Appoquinimink basketball Christian Barksdale #4 takes a jump shot against Cape Henlopen, photo by Nick Haliday
(Middletown) The Cape Henlopen Vikings and Appoquinimink Jaguars scheduled a “rare” boys and girls varsity basketball double header Thursday. The two teams provided those in attendance with close and dramatic games.
The boys game featured No. 7 Appo with a record of 9-3 versus unranked Cape with a 9-4 mark. Appo jumped out to an early 8-0 lead thanks to Christian Barksdale’s three pointer and a fast break layup, as well as a long range shot by Daniel Harvey. The Jags forced Cape into 3 quick turnovers, causing Cape coach Steve Re to call a timeout just :90 seconds into the game. His Vikings responded, going on a 16-2 run to finish the quarter, grabbing a lead of 16-10. Barksdale accounted for 7 of the Jags 10 first quarter points while the Vikings were paced in the opening period by Trey Leggins and Jacob Schell with 6 points each. Two of Schell’s points were the result of a “highlight reel” slam dunk after he stole the ball in transition.
Appo came to life in the 2nd quarter as sophomore Kaleb Ra’lfa came off the bench to score 7 points including a make beyond the arc. Reynaldo Carrier added 6 points as the Jags out-scored the Vikings 20-11 in that period and took a 30-27 advantage at the break.
The two teams traded baskets in the third quarter with the Jags taking a 42-41 lead into the final 8:00.
The Vikings regained the lead 44-42 on a Tyrone Tolson three pointer (his second of the game) and Cape would hold that advantage until the 2:10 mark, when Riley Buzby “dished” to Carrier to put the Jags up 53-52. It was the first lead for Appo since the start of the final period. The lead didn’t last for long, as Cape’s Leggins converted two foul shots with 1:25 left, then Buzby nailed a long-range jumper to put the Jags in front 56-54. Following an empty possession for Cape, Haji Bell was fouled. He drained both free throws for a 58-54 advantage and an eventual 60-54 victory. Appo head coach Tom Purse told us in his post game interview, “We came out hot, Cape’s a very good team and we knew they would respond, but I’m proud of our young guys for fighting back”.
As a team, the Jaguars converted 16/17 foul shots (94%) and improved to 10-3 with the win. Barksdale led the way with 14 points, Buzby added 12, while Bell chipped in with 10 points. Cape was paced by Schell with a game-high 20 points, Drew Zimmerman scored 11, while Leggins and Tolson both added 10. The Vikings fall to 9-5 on the season.
In the early game, the 7th ranked Lady Vikings fell behind early, trailing the 9th ranked Jags 10-9 after one period. Cape fought back posting a 9-0 run to start the second period and would take a 22-15 lead at the half. The Vikings would increase their advantage to double-digits in the 2nd half, before the Jags scratched their way back to trail just 56-53 after two three-point shots by Alyssa Cresto, the 2nd one coming with :33 left in the game. Following a time out, sophomore Hayden Hudson took the inbounds pass, dribbled up the floor and found Faith Re with a great pass in the lane. Re made the shot and was fouled. She converted the traditional “three-point-play” giving the Vikings a two-possession lead at 59-53 with :26 to go. The two teams traded free throws and Cape held on for a 61-55 win.
Faith Re led all scorers with 23 points and 4-three pointers to give her 47 on the season. Re told us after the game, “everyone did what we needed to do to get the win. It was a big win for us”. She also described the late 3-point play saying, “I knew I was going to be fouled, the ball just went in, and my teammates hyped me up”. Amalia Fruchtman scored 10 points, pulled down 5 rebounds and recorded her 43rd block of the season. Ja’Onna Lee hit her average with 9 points, Hudson grabbed 7 boards while scoring 6, and Mya Maull had a team-high 8 rebounds, 8 points and 5 assists. The 7th ranked Vikings have now won 12 straight games (12-2).
The 9th ranked Jags were led by Cresto with 18 points and 3-three’s, Kyla Reed poured in 16 points, and Deja Martin scored 15 (three-3’s). Appo had an 8-game win streak snapped and fell to 11-3 overall.
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