Athletes of the Week Jan. 15
Mehkia Applewhite
Mehkia is built like an inside rebounder, but it’s in the open court where defenders will be rebounding off her. Mehkia doesn’t slow down, more like mows down, giving Cape an end-to-end power player. Coach Pat Woods said, “Mehkia has grown so much in her ability to work through adversity and maintain a killer instinct on the court. She is such a dominant presence. She can do it all – play inside, outside, defend, rebound, shoot, handle it. We have seen her take over games before ... and I am certain she will do it again.” Mehkia had 12 points in the 77-20 blitz of Sussex Tech in the season opener Jan. 12.
Morgan Mahoney
Morgan is a junior straight outta Beacon Middle School where she was an on-court running mate of Mehkia Applewhite. Last season, Morgan was a starter on a great team that graduated Abbey Hearn, Dania Cannon and Carlin Quinn. This season, it is step-up time for the three-point shooter and post player. “She was awesome on Tuesday night in our opener at Sussex Tech,” said coach Pat Woods. “She has been working hard on her post moves and finishing strong at the rim. And obviously, she has been getting a lot of shots up. We have been working toward getting her mind-set in line with her potential – she can be something special. And she is a joy to be around.”
Brody Pedersen
“Shooter, shooter!” opposing fans yelled whenever “Crush” entered the Cape basketball team’s season opener Jan. 12 at Sussex Tech. In his very first varsity action, the junior knocked down three deep three-pointers en route to 13 points, providing the Vikings with much-needed firepower from the wing. His 25-footer from the top of the key put the exclamation point on a 25-6 third-quarter run by Cape, which earned a 67-47 win over its cross-county rivals. Brody missed all of last season with a foot injury and couldn’t be happier to be back on the hardwood. “Oh, my god – it’s been forever,” he said. “Being back in the gym every day with my guys, it’s so fun. It feels even better when you beat Sussex Tech.”
Nathan Sivels
The young Cape boys’ basketball team looked to its senior combo guard for leadership during a Jan. 12 tilt with Sussex Tech, and Nate was equal to the task. Sivels scored 10 of his 13 points in the second half, dished out six assists and added three steals to help propel the Vikings to a 20-point victory. He played his best ball when Cape went on a big run in the third quarter, hitting a pair of timely three-pointers and forcing several turnovers with his quick hands. “Nate sets the tone for us,” said coach Shemik Thompson. “He brings the defensive intensity for us. He scored today, but even when he doesn’t, he’s still gonna fill up categories on the stat sheet. He’s gonna be happy shutting down the opposing team’s best player.”
