Poor shooting creates close contest before Tabb pulls away from New Kent

Lady Trojan point guard Peyton Slater surveys the court after driving past Tabb defender Tamia Smith to break the Tigers' press.

Alan Chamberlain photo

Two nights after ending a 50-game losing skid (much to York’s chagrin), New Kent’s Lady Trojans took to the court on a quest for another major basketball accomplishment — putting together a win streak. And thanks in part to an invisible lid covering both baskets for much of the contest, that goal seemed within reach, even against Tabb’s pre-season contender-rated Tigers.

Miserable first half shooting from the floor at both ends (Tabb 14 percent, New Kent 23 percent) translated into a 13-11 Tabb halftime lead. The Lady Trojans stayed close until the third quarter’s midpoint when the Tigers gradually created breathing room on the way to a 37-23 Thursday night win.

“That says a lot,” New Kent coach Neko Burson said afterward, pointing to the shooting statistics. “Sometimes it’s either great defense on both sides or you can’t buy a basket.”

Either way, New Kent remained competitive, unlike past seasons when Tabb came to town and despite falling into a 9-0 hole in tonight’s early going.

Seven New Kent turnovers, most forced by the Tigers’ full court press, contributed to the opening run. But during a time out, Burson made an adjustment that gave Lady Trojan point guard Peyton Slater some help.

“We worked on the press in practice because we knew they’d come out and press us,” the coach said. “Peyton sees the court real well, but number 15 [Tabb’s Tamia Smith] was giving her problems so we gave the ball to Kayla [Tirrado]. Kayla handles the press better and was able to take pressure off Peyton.”

The move worked, taking Tabb out of its preferred defense while amplifying the Tigers’ shooting woes (4-for-28 from the floor in the first half). New Kent took advantage, scoring 11 unanswered points and forging ahead 11-9 on a Slater lay-in off a Tirrado assist with 1:29 left before halftime.

Sixteen seconds later, however, Tabb’s Danielle Bennett buried a three to put her team back in front to stay. After intermission, the Tigers built their first double-digit lead (26-16) heading into the final period.

“We really wanted this one, but we kind of gassed out in the end,” Burson said.

Tirrado led New Kent, now 1-1, with a game-high 12 points. Slater finished with five followed by Brynne Jones’ four and Jada Hooker’s two. Madison Clemons’ 11 points topped Tabb.

“Against York, we shut them down defensively,” Burson said. “With Tabb, we had to shut them down and then get going on offense, something we couldn’t do tonight.”