Cape boys' basketball starts strong, finishes strong, downs Central 63-47

Cape's Tyreik Burton and Jon Jon Warren scored 18 and 16 points, respectively, as the Vikings handed the Golden Knights their second loss of the season 63-47 in a front of a packed house at Sussex Central Jan.4.

The Vikings jumped out to an 11-0 start and never looked back as Cape moved to 6-3 (4-0 conference) on the season. The Vikings took a 27-16 lead at the halftime break and outscored the Knights 36-31 in the second half to seal their second Henlopen North victory.

"The goal is to keep the team as even-keeled as we possibly can throughout the game and focus for as long as possible; don't get too high when you're playing well and don't get too low when you're playing bad," said Cape coach Steve Re. "We try to stay steady and consistent with our intensity and effort through the entire game."

The relentless Vikings defense caused the Knights to turn the ball over 33 times in the contest.

"We pulled within 5 points in the third period," said Knights coach Wes Townsend. "You can't beat a good team like Cape when you have that many turnovers."

Gekwan Pritchett tallied a unique double-double as he scored 12 points while stealing 10 balls from the Central offense.

Tyreik Burton went 7-for-14 from the field with one 3-pointer and hit three from the foul line to tally 18 points in the contest.

Jon Jon Warren hit 5-for-9 with one 3 and scored 5 of 6 at the charity strip for 16 points while dishing off four assists.

"He [Warren] changes our entire flow. He gives us an advantage in multiple positions," said Re.

Re was quick to give kudos to his big men, too.

"Andrew [Grau] is just coming back from an illness where he hasn't been able to practice a lot," said the second-year Cape coach. "He played great for not practicing much."

Forward Tony Hazzard went 4-for-5 from the field, scoring 8 points and snagged seven rebounds in the game.

Cape guard play was intense on both sides of the court during the Vikings' victory.

"Toney (Floyd) played well," said Re. "This was his best game." Floyd scored 7 points in the contest while making five steals, and he grabbed three rebounds.

"We kept our turnovers down and executed at a high level and stayed on top all game," said Re. "We wanted it tonight."

Sussex Central's Rashad Kelly led the Knights with 14 points.