Late run lifts Smithfield over New Kent

New Kent's Tommy Hale leaps between a pair of Smithfield defenders to pass off to a teammate.

Alan Chamberlain photos

Smithfield’s invading Packers staged a late 14-2 run to break open what had been a nip-and-tuck basketball affair on Feb. 11, handing New Kent’s host Trojans a 67-57 setback, the team’s fourth loss in a row.

The four setbacks have come over a span of five days thanks to bad weather forcing teams to insert makeup games around regular contests as the season rapidly winds down. Weather may loom again as the culprit since a snowy forecast could force postponement, or even cancellation, of tonight’s (Wednesday) home encounter with Bruton and Friday’s game when Warhill is scheduled to come to town. Conference tournament play begins Tuesday.

Smithfield, meanwhile, overcame a 51-49 New Kent lead, launching its decisive run with 4:20 left in the game. The Packers benefited from four steals during the surge, resulting in nine of the 14 points.

“They picked it up and really started locking us down defensively. That created the opportunities they needed,” said Trojan coach Ronnie Cox.

“We’ve basically started the season over,” he said, pointing to the long snow-driven layoff that has prompted seven games to be scheduled over a 10-day span.

“We were playing pretty good until the snow came in,” he said. “Right now, we’re kind of rusty and the kids are fatigued and don’t have the legs.

“We having to dig out of this, and we will pull out of it,” he added. “We’re trying to get ready for the tournament.”

New Kent opened its largest lead of the night just before halftime. Threes from Micah Scorsone and Blake Kelley staked the hosts to a six-point advantage, but the Packers answered with a pair of threes just before the buzzer to send the teams to the locker room deadlocked 29-29.

Seven ties and eight lead changes occurred in the second half before Smithfield moved in front to stay on Nick Wells’ corner three. A Kelley stick-back pulled New Kent back within one at 54-53, but nine unanswered points tossed in by the Packers’ Ryan Jones opened a 63-53 Smithfield advantage with just over one minute left.

Scorsone scored a game-high 17 points for New Kent, now 8-10. Kelley and Kevin Karaffa finished with 13 apiece followed by Trey Cox’s five, Jason Whitlow’s four, two each from Christian Block and Christian Hill-Sanders, and Ryan Lugg’s one.

Wells, Jones, and Steven Pullen each scored 15 for Smithfield.

New Kent’s Kevin Karaffa dives for a loose ball ahead
of Smithfield’s Steven Pullen.