York sets tempo, leads from start to finish against New Kent in hoops action
New Kent’s Josiah Reedy (24) tries to find a space to drive in the lane against York’s Daniel Brewster (31).Robb Johnson photo
It’s been 10 days since New Kent’s boys’ basketball team took the floor for a contest. But when they suited up for their Dec. 15 matchup against Bay Rivers District foe York, it was a different story than their previous outcome.
The visiting York Falcons jumped out to an early lead and never relinquished it as they toppled the hosting New Kent Trojans 74-55.
York jumped out front the opening tip, quickly orchestrating seven straight points for the early lead. From there, the Falcons began to capitalize off their physical stature. An Amari Gorham drive added two points before Milyan Walker’s slam provided momentum for the visitors along with their 11-2 lead.
The Trojans were able to cut into the deficit, thanks to a Jack Swynford trifecta followed up with a Kyle Diggs jump shot to cut the advantage to six (13-7). But the Falcons answered with an 8-2 run that closed out the frame before New Kent freshman Will Ross knocked down a corner three-pointer to cut the lead to eight (20-12).
But York continued to mix and match their size and speed with their talent level. A Jackson Evans trifecta found the bottom of the net before two Falcon jams prompted a huge run for the guests. The result was a 40-26 halftime advantage in favor of the guests. From there, New Kent could not keep up as York’s pressure forced additional turnovers and allowed them to leave the Trojans’ gym with a win.
After the contest, New Kent Head Coach Garrett Ross talked about what his team needs to do in order to improve.
“We are a young team and we only had two people return from last year’s team,” he said. “There are a lot of lessons that we have to learn and tonight, the biggest thing is you cannot come into a game and think that you are going to play well by just showing up.”
Ross also placed some of the blame on himself as well.
“I give all the credit to York. They came in with a good strategy and I got outcoached tonight,” he said. “They just hustled, they were grittier, and we have to play as a team, and we have a lot to learn.”
New Kent (2-2) was led by Calvin York’s 13 points as the team high. Ross and Phillip Woodley also finished in double figures with 11 points each. Diggs pumped in seven, Swynford tossed in fight, Austin Brown contributed with four, Josiah Reedy scored three, and Jordan Howard chipped in with one.