Cape boys heat up in 93-62 win over Tech
Ja’Vaughn Burton celebrated Senior Day with 25 points, and four other Vikings reached double figures as the Cape Henlopen boys’ basketball team romped past Sussex Tech 93-62 Feb. 6 in Lewes.
“This is a new start for us,” said the senior wing, who also tallied game highs of six assists and five steals to help his team snap a four-game losing skid. “Our chemistry has gotten way better. Our plan has always been to push the ball and find the open man, and it definitely happened today.”
Junior forward Brody Pedersen knocked down six three-pointers on the way to a career-high 18 points for Cape, which also got 15 points from senior guard Nate Sivels, a career-best 14 points from sophomore big man Dylan Fannin, and an 11-point, five-assist effort from junior guard Kay’von Jackson.
Coming off a weeklong break due to COVID-19 issues, the Vikings looked like a completely different team from the one that fell to Sussex Central in its last outing. Cape ramped up the pace and feasted on transition buckets all night, converting long outlet passes into one lay-up after another. The Vikings’ ball movement in the half-court was also much improved, resulting in open looks from three and in the paint. Cape amassed 26 assists on the day and shot 60 percent from the floor, both season highs by a wide margin.
The Vikings used a 17-0 burst midway through the first quarter to create separation from the winless Ravens and were never seriously challenged from there. Up 39-24 at the break, Cape poured it on with a 33-point third quarter that saw Pedersen connect on three of his trifectas and Burton get to the hole at will.
Coach Shemik Thompson couldn’t have been happier with his team’s unselfish play.
“We've stressed coming out and playing with energy, and today we did that,” Thompson said. “Our outlet passes and our passing overall were ridiculous. We shared the ball, and that’s something we’ve been stressing all year. I don’t know what it was about today, but hopefully that’s something we can carry forward. We’ve also been working on trust all season, and today was a culmination of us learning to trust each other and knocking down shots when we’re open.”
The Vikings’ 93 points were the most they’ve ever scored in The Big House and their highest total in any game since 2009.
Lost in Cape’s offensive explosion was the gritty performance of junior forward Zimere Bolden, who stuffed the scorebook with 14 rebounds, five assists and four blocks to go with two points. Junior guard Hank D’Ambrogi made big contributions off the bench, going 3-for-3 from the floor for a career-high six points.
Pedersen seemed pleasantly surprised that his team played at such a high level coming off its COVID pause.
“We’ve only had one practice since the COVID stuff started,” said the sharpshooter, who has drilled 17 three-pointers on the year. “To come out and be in such a rhythm where everything clicked was great.”
Fannin, who came off the bench to hit seven of his eight field-goal tries and corral six rebounds, praised the Vikings’ ball movement.
“We shared the ball a lot better than we usually do,” Fannin said. “It was nice to score but even better to see everyone else get involved.”
Sivels, meanwhile, sees big things ahead for Cape.
“We gelled together today really well,” he said. “The passing was there. The scoring was there. This is a new start for us. There’s some games we should’ve won where we came out slow, but now we feel like we could go 10-4 if we keep playing like that.”
Jackson shared his teammates’ positivity.
“We hit shots and moved the ball like we’re supposed to,” he said.
Junior guard Erik Reniacher led Sussex Tech (0-7, 0-7 Henlopen North) with 15 points, while sophomore guard Jeremyah Handy added 14.
Cape (2-4, 2-4 Henlopen North) hopes to maintain its momentum when the Vikings visit Polytech Tuesday, Feb. 9.
