Cape boys hold off Lake Forest 57-47 as Woods gets 10 points
In his three-plus years with the Cape boys’ basketball program, Rasheed Woods has earned his minutes as a “glue guy,” a tireless worker and model teammate who does the little things that make the Vikings go. Head coach Steve Re gushes over the senior guard they call “Lulu,” who came to Cape from Hawaii and brings toughness, decision-making and maturity to the floor. One thing Woods hasn’t done much of in a Vikings uniform is score, as he managed just 16 points all of last season and had been held scoreless through 10 games this year.
In Cape’s Jan. 20 matchup with Lake Forest, Woods played less like glue and more like nitroglycerin, exploding for a career-high 10 points and canning two three-pointers to lift the Vikings to a 57-47 victory. Woods, making his first career start due to a knee injury for shooting guard Izaiah Dadzie, took full advantage of the opportunity. He added two assists and zero turnovers in helping run the Cape offense.
“[Woods] stepped up for us in a big way,” Re said. “Rasheed’s been practicing really well and has always been great off the bench in the past. He’s a hard worker, a positive guy, and he doesn’t hang his head. He plays through mistakes, and when other guys see that, it lifts us up. He’s steady.”
Junior forward Randy Rickards scored 20 points, pulled down 10 rebounds, and pocketed five steals to lead the way for Cape, which won its third straight game despite the absence of Dadzie and sixth man Sh’Kai Chandler, who missed the game for undisclosed reasons.
Cape (7-4, 5-1 Henlopen North) broke open a tight game late in the third period. With the Vikings up 33-29 and struggling to find the rim, Woods found fellow senior guard Jerry Harden for a three from the right wing to give their team some breathing room. Junior forward Ian Robertson followed with a strong drive to the hole a few possessions later to extend the Cape edge to eight entering the final frame. Rickards opened the final period with a turnaround jumper in the post, then connected on a pair of free throws. On Cape’s next possession, Woods drilled a three from the right corner on a feed from freshman guard Cory Barnes, putting Cape up 45-32 with 6:07 left. Rickards then converted on two more from the charity stripe to cap a 14-3 run that ultimately decided things.
Woods admitted to some pregame jitters, but said his teammates helped him settle down.
“Coach asked me to come in, focus on defense, and play with confidence. I was kind of nervous at the beginning, but [Harden] and [Rickards] said they had my back. I got into it and just played basketball.”
Junior guard Isaiah Morris scored 20 points and hit four of his seven three-point tries for Lake (6-6, 6-2 Henlopen South). Morris attended Mariner Middle, played junior varsity hoops for Cape as a freshman, and won three state titles (long jump, high jump, triple jump) at Lake last spring for former Vikings track coach and “Chicken Man” Charlie Pollard. The Spartans also got 10 points and three steals from freshman guard Jaysem Vazquez.
Barnes tallied 11 points, six rebounds, and three assists for the Vikings, while Robertson commanded the paint with eight points, nine boards, and four blocks. Harden chipped in with six points and four rebounds, while senior big man Robert Mitchell added a bucket and three caroms.
The Vikings survived a 20-for-61 shooting night thanks to an effective full-court press, as they collected a season-high 15 steals and forced 24 Lake turnovers.
Re was happy with his squad’s performance on the defensive end.
“We missed multiple [defensive] rotations in the first half, but we got to them in the second half and turned [Lake Forest] over,” he said. “Our defense held us together, as usual, and we played really good team ball.”
Rickards echoed his coach’s comments. “We jumped [Lake’s] press-break when they threw it to the corners,” Rickards said. “We trapped them and rotated really well tonight.”
Cape looks to extend its winning streak Tuesday, Jan. 24, when the Vikings host Polytech. The Panthers have lost four straight games and suffered a 66-58 defeat to the Vikings Dec. 6.
