Riders rip Cape boys 82-62
Senior guard Brycen Williams scored 21 points and netted four three-pointers to pace Caesar Rodney to an 82-62 drubbing of Cape Henlopen in boys’ basketball action Feb. 12 in Camden.
Sophomore guard Malachi Brinkley added 16 points and knocked down four shots from beyond the arc for the Riders, who raced to a 15-0 first-quarter lead that they would never relinquish.
Cape came out colder than the icy weather outside, missing its first nine shots from the floor and committing five turnovers before it finally converted a field goal six minutes into the opening period. CR senior big man Jaelin Joyner dunked three times in the frame, helping his team grab a 24-7 advantage after one quarter.
The Vikings closed the gap to 38-32 late in the second quarter on the strength of some hot shooting from senior guard Nate Sivels, but the Riders essentially ended the game with a 15-4 spurt to open the third quarter. Williams and Brinkley combined for four three-pointers in a two-minute span during the run, bringing the COVID crowd of 15 to its feet with one bomb after another. Up 57-38 at that point, Caesar Rodney widened its lead to as many as 25 points in the fourth quarter.
“We played hard but not smart,” said head coach Shemik Thompson after Cape lost for the fifth time in six games. “We cut the lead to six, and we come down and shoot a three after one pass. Then we try to split a trap. It’s about patience. When things work for us, they work for us, but we have difficulty sticking to the things that we’re good at. We did a decent job of getting back in the game, but we have to do a better job of being consistent and finishing out plays. When we run our stuff, we get great shots, but we go through spans where we don’t.”
Senior wing Ja’Vaughn Burton posted team highs of 20 points, seven rebounds and four assists for Cape (2-5, 2-5 Henlopen North), which also got 17 points on 8-for-16 shooting from Sivels. Junior guard Kay’von Jackson joined his teammates in double figures, tallying 10 points and five steals.
Joyner was everywhere for CR (6-3, 6-3 Henlopen North), finishing with 12 points, nine rebounds, five assists and three blocks, while senior forwards Juan Jordan and Ryan Carey added 12 points apiece.
The Vikings got six points and two three-pointers each from junior guard Brody Pedersen and sophomore forward Dylan Fannin.
Caesar Rodney played a remarkably efficient game, shooting 52 percent from the floor on 22 assists while committing just 12 turnovers.
Cape is set to kick off a three-game, five-day home stand Monday, Feb. 15, when Dover visits the Big House for a 6 p.m. tip-off.
