Lafayette races out of gate, throttles New Kent on Senior Night

New Kent’s Tiffany Baca-Darden (right) launches a shot over the block attempt by Lafayette’s Sarah Lynch.

Robb Johnson photo

The final stretch of the regular season for New Kent’s Lady Trojans have consisted of injuries and a rough Bay Rivers District schedule. The Feb. 13 contest against the visiting Lafayette Lady Rams didn’t provide them any breaks, even on Senior Night.

An early Lafayette run proved to be more than enough for the visiting Lady Rams as they trounced New Kent 78-36 in the regular season finale.

The Lady Trojans only lead of the game when Talayah Wilson was able to sink a basket at the beginning of the game. Lafayette got scores from Makayla Keys, Dynasti Pierce, and Sarah Lynch to launch a 10-2 run for the visitors. A Wilson jumper ended the Lady Rams run, but another spurt by the visitors provided them a 24-10 lead after the first quarter.

In the second quarter, Wilson emerged as the lone bright spot for the hosts, as they could only muster five points in the frame. Meanwhile, Lafayette’s pressure defense forced turnovers leading to 16 points for the guests and a comfortable halftime lead. From there, the Lady Rams coasted to victory over the hosts.

New Kent Lady Trojans Head Coach James Montgomery spoke about navigating the difficulties that has arisen at the end of the season.

“We have had a rash of bad luck, and this has been a weird year with rotations and having to bring JV [junior varsity] players up,” he said. “The girls played hard, and we talked about small wins.

“We can’t fix skill stuff until the offseason,” Montgomery added. “We go into the playoffs with a clean slate and anyone can get hot and hit some shots. So, we will see how it goes.”

Wilson’s 15 points were a team high for New Kent, whose record drops to 7-15. Joselyn Slosjarik and Tiffany Baca-Darden added six points each, Hannah Milby pumped in five, and the duo of Emily Ward and Evelyn Davenport each chipped in with two points apiece.