New Kent rallies from 14 down, tops Warhill 75-70

New Kent's Jared Lugg (2) is fouled by Warhill's Jermaine Rosario on a drive to the basket in the second half.

Alan Chamberlain photo

New Kent’s Trojans got their basketball record back to the .500 mark Monday night. But they had to do it the hard way.

Down 14 midway through the third quarter, the host Trojans rode a furious press to overtake Warhill’s Lions and hold on for a 75-70 victory. The decision evened the hosts’ record at 3-3.

“We just went for broke with a full-court press,” winning coach Ronnie Cox said. “I told the kids that if you’re going to lose, you’re going to go down swinging. We just pushed all the chips to the middle of the table and hoped it would work out for the best.”

The Trojans squandered a 29-23 lead late in the second quarter, finding themselves trailing 33-32 at the break. Point guard Kyle Claytor’s one-hand floater in the lane to start the third quarter put the hosts back in front, but the Lions unleashed their transition game to mount a 15-0 run, forging ahead 48-34.

“We had no answer,” Cox said. “We couldn’t get a defensive stop, and we weren’t able to finish at the other end.”

A Claytor three, however, ended the Warhill run. Then the visitors, who sank six of nine shots from the floor during the surge, finished the quarter with 2-for-6 accuracy while turning the ball over seven times thanks to New Kent pressure.

The hosts whittled the margin to eight (53-45) before Claytor scored off penetration and C.J. Reeders benefited from a Kenneth Woodley steal and assist to complete a conventional three-point play. Woodley’s steal and looping lay-in at the buzzer made it a one-point game (53-52).

“I put C.J. in and started pressing,” Cox said. “I hate to throw a freshman into the fire, but he’s quick and a tough player and he forced a lot of steals. His three-point play and two free throws down the stretch were huge.”

Early in the final quarter, New Kent briefly regained the lead, but the Lions tossed in eight unanswered points for a 64-57 advantage with just under five minutes left. A Woodley three, Reeders’ drive down the lane for a basket, and free throws from Justin Cox and Amari Brown pulled the hosts back within striking distance at 66-64.

Next, pressure from Darren McCaughan forced a Warhill turnover. Seconds later, McCaughan stuck back a teammate’s miss to even the affair at 66-all.

Warhill’s Antonio Stovall broke the deadlock from the floor, but Claytor buried a three at the 1:57 mark and New Kent led 69-68. Claytor missed a NBA-range three with a minute to go, but Brown darted between a pair of Lions in the lane to stick back the miss. Fouled on the play, he completed the three-point play to up the margin to 72-68.

“Amari went right up there and took it,” coach Cox said. “That was a knife in [the Lions] heart.”

Reeders then sank a pair from the stripe with 32.9 seconds showing on the clock to put the game out of reach.

Claytor’s 19 points, Brown’s 14, and Cox’s 10 led New Kent. Woodley totaled nine followed by eight each from Reeders and Ethan Ashford, McCaughan’s five, and Jared Lugg’s one. Warhill’s Marquez Belle tossed in a game-high 21.

“We’ll take it,” coach Cox said regarding the win. “We’ve got two tough games this week [at Jamestown before Smithfield comes in Friday], but we’ll take it and gear up and go again.”