New Kent takes down Petersburg in opening round, eliminated by Hopewell in quarterfinals

New Kent’s Khylie Gore (21) tries to deliver a pass around Petersburg guard April Scott (1).

Robb Johnson photo

New Kent’s Lady Trojans made the most of a trip to Petersburg in the opening round of the Region 3A basketball tournament.

The visiting Lady Trojans used defense along with controlling the rebounding margin as they defeated the Petersburg Lady Crimson Wave 42-29 in Monday night’s contest.

After holding only a two-point lead after the first (6-4), New Kent began making their presence known thanks to the play of Amiya Armstead. Armstead scored seven points by herself in the second frame, while taking care of rebounds as New Kent used that momentum to outscore Petersburg 19-10 in the second quarter to take a 25-14 lead into the halftime break.

The Lady Trojans continued to expand their lead, as their defense place Petersburg into a panic mode. Meanwhile, New Kent continued to extend their advantage as they stretched the gap to 17 (37-20) by the end of the fourth quarter. Petersburg could not recover in the final frame, as the Lady Trojans played ball control and ran the clock out and surrendered only nine points for the remainder of the game.

New Kent Lady Trojans Head Coach James Montgomery spoke about getting a playoff win and how their past experiences prepared them in a tough environment.

“This is a tough place to play,” he said. “Where we were then until where we are now has been crazy in a good way.

“The Poquoson game helped us turn the corner,” he added. “We have continued to stick together throughout the process.”

Armstead’s 13 points were a team high for New Kent. Evie Davenport tossed in eight, Delaney Montgomery contributed seven, Anna Hetzel scored six, Talayah Wilson pumped in five, Khylie Gore chipped in with two, and Rayne Otey rounded out the scoring with one.

New Kent fell Tuesday night to Hopewell 76-30, ending their season with a record of 10-14. The Lady Trojans will lose Davenport and Wilson to graduation but will return six players from this year’s roster to make a run next year.