Unable to match Clippers, Trojans absorb first loss

Leaping to get off a shot, New Kent's Joseph Nash gets fouled by Grafton's Clevon Greene.

Alan Chamberlain photo

New Kent’s Trojans took their unblemished (2-0) record into last night’s clash with Grafton looking to surprise the Clippers, another unbeaten that finished last season as a state runner-up in basketball. But much to the host Trojans’ chagrin, the Clippers played like a team on a mission to win the next state tournament.

Grafton opened the Dec. 11 contest with an 11-0 run and never looked back, en route to a 90-51 triumph. On the way, the visitors put on a three-point shooting clinic, sinking 13 of 25 shots from behind the arc.

The closest the Trojans could manage came midway through the first quarter when a pair of Tommy Hale free throws narrowed the gap to 13-7. The final time the hosts were within single digits came on a Blake Kelley three making it 19-10. From there, the Clippers pulled away opening a 44-19 advantage with just under three minutes left before halftime.

“They absolutely shot the lights out,” Trojan coach Ronnie Cox said afterward. “We don’t match up very well with them.

“We knew they were good since they have several starters back from that state runner-up team,” he said. “We were hoping we could pack it in and keep them off the boards, but we had no clue they could shoot so well from outside.

“Our press didn’t work well, either,” he added. “We could have gone to a zone, but how can you play zone against a team that’s dropping threes like that?”

The Clipper placed three in double figures led by Isaiah Moore’s 16 points. Kelley (16 points) and Micah Scorsone (10) topped New Kent followed by Hale’s seven, five each from Ryan Lugg and Jason Whitlow, Kevin Karaffa’s four, Christian Block’s three, and Joseph Nash’s one.

“We’ll just have to put this game behind us and not dwell on it,” Cox said. “There’s a lot of season left, and this was just one game.”