New Kent erases 18-point deficit, but cannot hold on down stretch

New Kent's Kyle Claytor penetrates into the lane, drawing attention from Grafton defenders Josh Moore (10), Brandon Bombay (42), and Kiran Durant.

Alan Chamberlain photo

Anyone watching the first 10 minutes of Friday night’s Grafton Clippers-New Kent Trojans basketball clash probably sensed a blowout in the making. The visiting Clippers shot better than 70 percent from the floor in building an 18-point lead.

But the Trojans gradually chipped away at the deficit, eventually overtaking their guests and forging ahead late in the third quarter. Unfortunately for the hosts, the Clippers regrouped, particularly at the free throw stripe where they sank 12 of 16 in the final quarter, to escape with a 67-62 win.

“We couldn’t quite close it out,” said Trojan coach Ronnie Cox. “We scratched and clawed our way back and gave it everything we had, but didn’t quite get it at the end.”

Energy expended in making the comeback appeared to cost New Kent down the stretch. Over the final five minutes, the Trojans failed to convert on a trio of seemingly easy field goal opportunities in the lane. Then there were five consecutive misses at the foul line.

“It’s sort of uncharacteristic of us to not hit our free throws,” said Cox. “But I’m not going to put the blame on those players. All of them played a huge role in getting us back in the game. They’re real competitors, and they’ll bounce back and be better. This won’t happen again.”

The Trojans entered the contest intent on stopping Clipper leading scorer Kiran Durant. C. J. Reeders drew the defensive assignment, shutting out Durant in the opening quarter. But the Trojans had no answer for Josh Moore who tossed in 17 of his team’s 23 first quarter points.

“We were focused on [Durant], but we had no idea that [Moore] would dump 17 on us,” Cox said.

Two minutes into the second quarter, the Clippers were up 31-13 and apparently cruising to an easy win. New Kent, however, failed to fold. By halftime, the hosts had reduced the gap to 10 (38-28). Then in the third, a 15-5 Trojan run wiped out the remainder. Dean Powell’s free throw at the 1:58 mark pulled the hosts even at 43-43.

“We put our fastest people on the floor,” Cox said concerning the rally. “We got a few stops and some steals, and bit by bit we got back in it. I’m real proud of the guys. A lot of teams would have rolled over.”

Amari Brown’s stick-back of Kyle Claytor’s three-point miss handed New Kent its first lead. But Durant shook off his defender long enough to bury a three, placing Grafton back on top 46-45.

A minute into the final period, Jordan Hernandez sank both ends of a one-and-one for a 51-49 New Kent advantage. Grafton then pulled back in front by two before Claytor scored from short range to create a 53-53 tie with less than six minutes left. Over the next three minutes, however, the Clippers opened a six-point lead and held on from there.

Claytor scored a team-high 20 points for the Trojans, now 2-2. Hernandez finished with 16 while Brown tossed in 12. Ryan Lugg totaled seven followed by Reeders’ three and two each from Powell and Evan Branch.

Moore’s 22 points topped Grafton. Durant was held to eight before leaving the contest in the fourth quarter with a wrist injury.

“We’ve lost to Tabb by four and now [Grafton] by five, so we’re knocking on the door,” Cox said. “We’re going to try and turn the corner. We’re certainly moving in the right direction.”