Opposing coaches know exactly who to gun for when headed into games against Linden. They key most frequently on the Patriots’ well-known senior playmaker, Kendarius Goodwill. He has seen more than his fair share of double-teams and box-and-one defenses thus far this year, and has customarily responded with double-digit point outputs.

However, Friday night on the road against area opponent Sunshine High School, Goodwill turned in his most complete game of the season when his team needed it the most.

The 6-foot-3-inch swingman proved the object of Sunshine’s defensive attention early before a little help from his teammates cleared the way, opening up Goodwill to show just a taste of his uncanny ability to score from anywhere on the floor.

When it was not the Tiger defense working against him, it was foul calls. The Linden standout picked up three fouls in the first half in a turn of events that should have limited his production.

However, undaunted, Goodwill continued to play his game.

And on a night when he would have had every excuse to turn in a lackluster performance, Goodwill rose up and posted 21 points to lead the Patriots to an 11-point win in a key area matchup. Moreover, he showed a willingness and ability to be involved in other ways as he grabbed 10 rebounds in the contest.

To make matters worse for future Patriot foes, Goodwill is nowhere close to tapping the entirety of his potential. The premier scorer on his team, Goodwill remains a wildly unselfish player. Head coach Joe Eatmon is still hard at work trying to get Goodwill to shoot the ball more.

If his coach is successful and his teammates continue to help him out, Kendarius Goodwill could well lead suddenly-streaking Linden High on a run almost as magical as the one the school experienced during football season.