Boys’ Basketball: West Point 56, New Kent 53

NK’s Joseph Nash recovers a loose ball and looks to pass to a teammate as West Point’s Montel Allen (left) and Seth Hatcher close in.

Alan Chamberlain photo

Bothered by West Point’s quickness and defensive pressure, New Kent’s Trojans battled from behind during their Dec. 2 non-district basketball clash with the invading Pointers. The Trojans used a press of their own to turn the contest into a nip-and-tuck affair down the stretch, but it wasn’t enough as the Pointers escaped with a 56-53 win.

“They were very quick and they got into us and wore us out,” said Trojan coach Ronnie Cox in assessing the Pointers.

New Kent struggled with a rocky start, going down by nine in the first quarter and sinking just two of 14 shots from the floor.

“We’ve had a problem with the first quarter all year,” Cox said. “We come out and just can’t seem to close it out in the first. In the mid-quarters, we play pretty well. That’s something we’ve got to emphasize.”

The Trojans wiped out a six-point second quarter deficit and grabbed the lead with an 11-0 run. Parrish Braxton scored on an assist from Jamar Murray to overtake the Pointers at 15-all. Then, Travis Claytor’s steal and jam handed the hosts their first lead since the game’s opening moments.
Braxton climaxed the run with a three for a 20-15 advantage with just under three minutes left in the half. But West Point recovered, regaining the lead at 23-22 as the half expired.

Approaching the midpoint of the final quarter, the Pointer lead reached 10 at 49-39. New Kent resorted to a press of its own.

“I didn’t want to go to it too early,” said Cox, “but we had to. We made a good run at them, and it got us back in the game.”

New Kent’s press translated into a 9-0 run. Blake Kelly’s basket from the perimeter pulled the hosts within one (49-48) with 3:48 to go.

Claytor’s outside shot with 40 seconds left forged a 53-53 deadlock. But the Pointers regained control behind Martin Doyal’s stick-back with 20 seconds play followed a free throw at the 11-second mark. Claytor’s three-point bid to force overtime caromed off the front of the rim with three seconds remaining.

Claytor’s 11 points topped New Kent (0-3). Braxton, Murray, and Chase Dunn scored eight each while Kelly and Tommy Hale added seven apiece and Rashad Bentley contributed one.