Cape runs away but Riders come back to play; Vikings win 62-51

Cape coach Steve Re said his basketball team could play bad basketball with the best of them. “The difference is, we don’t play it the entire game, but we have our moments when discipline breaks down,” Re said after Cape blew out Caesar Rodney 36-16 in the first half then was outscored 35-24 in the second, eventually winning 62-51.

The Vikings improved to 7-3 on the season while the Riders slipped to 2-8.

“The good news is we are 5-0 in the Henlopen North with Dover coming in here next [Tuesday, Jan. 15]. They always play us tough, so I expect a good game.”

Dover lost to Milford 85-50 on Jan. 8 and comes into Cape with a record of 2-5.

Cape started a three-guard offense that included Toney Floyd, Gekwan Prtchett and Tyreik Burton along with Andrew Grau and Jon Warren.

Warren and Burton each finished with 14 points, with Pritchett adding 11.  T.T. Hazzard had 10.

The Riders were paced by Lateef Shinaba with 10 points.

The Vikings were pushing the pace from the opening tip, and with 6:10 left in the first half led the Riders 23-3. The score was 24-7 with four minutes left in the half, and it seemed like all day every day the Vikings would continue to pile up a lead. But in the second half the wheels came off the wagon.

“Our battle is lack of maturity as basketball players,” Re said after the game. We get to a certain point and we think we’re better than what we are, instead of just working on what got us there.

"Not everybody can play together and play with a system. Anyone can run up and down the court. I call it rip and run. The second half was more that we weren’t doing we had been doing. We’re trying to get that championship mentality of staying with what you do longer and better than anyone else,”  Re said.