Lady Trojans rebound from loss with 47-40 triumph over Bruton

New Kent’s Vyktorya Otey (right) gets off a floater over the outstretched arms of Bruton’s Makayla Butts (23).

Robb Johnson photo

After suffering their first setback on the road, New Kent’s Lady Trojans looked to rectify the loss by hosting Bay Rivers District rival Bruton. For the hosts, holding onto a big lead and fighting off a last-minute surge by the Lady Panthers proved to be crucial.

New Kent captured a 47-40 victory over Bruton on Dec. 19 to head into the holiday break with a 5-1 record.

From the onset, it looked like Lady Trojans would coast to victory. New Kent jumped out to an 18-7 lead to end the first quarter thanks to a team effort. In the second quarter, the offense died down, but the Lady Trojans’ defense remained steady holding Bruton to just nine points as New Kent carried a 25-16 lead into the halftime break.

In the third frame, the home team’s offense began clicking again, outscoring Bruton 15-7 to take a 40-23 lead into the fourth. The Lady Panthers’ offense started finding success, closing the gap and making an attempt to upend New Kent. But Anna Hetzel’s 12 points in the second half, including key scores at the end of the game provided enough of a gap for the home team to capture the win.

Hetzel’s 20 points powered the Lady Trojans to victory, with Vyktorya Otey also finishing in double figures with 11. Delaney Montgomery and Rayne Otey both contributed five each, and the duo of Brooklyn Fleischman and Amiya Armstead each chipped in with three.