New Kent Charles City Chronicle

News for New Kent County and Charles City County, Virginia | March 29, 2024

Jamestown shrugs off New Kent pressure, prevails 81-64

By Alan Chamberlain | January 16, 2008 11:31 am

New Kent’s Trojans unleashed their customary pressure defense combined with three-point shooting formula that had worked for an unbeaten record at home so far this season. But Jamestown’s visiting Eagles were not impressed.

The Eagles used depth along with ability to break New Kent’s press for easy shots to gain an 81-64 Bay Rivers District basketball win last Friday, handing the Trojans their first home loss.

Afterward, New Kent coach Ed Allen identified a number of facets that led to the downfall as his team fell to 7-3 in the district and 9-3 overall.

“Shot selection, inability to run our offense, and our pressure being ineffective all helped get [Jamestown] back in the game,” he said.

“We did not put pressure on like we wanted to,” he said. “We seemed to be a step slow and they took advantage and got shots within five feet of the basket. They kept good spacing and continued to attack the basket, getting past our press and getting the ball to their big men under the basket.”

New Kent appeared in control at the outset, using a 10-0 run to grab a 17-7 first quarter lead. But after the Eagles called time to break New Kent’s momentum, the hosts failed to score over the period’s final 2:15. Jamestown, meanwhile, pumped in eight unanswered points to pull within two at 17-15 heading into quarter two.

The Eagle run reached 15-0 as the visitors mounted a 22-17 lead early in the second quarter. Steven Allen’s steal and lay-in broke New Kent’s scoring drought with 5:44 left before halftime. Then after the Eagles rebuilt a six-point advantage, Everett Christian scored the half’s final five points to reduce the gap to 35-34.

But problems that would spell doom for New Kent after the break had already surfaced in the first half. On 20 trips into the offensive end, the hosts had gotten off at least one shot but came away with no points. That number would balloon to 37 trips by the end of the game.

Then from three-point range, the Trojans sank only seven of 38 attempts and most of the misses were of the one-and-done variety.

“We settled for a lot of threes,” Allen said. “Some were open — in fact a lot were open — but we didn’t get second shots off them. We only got 11 offensive rebounds, and you can’t win playing like that.

“Everything we did seemed a step slow every time,” he added. “I’m disappointed, but that’s what happens.”

Dorrein Akrie’s stick-back of a teammate’s miss put New Kent in front 36-35 early in quarter three. But the Eagles scored the next seven points to move in front to stay. The advantage reached 10 as the third quarter ended, and the visitors pulled away from there.

Nick Sickal led New Kent with 22 points. Christian scored nine followed by six apiece from Akrie, Allen, Michael Owens, and Paul Kearney. Adam Otey added five while J.B. Berkley chipped in four.

Wills Fauntleroy’s 18 points topped Jamestown, now 6-4 in the district and 8-4 overall.

Jamestown’s JV used a 14-5 third quarter to break open a close game on the way to a 51-42 win.

Matt Fultz’s eight points and six from Anthony Snipes led New Kent. Zach Jacobs, E.J. Gray, and Justin Parsley each scored five followed by Paul Robinson’s four, three each from Eric Salmon and Dominique Hilliard, Carter Gilland’s two, and one from Josh Brown.