NK holds off Bruton in opener

With less than two minutes remaining and New Kent owning a double-digit lead, a check mark in the win column appeared certain for the host Trojans. But Bruton’s Panthers staged a furious rally as the clock wound down and had chances to either win or tie before the buzzer.

Fortunately for the hosts, a Bruton three for the win caromed away and subsequent medium-range stick-back to force overtime also missed the mark as New Kent held on for a 79-77 victory in the Dec. 1 Bay Rivers District basketball opener for both.

“For our first game, I’m pretty pleased,” New Kent coach Ed Allen said. “We didn’t handle their press very well in the end, but we got some free throws.

“I’m not upset at all,” he added. “For our first game, we played pretty well.”

The Trojans faced a formidable challenge in coping with 6-foot-9 Bruton center Chauncey Burgazli. The big guy scored 22 points and blocked a handful of shots before fouling out late in the fourth quarter.

But it was after Burgazli sat down that the Panthers put together their most effective surge behind a sticky press. Before that, however, the Trojans coupled three-point and foul shooting prowess into a lead it would never relinquish, but would watch most disappear in the end.

Bruton held a 10-7 first quarter lead when Allen regrouped with a time out. After play resumed, the Trojans finished the quarter with an 11-2 run, nine points coming on treys from Zach Jacobs, Alandre Washington, and Tanner Luck. By halftime, seven of the Trojans’ nine field goals had fallen from three-point range while six of seven free throws helped account for a 31-26 lead.

Kaleb Lamb’s trey opened a 10-point Trojan advantage early in quarter three. Dylan Walton’s three just inside the three-minute mark handed the hosts a 52-38 advantage, New Kent’s largest of the night.

Bruton, however, crept back within three with five minutes left in the game. But when Burgazli fouled out with 1:45 to go, Matt Fultz buried the resulting free throws to push New Kent’s lead back into double figures at 76-66.

Four Panther steals, three converted into field goals, proved the lead to be far from safe. Lamb’s double bonus free throws with :47.7 showing on the clock would be New Kent’s final points, but also the difference at the buzzer.

Marcus Carter’s trey 20 seconds from the end pulled the Panthers within two at 79-77. Leo Legaspi’s steal then set up the visitors’ last-ditch bid, but another Carter trey attempt missed as did Legaspi’s stick-back from just outside the key as time ran out.

Lamb and Anthony Snipes tossed in 18 points each for the winners. Fultz scored nine followed by eight apiece from Washington and Luck, Zach Jacobs’ seven, Josh Brown’s six, and three and two, respectively, from Walton and Justin Parsley.

“Coming into this game, we didn’t know what we could do, and I wasn’t sure if we could stay with these people,” Allen said. “I think we played well against a quality team.”