Albermarle surges late to end New Kent’s winning streak at five
New Kent’s Caleb Marable (20) applies defense to make passing a difficulty for Albermarle’s Makai Ragland (2).Robb Johnson photo
Trailing most of the game, New Kent’s Trojans fought back to tie the visiting Albermarle Patriots in the fourth quarter. But a late surge by the visitors proved to be too much for the Trojans, sending them to their first defeat on the season.
Albermarle escaped with an 86-78 victory during the Dec. 18 non-district affair to knock New Kent from the ranks of the undefeated.
New Kent remained competitive in the first half. Trailing by four (31-27) in the second quarter, Albermarle used a push to stretch their advantage to eight (43-35) by the halftime intermission. The lead hit double-digit for the first time (52-42) for the Patriots at the 3:38 mark after a Thomas Moore bucket.
New Kent began clawing back, with Jarred Hathaway and Marty Wray dropping back-to-back three pointers to cut the visitors’ lead down to four (59-55). After a pair of misses from the charity stripe by Albermarle’s Makai Ragland, a shot by Kingston Young at the buzzer of the third quarter closed the gap to two. The margin disappeared after the Patriots were hit with a technical foul during the quarter break, allowing Wray to drain two free throws and tying the game at 59 apiece.
The teams remained even for the final frame until the 4:18 mark. Tied at 70 apiece, Albermarle orchestrated an 8-0 run that seemed to set up the Patriots for a victory. But the hosts refused to quit as New Kent countered with an 8-0 run of their own, highlighted by a circus shot by Josiah Reedy to once again tie the game at 1:43 apiece.
With the score knotted at 78, Marjaylen Jackson found space in the paint for two of his 11 fourth quarter points to return the lead back to Albermarle. The home team became a victim to turnovers, as Juju Chapman of Albermarle stole the ball from New Kent’s Kris Leeper, leading to a quick score and stretching the lead to four (82-78) for the visitors. The Patriots would add additional points from the charity stripe, closing the game and ending the Trojans’ win streak at five.
After the contest, New Kent Head Coach Garrett Ross spoke about the level of competition the team has been playing this year.
“We learned a lot tonight and we got better tonight, and that’s why we play teams like this,” he said. “We knew it was going to be a dog fight. We knew it was going to be tough.
“Tonight, we needed to execute better down the stretch,” Ross added. “But I am super proud of this team and how we played.”
New Kent (5-1) received a game-high 31 points from Wray. Reedy pumped in 25, Deven Bailey contributed five, Thomas Moore added four, the trio of Hathaway, Christian Joyner, and Caleb Marable tossed in three each, and Kingston Young chipped in with two.