Clippers run away from Lady Trojans

Lots of hands, including those belonging to NK’s Becky Anderson, battle for control of a rebound in the Grafton contest.

Alan Chamberlain photo

Grafton’s Lady Clippers cruised into New Kent’s gym with an unbeaten record and first place in Bay Rivers District basketball firmly in hand. And against the Lady Trojans, the visitors did nothing to hurt their standing.

After a slow start, the 11-0 Clippers shifted into overdrive, speeding past New Kent 89-23. The Jan. 10 outcome dropped the hosts to 1-9, 1-10 overall.

“We tried to slow it down,” said Lady Trojan coach John Scorsone. “But they came out with a half-court press, something we hadn’t seen from them before, and we weren’t ready for it.

“It’s hard to slow down the pace when you’re being trapped like that,” he said. “But we can’t play man-to-man against this team. They’re too fast.”

New Kent stayed close in the beginning. Anna Mathis’ basket in the paint created a 2-2 tie before the Clippers scored the next six points.

Adrienne Goodlet’s length of the court drive for a lay-in closed the gap to 8-4 with three minutes left in the opening quarter, but that would be the last field goal of the period for the hosts. Grafton reeled off 16 unanswered points to erase any doubt about the outcome.

Goodlet’s 12 points paced New Kent. Paige Simpson tossed in four, Becky Anderson totaled three, and Mathis and Karley Allen contributed two apiece.