Cape boys’ basketball drops home game to Polytech 55-49
In its season-opening win at Sussex Tech Jan. 12, the Cape Henlopen boys’ basketball team feasted on open three-point looks, knocking down eight shots from long range and reinforcing the notion that outside shooting will be a major strength for the Vikings this year.
Hosting Polytech three nights later, Cape learned just how fickle the three can be, as the Vikings misfired on 22 consecutive shots from beyond the arc in a 55-49 setback.
Senior wing Ja’Vaughn Burton recorded game highs of 29 points and 11 rebounds to keep Cape in contention, but ice-cold shooting and poor offensive execution doomed the Vikings.
“The ball didn’t go in the hole, but it was more than that,” said head coach Shemik Thompson, whose team hadn’t dropped a game to the Panthers since 2015. “We were careless with the basketball, we had no execution at all, and we didn’t play our style of basketball for whatever reason.”
Polytech led 28-22 at halftime and extended its advantage to 47-34 early in the fourth quarter on the strength of hot shooting from sophomore guard Xavier Brewington. Cape then reeled off the next 12 points, trimming its deficit to one on a Burton lay-in with four minutes remaining, but the Vikings couldn’t get over the hump. Senior forward Sam Slater scored six points in the final three minutes to keep Poly in front, going 4-for-4 from the free-throw line down the stretch.
Thompson bemoaned Cape’s shot selection in the final minutes.
“We get down a point or two in the fourth [quarter], we’re in the bonus, and our next two shots are 35-footers,” he said. “That’s gonna kill us no matter who we’re playing.”
Brewington finished with 20 points and 10 boards for the Panthers (1-1, 1-1 Henlopen North), while Slater added 15 points and nine caroms.
Burton shouldered the scoring burden for Cape (1-1, 1-1 Henlopen North), which couldn’t buy a bucket for most of the night and led for only 15 seconds of game time. The Vikings shot 16-for-57 (28 percent) from the floor and an almost inconceivable 2-for-26 (8 percent) from downtown.
Junior forward Zimere Bolden contributed six points and 11 rebounds for the Vikings, while junior guard Kay’von Jackson added five points.
Cape welcomes unbeaten Caesar Rodney at 4:30 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 19.
