New Kent Charles City Chronicle

News for New Kent County and Charles City County, Virginia | March 28, 2024

Lady Trojans top Rams for 2nd straight win

By Alan Chamberlain | February 4, 2010 2:22 pm

After a disappointing first half of the season that saw only a single win, New Kent’s Lady Trojans are on a roll. The hosts followed up on their first Bay Rivers District basketball victory two nights earlier at Smithfield with a 35-29 conquest of Lafayette’s Rams.

The Jan. 23 decision upped New Kent’s district record to 2-13 and overall mark to 3-15. And Lady Trojan coach Shequra Dickerson credited her “modified” defense for the improvement, especially the latest win over the Rams.

“We knew who their scoring threats were from the first time we played them and we played a modified defense that keyed in on them,” she said. “We came in prepared for this tonight.”

In the two teams’ first meeting, an easy 57-29 win for Lafayette, the Rams were led by 20 points from Endi Frazier, Alexis Jones’ 12, and 11 from Lauren Burks. In the rematch, none of the trio reached double figures, and their combined point production totaled a mere dozen.

Then it didn’t hurt that Lady Trojan forward Nikki Jones erupted for a game-high 16 points, mostly on baskets in the paint off teammates’ assists.

“We have a couple of plays we run that have a lot of options,” Dickerson said. “Nikki posts well and they were leaving her alone. We were able to take advantage of that.”

With Jones operating in the low post for most of her nine first half points, the Lady Trojans held a 17-13 lead at the break in the low-scoring contest. The hosts opened the third quarter with a Tyler Savage basket from outside and a Maria Bates trey to start to pull away at 22-15. The Rams, however, scored the next eight points to move in front 23-22.

“I called time out to settle us down,” Dickerson said. “We were getting away from our modified defense and not getting rebounds, but once we went back to it, it gave us the rebounding position we needed.”

The final quarter opened in a 25-25 deadlock, but Bates stuck back a teammate’s miss to put New Kent ahead to stay. Molly Maffei scored from the perimeter and Jones got open underneath for a pass from Bates to open a 31-25 advantage.

Lafayette closed within two at 31-29 with just over a minute left to play, but Jalesa Johnson drilled a 12-foot jumper and Jones scored off another Bates assist to place the game safely in New Kent’s win column.

Jones had 10 rebounds and four blocked shots to go along with her 16 points. Bates scored nine followed by Savage’s four and two each from Maffei, Johnson, and Maddy Washington. Bates and Maffei dished out four assists apiece.

In the JV contest, New Kent owned a 22-16 halftime lead, thanks in part to Adrianne Goodlet’s nine points. But the Lady Trojan leading scorer sustained an ankle injury just before the break that sidelined her for the second half. Lafayette managed to overtake the hosts and go on to a 40-33 win.

Alexis Elliott finished with eight points for New Kent followed by four each from Alexis Newbill and Cassie Washington and two apiece from Emi Peterson, Ta’racya Winston, Miraya Whitehead, and Anna Mathis.