Staff photo / Brian Yauger. Kennedy junior Nick Ryan lays down a dunk during the first half of the Eagles' regional victory over Dalton.

CANTON — With a chance to avenge last season’s district defeat to Dalton, Warren JFK wasn’t wasting the opportunity.

Holding control of the game for the full 32 minutes, the Eagles added to the scoresheet early and often, knocking off the Bulldogs, 75-55 in the Division IV, Canton Regional semifinal.

“It’s been a little redemption tour, and we talked about that before the game. They got redemption at Grand Valley for the Mathews game two years ago, and now they got Dalton after getting knocked out by them last year,” Eagles coach Mark Komlanc said. “I know that it means a lot to them, because when they were freshmen, we talked about writing legacies and I do that with all my freshmen. We always talk about ‘What’s your legacy going to be at Kennedy?’ They thought it was going to be the team that was really, really talented, but couldn’t cut down the nets, and now here they are, one of the few teams in Kennedy history to get this far, and it’s because they work for it.

“I told them that God does things for a reason, and I felt like the last two years, we lost and we were disappointed, so that they could remember that feeling when we played here today and you saw what happened today. They came out and they played their tails off.”

Michael Condoleon finished the contest with a game-high 24 points. Nick Ryan scored 23, and Jaden Rishel tacked on 13.

Ryan showcased his athleticism with a pair of monster dunks serving as the exclamation point to another great performance. Komlanc has been waiting for a takeover dunk from his star junior, and he viewed it as a welcome addition to an already dominating win.

“I mean, I have been waiting for Nick to rip through the baseline and hammer some dunks, and he got that today. We were like ‘Where has that been?” Komlanc said with a grin. “It’s really fun to coach them. I’m glad I get to see him for another two days, and then coach on Friday.”

The win puts the Eagles (20-6) on a collision course with one of the top teams in the state in any division, Richmond Heights. The Spartans dispatched Seneca East 87-37 in the evening’s early semifinal game.

While Kennedy doesn’t often play the role of underdogs, it’s something the team is embracing.

“We’re attacking it like we’re going to win the game. I wouldn’t be here, I would quit, I wouldn’t be coaching if I didn’t think we were going to win a game,” Komlanc said. “Like I said, people are probably counting us out, but these guys believe and they know they played some big boys last season. We’ll get back to work tomorrow, they can celebrate tonight. Tomorrow, get to school on time, do all your schoolwork, get some shots up after school and watch some film and then we’ll go from there.”

In a season with challenge after tough challenge, this is by far the biggest. And for a team that has played in several big moments across multiple sports, it’s exactly what the Eagles want.

“I think that when they were freshmen, (the lights) didn’t bother them. So now our seniors, I don’t think it’s going to bother them at all,” Komlanc said. “I think that these are the moments that they relish. I think they want it. They cherish these moments, I think they live for them, and it’s hard not to root for them.”

Start time for the regional final against Richmond Heights will be 7 p.m. on Friday at the Canton Memorial Fieldhouse.

Have an interesting story? Contact Brian Yauger by email at byauger@tribtoday.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @_brianyauger.