in me (since Friday).”

Kerns started the season where she left off last year - deadly accurate from 3-point range, making precise nolook passes and wreaking havoc in LC’s full-court press.

But a four-game suspension for violation of the school’s athletic code soon thereafter, coupled with the SAT stress, began to wear on Kerns.

“I think my problems interrupted our team’s chemistry,” she said. “But I think the chemistry is back. The best is yet to come from me and the team.”

Said her coach, Dave Fealko: “She and the team are capable of taking it up another notch or so. “I’m just glad for her that the test is in the past.”