Comeback falls short as Tabb escapes Lady Trojans’ gym victorious
New Kent's Alaina Torres (34) snags a rebound over Tabb's Malia Wilson (25) and Faith Hancock (11).Robb Johnson photo
The word “inconsistency” could have defined New Kent’s Lady Trojans style of play during a Jan. 8 contest against the visiting Tabb Lady Tigers.
Turnovers, missed free throws, and a lack of focus did just enough to thwart a Lady Trojans comeback as Tabb escaped with a 37-34 win in the Bay Rivers district clash.
Baskets were rare for the hosts in the first quarter, as they only saw two fall through the net, giving the Lady Tigers a 12-4 advantage. The second quarter wasn’t any kinder as New Kent watched Tabb put together a 13-5 run to bolt out to a 25-10 lead with a few minutes remaining in the first half.
But the Lady Trojans managed to find a glimmer of hope, scoring five unanswered points to cut the lead to 10 heading into the intermission break (25-15). That hope shined a bit brighter as Lady Trojan Bailee Hellebrandt scored six points as part of a 12-3 run for the hosts to bring the hosts back within a single point as the horn sounded at the end of the third quarter (28-27).
Tabb managed to keep the lead for most of the final frame, preventing New Kent from any attempts to claim the lead. New Kent’s Madison Foley conventional three-point play with under a minute remaining in the game cut the Lady Tigers lead to three (37-34).
Both teams committed horrendous turnovers and missed free throws down the stretch, but when it came down to the final possession the ball sided with New Kent. With four ticks left on the clock and trailing by three, Hellebrandt’s trifecta attempt failed to connect, allowing Tabb to walk out victorious.
After the contest, Lady Trojan head coach Neko Burson analyzed his team’s performance.
“Offensive rebounds were a killer in the first half,” he commented, pointing to the four that were grabbed by his team despite the numerous shot attempts. “This is not what a coach wants to see, and we had miscues.
“We cannot dwell on this and we have to get back to work tomorrow,” Burson added. “We played better as a team in the second half and that allowed our run. Playing one-on-one ball is not going to get you anywhere so we have to continue to play together.”
Hellebrandt’s 11 points topped the scoring column for New Kent, whose record drops to 4-7 on the year. Haley Hyndshaw tossed in seven, Foley added six, Jada Hooker contributed five, Natasha Lange pumped in three, and Alaina Torres chipped in with two.