The Cape boys’ basketball team jumped out to a 10-6 lead in the first quarter and held off a plucky Laurel squad to garner a 57-49 victory Jan. 30.

“We played solid tonight,” said Cape head coach Steve Re. “We broke down on defense a few times, missed some shots, and Laurel took advantage of it and scored on transition. Once we settled we were good.”

Sophomore Jameson Tingle continued to shine on offense, recording 19 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals. Geordan Downing and Damian Robinson each dropped 10 points. They teamed for six rebounds and two assists.

“I’ve added more to my game, and coach Re is trusting me to get more active in the paint and grab more rebounds,” said Downing. “Our energy was low in the first quarter, so we had to bring it back up in the second quarter and even more in the second half.”

Sophomore Oz Batson had the best game of his career, tallying 10 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals.

“Laurel came out with a great game plan to try and beat us,” said Batson. “But we stepped up the energy and got it together for the win. I was having fun tonight.”

“We’ve been waiting for Oz to break out all year,” Re said. “He’s been playing great in practice, so I saw this coming tonight. When he is playing like that, I almost feel like we have six starters.”

Cape’s 12/6 assist/turnover ratio was the team’s best in Re’s tenure with the Vikings.

Vikings fall to Smyrna 

The Feb. 1 game against Smyrna had a different feel for the Vikings, as they fell to the Eagles 48-43 in a match rescheduled from Jan. 7. Cape moves to 9-5 on the season.

Robinson led the Vikings with 17 points and nine rebounds. Downing dropped eight and grabbed four rebounds.

Braxton Figgs had five rebounds, an assist, a block and a steal. Quardell Richards grabbed five rebounds and a steal in just 18 minutes of play off the bench.

Cape went just 13-for-46 from the field and 2-for-12 from behind the three-point arc.

“It was a super physical game,” said Re. “We didn’t handle the physicality very well. They didn’t give us any space, and we couldn’t shoot. We gave up three offensive rebounds in a row when they were up two, and that cost us. Quardell really played well and gave us a spark. He was really valuable today.”

“I want to be a player who knows my role,” said Richards. “I do what the coach wants me to do. He puts me in to play defense and grab rebounds. That’s what I like. I don’t care about scoring.”

The Vikings freshmen squad defeated Smyrna 33-26. Ben Hill had 16 points, while Harlem Johnson scored 11.

The Vikings will welcome Milford Tuesday, Feb. 4, for Cape’s Senior Night.