Poquoson upsets New Kent in tourney quarterfinal, ending Trojans’ season

New Kent's Darren McCaughan (right) reaches for a steal attempt while Poquoson's Tucker Schuhart struggles to maintain control of the ball.

Alan Chamberlain photo

One week ago, New Kent’s host Trojans piled up 83 points on Poquoson’s Islanders, effectively blowing the visitors away by a 26-point margin. Tuesday night in the same gym with the same Islanders in town, the visitors managed a measure of revenge.

In a game that went down to the wire, sixth-seeded Poquoson upset third-seeded New Kent 67-64 in the quarterfinal round of the 3A Conference 25 basketball tournament, closing the Trojans’ season on a dismal note. New Kent finished at 9-14.

“You’ve got to take the good with the bad,” said a disappointed Ronnie Cox, the Trojans’ head coach. “Normally we can generate a little more offense, but it wasn’t to be.”

Mental preparation could have been a factor in the loss. Twice during the regular season, New Kent defeated the Islanders.

But Poquoson entered with a sound game plan aimed at challenging New Kent’s three-point shooters and, in particular, point guard/leading scorer Kyle Claytor. The visitors effectively negated Trojan attempts to run offensive sets, thus turning the affair into a dribble penetration contest.

Claytor, unfortunately, had an off night shooting, thanks in part to Poquoson pressure. He also incurred serious foul trouble, picking up number two and three in quick succession on lunges for steal attempts early in the second quarter. He managed to avoid a fourth until after halftime, but fouled out with 5:30 left in the game. He totaled 14 points.

“Kyle draws a lot of attention,” Cox said. “Normally he’s pretty clutch in these situations, but he got in foul trouble and that makes it tough for him to get loose and get comfortable.

“It’s not that this game was bad, but it didn’t work out for him,” the coach said. “I don’t want this final game to be a reflection on him. He’s had a great season and I’m real proud of him.”

Claytor left with his team up 54-53. Moments before fouling out, he had buried a medium-range jumper to put the Trojans in front. Five ties and six lead changes ensued following his departure.

The Trojans, meanwhile, hurt themselves at the foul line, missing 10 of 18 from the stripe down the stretch.

New Kent center Justin Cox provided his team’s final lead, grabbing an offensive rebound before muscling between a pair of defenders for a stick-back and a 63-61 advantage with less than a minute to go.

Poquoson answered with a Laroy Young second chance basket at the 30-second mark. Islander point guard Aaron Taylor then stepped in front of a Trojan pass for a steal. A foul on the play sent him to the line where he rattled in both of a double bonus for a 65-63 lead.

Seconds later on a drive to the basket, New Kent’s Amari Brown split a pair of defenders, drawing a foul. He sank the first of two free throws with :10.6 seconds left. The second bounced off the rim and into the hands of Cox, but the ball was stripped away and snatched by the Islanders’ Preston Calloway.

Fouled with :09.4 left, Calloway converted the first of a double bonus, but missed the second. Trojan Jared Lugg rebounded the miss, driving the other way and passing off to teammate C.J. Reeders. The freshman penetrated the lane for a tying field goal attempt only to be hammered by defenders with only :01.6 showing on the clock.

Stepping to the stripe for two free throws, Reeders’ first shot drew too much iron and fell away. Trojan coach Cox immediately called time out.

“I told C.J. to just shoot it flat and hit the rim,” Cox said, hoping for a long rebound and chance at a put-back before the buzzer. “We had no other choice.”

Reeders’ second free throw, however, sailed just under the rim, a violation that turned the ball over to the Islanders. Another Poquoson free throw sealed the win.

“Having a ninth grader at the line in that situation is really tough,” Cox said. “C.J’s going to be a really good player for us and he’ll grow from this. We put him in to guard their best player [J.D. Costulis] and he held him down.”

Brown’s 18 points topped New Kent while Lugg scored 10. Cox and Kenny Woodley each totaled six followed by three apiece from Reeders and Ethan Ashford and Darren McCaughan’s two.

Poquoson’s Taylor led a group of four Islanders in double figures with 21 points.

“We never seemed to get in really good offensive rhythm,” coach Cox said. “If we had knocked down a few early threes, I feel it would have been different.

“I’m proud of our seniors,” he said, pointing to Ashford, Cox, McCaughan, Woodley, and Cameron Downer. “They played hard and represented the program in a very positive way. I’m just sorry their season had to end on this note.”