Cape boys’ basketball defeats Central 51-33
Down six points midway through the third period of its matchup with 3-9 Sussex Central, the Cape Henlopen boys’ basketball team found itself on the brink of a loss that would all but extinguish its postseason hopes. With visits to powerhouses Dover, Caesar Rodney, Sussex Tech and St. Georges Tech looming, the Vikings couldn’t afford a fourth straight setback or a 4-8 record.
Ja’Vaughn Burton rose to the challenge, scoring 13 of his career-high 16 points in the second half and igniting a 31-7 game-ending run, as the Vikings rolled to a critical 51-33 win Jan. 18 in Georgetown.
“This was big for us,” said the sophomore guard, who grabbed a career-high nine rebounds, made four steals and canned two three-pointers. “[Our defense] has been getting better all season. We helped, switched on screens, and did what coach [Steve Re] asked us to do to get the win.”
Cape trailed 26-20 after a lay-in from Central’s Amir Mollock with 3:45 left in the third, but the Vikings responded with 10 unanswered points to end the period, taking a 30-26 lead when junior wing Sh’Kai Chandler rattled home a three-pointer that bounced high off the front rim with 30 seconds left in the frame. Burton opened the fourth with a three from the right corner and a lay-up in transition, and Cape suddenly enjoyed a 35-28 lead. The Vikings poured it on from there to secure their 10th consecutive win over the Golden Knights dating back to 2014.
Re, like Burton, praised Cape’s effort on the defensive end.
“That’s the best [the defense]’s been all year,” Re said. “When you defend and get stops and keep playing hard on that side, good things happen. We haven’t really gotten good with our defensive habits yet, which has been my biggest frustration all year, but we were focused [today]. We moved as a unit and handled our assignments really well.”
Re was impressed with his team’s ability to bounce back from a gut-wrenching overtime loss to Delcastle three days earlier.
“I thought we picked ourselves up off the mat really well from last game, which is a big deal for a young group,” Re said. “This is a game we had to have in order to stay in the hunt. This group cares, and that’s a big deal. When teams are young and struggling and getting beat, it’s easy for kids to just quit … We’ve had issues to manage on and off the court, but they care, and that gets me up every morning.”
Chandler, back from a five-game absence, finished with eight points, six boards and four assists. He knocked down a pair of three-pointers along the way.
The Vikings got six points apiece from junior forward Jo Jo Kirby, junior guard Collin Mallet and sophomore forward Ethan Pires. Senior forward Anthony Smith was productive in his first career start, contributing five points, while senior guard Luke D’Ambrogi and freshman guard Hank D’Ambrogi tallied two points each.
Cape played without starting point guard Kris Rushin, who was sidelined by an ankle injury.
The Vikings shot a respectable 41 percent from the floor, committed a season-low 15 turnovers, and limited the Knights to 24 percent shooting. They also out-rebounded Sussex Central 29-25, winning the battle of the boards for just the second time this season.
Sussex Central was paced by senior guard Jahlier Pettyjohn, who scored 11 points. Senior forward Aaron Mollock added eight points and nine rebounds.
Cape will return to action Thursday, Jan. 24, when the team travels to Indian River. The opening tip is set for 4:45 p.m.
