New Kent frigid on court, Grafton scorches nets for 74-46 win

By Robb Johnson | December 14, 2018 9:49 am

New Kent's Jared McCaughan (35) attempts a one-handed floater over Grafton's Andrew Shartzer.

Robb Johnson photo

With snow keeping New Kent’s Trojans from school activities, there was a possibility that the Dec. 12 contest against the Grafton Clippers could become lopsided due to the inactivity on the basketball court. And it was.

Grafton’s Clippers utilized fresh legs on its way to a 74-46 dismantling of the Trojans in the Bay Rivers District clash that became a runaway in the second quarter.

The Trojans kept things close in the first quarter, matching the high-powered Clippers basket for basket. The Trojans first and only lead of the night came courtesy of a Mitch Morse free throw with three minutes to go in the opening frame (15-14).

The Clippers gathered themselves, manufacturing a strong 8-2 run to end the quarter. By the time the second stanza came around, the contest began to elude the Trojans. With backcourt guard Jalen Banks rattled by a hard fall to the floor and Grafton’s Brandon Bomboy converting a four-point play after a Robb Kinder foul, the result was a 15-4 run to end the quarter and a deficit New Kent would fail to make up for the remainder of the game.

After the contest, New Kent head coach Ronnie Cox tried to spin things as best as he could for the team’s performance after they hung in with Grafton for a quarter and a half.

“We haven’t played in five days and they [Grafton] have been in school,” the coach said. “It doesn’t hurt that they are really good, and they also defend.

“They were picked to finish first in the Bay Rivers for a reason,” Cox continued. “There are things that we did well, but we have to tighten up because we have four games in six days and we have to get going.”

Morse topped the scoring column for New Kent (2-3) with 13 points, while Kinder also joined in double figures with 10. Jared McCaughan added six, Banks contributed five, Dean Powell tossed in four, Ethan Marchant and Spencer Gillard each contributed three, and Noah Cross chipped in with two.