New Kent survives upset scare from Heritage, escapes with one-point win
New Kent’s Joshua Reedy (1) and Rashad Leeper (3) apply double team defensive pressure against Heritage’s Mehki Watkins (5).Robb Johnson photo
Survive and advance. Sometimes it’s simple like that when it comes to playoff basketball.
New Kent’s Trojans withstood a late rally as they edged the visiting Heritage Hurricanes 51-50 in the Feb. 24 Region 3A quarterfinal contest.
Early on, the eighth-seeded Hurricanes looked to take advantage of a Trojans’ team that did not have sharpshooter Marty Wray for the contest. A three by Mehki Watkins sparked a 7-2 run out the gate for the visitors from Newport News.
New Kent responded back, with Deven Bailey’s back-to-back baskets highlighting a 6-2 spurt, but another Heritage 9-2 run launched them into a 20-15 lead at the end of the first quarter.
In the second frame, New Kent elected to use a weapon they knew teams would struggle with. Sophomore center Jarred Hathaway towered over Hurricane defenders. His six straight points along with Kris Leeper-s free throw sparked a run that saw the game tied at 22 apiece. Both teams would slug it out back and forth in a contest that grinded to a snail’s pace, with Heritage taking a one-point lead (28-27) into halftime.
The Trojans got their first lead of the night early in the third quarter, as a trifecta by Joshua Reedy provided the hosts a 32-30 lead. The scoring did not stop there as Kingston Young duplicated the feat. Reedy’s lay-in pushed New Kent’s lead to seven (37-30).
New Kent maintained control heading into the fourth, when Heritage began fighting back. Terris Bowen’s three for the Hurricanes tied the game at 41 all. However, New Kent remained calm as Hathaway sank a pair of free throws, and Christian Joyner’s three bumped the lead back up to five. Another Young score from a Reedy assist quickly highlighted a surgical 7-0 run for the Trojans, providing them a 48-41 advantage.
Heritage began fighting back over the remainder of the contest, finding themselves down by three (51-48) with less than 10 seconds remaining. The Hurricanes elected to go for the quick score, converting the basket. However, the visitors failed to defend the inbound pass, allowing the Trojans to run the clock out and advance to the regional semifinals.
Joyner and Hathaway shared team-high honors in points, with each scoring 12. Young tossed in eight, Bailey and Caleb Marable each added six, Reedy and Jacob Roberson both pumped in three, and Leeper chipped in with one.