Trojans stun top-ranked Tabb
Sending shockwaves through the Bay Rivers District basketball world, New Kent’s host Trojans not only beat Tabb’s number one ranked Tigers but thoroughly dominated and frustrated the district kingpins.
The Trojans switched defenses often during the Jan. 30 affair, confusing the potent Tiger offense and holding one of the district’s top scorers, Steve Sherwood, to a mere four points. The result was a one-sided 69-51 stunner that handed the Tigers just their second setback in 14 Bay Rivers outings. New Kent, meanwhile, improved to 9-4, 12-4.
“The key to this was our defense,” a jubilant coach Ed Allen said. “We got after the ball, got steals, and put pressure on them.
“We didn’t give them the easy shots they got down there,” he said, pointing back to an early season loss on the Tigers’ floor.
“We switched defenses instead of doing what we usually do,” he said. “We used a 2-3 trap and a diamond-and-one trap on misses, concentrating on Sherwood. Each time down the court they didn’t know what we were doing.”
New Kent erupted for the game’s first six points and, after Tabb scored the next four, put together a 7-0 string to lead 13-4.
The Tigers managed just one run at the Trojans, that coming early in the second quarter. Back-to-back baskets by the visitors’ Elijah Chandler pulled the Tigers within three at 15-12. But New Kent’s Adam Otey scored on a Michael Owens assist to open a 10-0 surge. When Nick Sickal pumped in his second trey of the run with 4:25 left before halftime, the Trojans were firmly in command with a 25-12 lead.
A half-dozen treys, four compliments of Sickal, staked New Kent to 39-21 lead at the break. Sherwood, meanwhile, scored all four of his points in the first half and was not a factor when play resumed.
Tabb mustered a mild rally to start the third quarter. Chandler’s lay-in off a steal closed the margin to 41-27, but Allen called time to interrupt the Tiger momentum. Everett Christian’s three then ignited a 9-0 run as the Tigers failed to score over the next 3:30. Steven Allen scored in the lane off a Sickal assist to make it a 50-27 contest and Tabb never threatened again.
Sickal poured in a game-high 22 points, 18 from three-point range, while Allen and Owens each finished with 12. Dorrein Akrie tossed in nine, Otey scored five, Justin Williams added four, Christian ended with three, and Paul Kearney contributed two.
Chandler’s 11 points topped Tabb.
Tabb’s JV romped to a 31-10 first quarter lead and never looked back in posting an 85-50 win.
E.J. Gray’s 11 points led New Kent. Carter Gilland scored eight followed by Eric Salmon’s six, Zach Jacobs’ five, four each from Dominique Hilliard, Neko Burson, and Paul Robinson, and two apiece from Anthony Snipes, Arthur Turner, Matt Fultz, and Josh Brown.