Grafton doubles up New Kent in second quarter, cruises to 55-29 victory

New Kent's JaKeira Thomas (12) elevates to get a jump shot over Grafton's Nikki Gibson.

Robb Johnson photo

New Kent Lady Trojans learned a valuable lesson when the undefeated Grafton Lady Clippers visited Tuesday night; take advantage of opportunities when you have them.

After trailing by only three in the early going, Grafton doubled the scoring output of New Kent in the second quarter and cruised to a 55-29 victory in the Tuesday night Bay Rivers District contest.

Early on, New Kent was able to hang tough with Grafton, thanks to the passing of McKenna Mueller. Mueller found teammates Aubrey Hyndshaw, Jakeira Thomas, and Hannah Drewer on fastbreaks to keep the team within three points (10-7) after the end of the first quarter.

But the visitors’ defense became the breaking point for the Lady Trojans. Multiple turnovers by the hosts led to Grafton converting on three trifectas. Adding additional free throws and baskets by the visitors, the Lady Clippers outscored the hosts 18-9 in the second quarter for a 28-16 halftime advantage. From there, the visitors gradually stretched their advantage in the second half and coasted to the win.

New Kent Lady Trojans head coach Neko Burson spoke about the shift in momentum in the second quarter.

“Although we were in the game, we were disruptive on defense and played with a lot of energy,” he said. “But we missed wide open threes and lay-ups. Those things would have had us up early.

“Every time we made a mental mistake, there was three-pointers going in by Grafton,” Burson continued. “It’s so tough and you cannot trade threes for twos. We have not been hitting ours lately, so we must get out of that slump.”

Thomas led New Kent (3-4) with nine points. Mueller contributed seven, Drewer dropped in six, Hyndshaw pitched in with four, Jaiden McCoy pumped in two, and Darian Mason chipped in with one.