Monitor Photo/Blaine Clamon
Kemp Yellowjacket Kaysen Stevenson (No. 0) passes the ball while being defended by Cristo Rey Dallas’ Jakob Castellon (No. 2) in Kemp’s home game versus Cristo Rey Dallas Nov. 14. 

Monitor Photo/Blaine Clamon
Kemp’s Zaki Brown shoots a basket against Cristo Rey Dallas’ David Rodriguez (No. 32) in the home opener against Cristo Rey Dallas Nov. 14. 

Monitor Photo/Blaine Clamon
Yellowjacket Jake Tucker attempts a free throw in Kemp’s game versus Cristo Rey Dallas Nov. 14. 

By Blaine Clamon
Monitor Correspondent

KEMP—The Kemp Yellowjackets’ varsity basketball team began their 2025-26 season Nov. 14 as they hosted Cristo Rey Dallas (CRD) College Prep.
CRD led early at 8-2. A pair of free throws from both Kaysen Stevenson and Jake Tucker trimmed the score to 8-6 with 4:40 left in the first quarter.
CRD responded with an 11-2 run to lead 19-8 with 1:32 left in the first quarter. The run was capped off with three consecutive layups, including two by Markus Castellon. Kemp trailed 19-13 going into the second quarter as Stevenson scored a basket and then a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Skylor Williams’ field goal for Kemp made it 19-15 before Castellon scored five of the next eight points for CRD as the prep team’s lead was extended to 27-15.
Consecutive field goals by Stevenson cut the CRD lead to 27-19 with 3:30 left until halftime. It was 32-19 at the break as David Rodriguez scored three of the next five points for CRD.
The start of the third quarter saw the teams exchange baskets until CRD had their largest lead of the night at 43-27. The Yellowjackets trailed by nine at 43-34 with 1:40 left in the third quarter with a 7-0 Kemp run. After a layup from CRD’s Devon Sullivan to make it 45-34, Tucker and Zaki Brown had a field goal each with 33 seconds left as Kemp trailed by seven at 45-38 going into the fourth.
Three combined free throws from Jakob Castellon and Abel Hernandez built CRD’s lead to 48-38 with 6:20 remaining to play.
Kemp used an 8-3 run, with four points by Stevenson and baskets from both Brown and Williams, to trail by five at 51-46.
As CRD led 57-48, a field goal from Kemp’s Kyle Phillips cut it to 57-50 going into a timeout with 27 seconds to play.
A pair of free throws from both Hernandez and Markus Castellon iced the game as CRD went on to defeat Kemp with a final score of 61-53.