Cape boys’ basketball blows out IR 81-46
The Cape Henlopen boys’ basketball team knocked down six three-pointers in the opening quarter and dominated from start to finish in an 81-46 drubbing of host Indian River Jan. 24 in Dagsboro.
Junior wing Sh’Kai Chandler came off the bench to score a game-high 17 points on 8-for-11 shooting for the Vikings, who shot a season-best 56 percent from the floor and hit 10 of their 21 three-point tries (48 percent). Cape has caught fire from long distance as of late, making six or more shots from downtown in eight straight games.
Chandler was all smiles after his team’s second straight win.
“My shots were hitting, so I just kept shooting it,” said Chandler, who added six rebounds, three steals, and two assists. “The win was about us communicating well as a team, playing really together on defense, and just moving the ball.”
Sophomore forward Ethan Pires was everywhere for the Vikings, piling up 14 points, five boards, four blocks, two assists and two steals.
Pires downplayed his big night and credited Chandler for jump-starting the Cape offense.
“We all made plays tonight,” said Pires, who connected on three of his five three-pointers. “It kind of started with Sh’Kai. When he’s getting the ball and making plays, it makes all of us better.”
Sophomore guard Ja’Vaughn Burton set the tone for the Vikings, canning two rainbow threes in a 34-second span to give them a quick 7-0 cushion. The margin ballooned to 23-8 at the first-quarter horn thanks to four more long-balls – two from Pires and two from junior sharpshooter Collin Mallet. Cape maintained its torrid offensive pace the rest of the way, as the lead grew to as many as 40 points in the fourth quarter before a late IR flurry.
Burton finished with 13 points and went 3-for-4 from beyond the arc.
Senior guard Luke D’Ambrogi enjoyed a banner night, establishing career highs of nine points and six rebounds, and hitting a pair of three-pointers. The Vikings also got career bests of eight points and five boards from junior forward Isaac Weathersby, eight points from Mallet, and a six-point, four-assist outing from junior swingman Jo Jo Kirby. Junior forward Sam Luciano-Solomon and senior forward Anthony Smith closed out the scorebook with four and two points, respectively.
Head coach Steve Re saw the win as a huge step in the right direction for his young squad.
“That was execution at its finest on both ends,” said Re, who has gone 7-0 against IR during his tenure at Cape. “It’s always good to get the win, but the way we beat them was really efficient. We paid attention to details, we weren’t sloppy, and [we] made excellent rotations on defense. We had great ball movement and moved without the ball on offense.”
The Vikings’ long-range marksmanship may have gotten the headlines, but their team defense was just as impressive. Cape held IR to 30 percent shooting, won the battle of the boards 37-26, and swatted away eight shots.
Indian River (5-11, 3-7 Henlopen South) was led by senior forward Jamier Felton, who tallied 11 points and nine rebounds despite sitting out the first half. Senior wings Antonio Jones and Michael Meehan added 10 points apiece for the Indians.
Cape (6-7, 4-4 Henlopen North) will return to the hardwood Tuesday, Jan. 29, when the Vikings host Polytech at 6:45 p.m.
