Torrid press keys New Kent victory over Poquoson

New Kent's Cameron Downer penetrates the lane between three Poquoson opponents, passing off to a teammate in the corner.

Alan Chamberlain photo

Weathering a fast start by Poquoson’s visiting Islanders, New Kent’s Trojans took command of Tuesday night’s basketball encounter behind a devastating press. By the first quarter’s end, the Trojans had wiped out a double-digit Poquoson lead, moved ahead to stay, and were well on their way to an 83-57 triumph.

The victory solidified New Kent’s hold on the third seeded spot in next week’s 3A East Conference 25 tournament. The 9-12 Trojans host a quarterfinal match next Tuesday at 6 p.m., most likely against the same Islanders.

Poquoson opened tonight’s affair with an 11-2 run — all 11 points, including a trio of threes, courtesy of J.D. Costulis. The barrage forced Trojan coach Ronnie Cox to take an early time out for defensive adjustments.

“[Costulis] definitely gave us some issues,” Cox said. “I put C.J. [Reeders] on him and he locked him down. That’s the kind of thing that doesn’t show up in the scorebook but was the difference in the game.”

Costulis scored just four points over the remainder of the first half. New Kent’s defensive pressure, meanwhile, brought the hosts back from a 15-5 deficit to a 23-22 lead heading into the second quarter.

“We just swarmed them,” Cox said. “I told the kids this was not a formal press. We were just going to double them and rotate strategically.”

New Kent reduced the early gap to 22-16 with less than two minutes left in the opening period. The hosts then ended the quarter on an Ethan Ashford basket off penetration, a Ryan Curle basket off his steal of an Islander inbounds pass, and a Jared Lugg steal and conventional three-point play.

The surge continued, reaching 16 unanswered points and a 32-22 advantage. The Trojan press, meanwhile, held the Islanders to a single second quarter field goal. By halftime, the hosts held a comfortable 42-29 lead.

Four Trojans finished in double figures led by Kyle Claytor’s 24 points. Amari Brown and Justin Cox each totaled 13 while Lugg ended with 12. Michael Amadeo chipped in five, Curle, Darren McCaughan, and Kenny Woodley tossed in four apiece, and Ashford and Reeders contributed two each. Costulis led Poquoson with 23.