Trojans edge closer to BRD title

Moments after tipoff, New Kent Trojan threes filled the air over the York Falcon defense. The host Trojans scored their first 15 points from behind the three-point arc in building a lead they would never relinquish en route to a 76-65 triumph.

The Jan. 20 decision, coupled with a win two nights later at Smithfield, kept the Trojans (13-0 district, 16-0 overall) on track toward their second straight Bay Rivers District basketball regular season championship, this time shared with no one, as well as an undefeated regular season. The hosts also remained atop the state Group AA poll.

Kaleb Lamb got New Kent’s early three-point parade under way. Justin Williams and Steven Allen then alternated, contributing a pair apiece as the Trojans built a 15-6 lead.

The Falcons managed to close within five before the opening quarter ended, but five more Trojan treys contributed to a 47-28 halftime advantage.

For the game, the hosts totaled 14 from behind the arc, but that was not quite enough to comfortably hold off the Falcons. What had been a 20-point lead (61-41) late in the third quarter, melted away to seven (67-61) with 3:22 left in the game. But the hosts used a 6-0 run to boost the advantage back to 13 with under two minutes to go.

“I’m pleased with all the treys, but we couldn’t put them away,” New Kent coach Ed Allen said. “It was like two different halves. We didn’t expect them to play zone, but then we shot the ball well and moved well. Then they went to that man-to-man in the second half and I thought we’d eat that up, but we didn’t.

“Missing too many easy shots at crucial times and giving them too many easy baskets got them back in the game,” he said. “It was a win, but not a great win. We didn’t play the second half like I thought we would.”

When New Kent’s second half lead dipped below double digits (66-57) for the first time with 4:58 to play, Allen ordered his team into a spread offense to milk the clock and look for easy baskets off penetration.

The ploy worked to bump the lead back to 11, but the Falcons scored off back-to-back steals to pull within seven. Williams then banked in a layup out of the spread, Allen converted a steal into another basket, and Lamb added a field goal off a York miss to create a safe margin.

Allen’s game-high 28 points led a group of four Trojans in double figures. Lamb finished with 14 while Williams and Adam Otey each scored 12. Williams led in assists with eight. Paul Kearney, working his way back into the Trojan lineup from an injury, tossed in five points while Carter Gilland added three and Matt Fultz chipped in two.

Branson Tew’s 18 points and 16 from TreVaughn Swinton led York.

In the JV game, York whittled away all but one of a 15-point New Kent lead in the fourth quarter, but the Falcons missed twice from the field in the final four seconds as New Kent held on 57-56.

Dylan Walton’s 17 points and 16 from Dre Washington led the Trojans. Tanner Luck scored 12 followed by Zach Taylor’s five, Jared Dickerson’s three, and two each from Chase Dunn and Rashad Bentley.