Cape basketball tames Wildcats in double OT
If anyone left the Cape versus Howard boys’ basketball game early Jan. 6, they missed one of the greatest comeback performances ever witnessed in the Vikings’ gymnasium.
Trailing 53-37 with just 10 seconds remaining in the third quarter, the Vikings stormed back to defeat No. 2 Howard in double overtime, improving to 6-1 on the season.
Cape struggled early, shooting just 15-of-39 from the field through the first three periods and falling behind by as many as 16 points. The Vikings entered the fourth quarter down 53-40.
Then the afterburners ignited.
Cape erupted for a 20-7 run, hitting 7-of-8 shots from the floor, including 4-of-5 from three-point range. The Vikings went 8-of-9 on their final shots in regulation, draining 5-of-6 from beyond the arc and completed a stunning 20-3 surge to take a 57-56 lead with 1:45 remaining.
Howard briefly reclaimed the lead at 60-57, but junior Stephen Sivels buried a deep-wing three-pointer off a Jameson Tingle assist to force overtime.
Howard again surged ahead, leading 70-67 late in overtime, before Tingle knocked down a straightaway three to send the game into a second overtime. Sivels then flipped a one-point deficit into a 77-75 Cape advantage with under a minute to play.
After both teams exchanged free throws, Howard’s Nicholas Baysah missed a pull-up 15-footer. Cape secured the rebound, and Sivels sealed the moment lofting a perfect mid-court lob to Tingle for a game-ending alley-oop dunk.
Sivels finished with 18 points, eight assists and two steals.
“In the first half, the noise from the crowd got to us a little,” Sivels said. “It was a big game, and we were a little out of control. But we blocked out the noise, stayed together and played Cape basketball. It was the most physical game of the season, and all five guys crashed the boards.”
Tingle delivered a dominant all-around performance, scoring 29 points while adding 12 rebounds, six steals, six assists and four blocked shots.
“This was a really good team we faced,” Tingle said. “We trusted our game plan and each other. One of our players got injured, and we had to adjust, but this wasn’t luck. It came from working hard in practice, working all summer and building confidence. If we play this brand of basketball, we can compete with anybody.”
Senior Lamar McCoy provided a spark off the bench with 14 points, two steals and a block. Senior Braxton Figgs controlled the paint with seven rebounds, six points and four blocks. Dell Richards and Oz Batson grabbed six and five rebounds, respectively, while David Barnes contributed four points and three boards off the bench.
“It’s about dealing with adversity,” said Cape head coach Steve Re. “Not barking at officials and not getting caught up in the crowd. We were really down, but we showed heart, made clutch shots, handled injuries and played together. It was a great high school basketball game. We’re getting there.”
The Vikings travel to Laurel Saturday, Jan. 10, to face the Bulldogs.
Dan has worked for the Cape Gazette for more than 30 years as a photographer and reporter, covering high school sports and happenings around eastern Sussex County. He won a photography award from the National Newspaper Association, and numerous awards from the Maryland, Delaware, D.C. Press Association. A Delaware native, Dan graduated from Cape in 1972 and returned as a teacher and coach in the 1980s. He retired from the classroom in 2016. He was inducted into Cape High’s Legends Stadium in 2016. In his spare time, Dan enjoys spending time with his wife, two sons, grandchildren and dogs.
