Turnovers, missed free throws costly to NK

Inability to take better care of the ball and cash in at the free throw stripe down the stretch doomed New Kent’s Lady Trojans in their basketball season opener with visiting West Point. But on the bright side, the result of the Dec. 1 clash did not count in the hosts’ overall record.

West Point took advantage of 15 New Kent fourth quarter turnovers and sank just enough free throws in the final seconds to hold off the Lady Trojans 56-53. The hosts, meanwhile, made 10 trips to the foul line in the final 1:20, converting five. Two shots were nullified by lane violations.

But turnovers proved more costly, especially after the Lady Trojans had rallied from an early fourth quarter deficit to take the lead.

“We miss Meghan,” New Kent coach Gierek Walker said afterward, noting the loss of starting point guard Meghan Gumbs. “She tore her ACL and is scheduled for surgery so she’s gone for the year.

“We miss that leadership,” he said. “No one has stepped up at point guard and that’s led to a lot of mental mistakes and turnovers. We had to fight back this whole game.”

From the beginning, West Point looked to its top scoring threat in center Kristen Medlin (28 points), kicking the ball into the paint early for three easy baskets that helped open a 9-2 advantage. New Kent never managed a field goal until Jalesa Johnson’s steal and lay-in at the first quarter’s 1:03 mark.

But the hosts battled back, closing to 9-6 by quarter’s end and forging in front early in period two on Jordan Arrington’s steal and lay-in and Kayla Timberlake’s three-point shot.

Down by one (22-21) at halftime, New Kent surged ahead 25-22 to start the second half on Molly Maffei’s baseline shot and another Arrington steal and lay-in. West Point knotted the affair at 25-25, but an Arrington basket off a Maffei assist and two Maffei free throws resulting from a technical foul on the Pointer bench handed New Kent its largest lead.

Over the next three minutes, however, New Kent missed four shots from the floor and turned the ball over five times as West Point embarked on an 11-0 run to lead 36-29. Timberlake’s trey stopped the surge, and when Nikki Jones dropped in another trey with 6:59 left in the game, the Lady Trojans were back on top 39-38.

But West Point evened the count on a Medlin free throw and capitalized on three straight New Kent turnovers to score its next five points, all from the foul stripe, to pull ahead 44-39. The Lady Trojans never led again.

Arrington, Jones, and Maffei led New Kent with 11 points apiece. Timberlake scored six followed by five from Chante Garner, Johnson’s three, and two each from Maria Bates and Jessica Jones.

The contest was part of a “benefit” outing that featured both girls’ and boys’ varsity and JV games. Schools split gate proceeds and outcomes do not figure in overall standings.