Lackluster effort by New Kent factors in loss to Lady Clippers

New Kent’s Brynne Jones (left) battles for a rebound under the basket against Grafton’s Kierson Tavares and Maya Hasenfang.

Robb Johnson photo

It’s rare when New Kent Lady Trojans come into a contest as the favorite. That’s what happened Tuesday night when they welcomed the visiting Grafton Lady Clippers on Dec. 12.

But records mean nothing on the hardwood as Grafton earned its second win of the season, downing New Kent 47-34 in the Bay Rivers District clash.

The visitors grabbed the lead out the gate, with a Nijah Green to Nia Chisolm assist. Chisolm used a dribble drive for a close range conversion, as teammate Kierson Tavares sank two from the charity stripe to help Grafton take a 6-2 lead.

New Kent had numerous opportunities to cut into Grafton’s lead. But point blank lay-up misses thwarted those chances. Meanwhile, Grafton used a fast-break score to extend their advantage to nine (11-2).

The Lady Trojans finally regained traction, as Brynne Jones scored from close range after breaking the pressure defense by the Lady Clippers. After another score by the visitors, Peyton Slater dropped in a lay-in for the hosts, while teammate Jada Hooker’s corner jumper positioned the hosts within striking distance at the end of the first quarter (13-8).

But a troubling effort by the Lady Trojans played into the hands of Grafton from that point onward. Grafton’s methodical defense began to wear down the hosts, allowing the Lady Clippers to gain a 23-12 halftime advantage. In the third quarter, New Kent only mustered six points while committing 11 turnovers. The Lady Clippers didn’t play crisp in the second half, but did enough to emerge with the victory.

Afterwards, Lady Trojan head coach Neko Burson called out his team’s effort and performance.

“I usually do not say this but tonight we gave this game away,” said the frustrated head coach. “We were being pressured but we acted lie we had never seen a trap or pressure in basketball.

“We clearly lost it,” Burson continued. “We seemed not to be inspired or excited to play this game. We need to be more consistent and play smarter and that’s all to it.”

New Kent (2-4) received a team-high nine points from Hooker. Jones and Haley Hyndshaw pitched in with seven each, Kayla Tirado and Slater each scored four, and Madison Foley rounded out the scoring with three.

Chisolm’s game-high 19 points lifted Grafton’s record to 2-5.