Cape boys suffer 57-point blowout in Slam opener
The St. Raymond Ravens of Brooklyn unleashed the full force of their length, quickness, and athleticism on the Cape Henlopen boys’ basketball team at Slam Dunk to the Beach Dec. 27, delivering a 93-36 beatdown that may be the most lopsided loss in Cape history.
The Ravens raced to a 17-0 lead in the first five minutes, employing a stifling full-court press to force 10 turnovers from the Vikings in their first 14 possessions. St. Raymond ran a lay-up line the rest of the way, taking a 50-24 bulge into the break and scoring 24 unanswered points to end the third frame with an 85-28 advantage. The Ravens led by as many as 61 points midway through the final period, which was played with a “mercy rule” running clock that helped keep them below the century mark.
Cape, overmatched athletically at every position and forced into hurried, hectic offensive sets, committed 33 turnovers on the day and connected on just 16 of its 48 field goal tries (33 percent).
St. Raymond got 20 points from senior guard Luis Kortright and 17 from junior guard Malachi Smith. Junior wing Dallis Dillard posted a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds, while senior guard Reggie Hudson hit six of his eight shots on the way to 15 points. The Ravens shot a simmering 61 percent from the floor.
Junior guard Ja’Vaughn Burton paced the Vikings (2-3, 1-2 Henlopen North) with 14 points and six rebounds, while senior point guard Kris Rushin added seven points and three steals.
Cape coach Shemik Thompson acknowledged the Ravens’ talent but wasn’t happy with the countless uncontested buckets they scored.
“That’s a very good team,” Thompson said. “Their coach has done wonderful things with that program and will continue to do that. Aside from the fact that they were superior athletically and with quickness, we gave them a lot of easy baskets that we shouldn’t have. Teams like that, you can’t do that. Good teams like St. Raymond, if you give them an opportunity to score, they’re gonna go score.”
Other results
First Love Christian (Pa.) 44, Hudson Catholic (N.J.) 33 – First Love scored the final 12 points to break open a tight game. Senior guard Isaiah Wilson, a Richmond commit, scored a game-high 14 points for the Knights, who held the Hawks scoreless over the final 6:47. Duquesne signee Jett Roesing added 12 points for First Love.
Our Saviour Lutheran (N.Y.) 75, Rock Creek Christian (Md.) 67 – Our Saviour dug itself out of an early 14-0 hole on the strength of 23 points and eight rebounds from sophomore sharpshooter Jaquan Sanders, who knocked down five of his seven three-point tries. The Falcons also got 15 points and nine boards from senior wing Dylan Addae-Wusu, who will head to St. John’s next year. Senior guard Milton Matthews paced Rock Creek Christian with 20 points and six three-pointers.
Gill St. Bernard’s (N.J.) 59, National Christian (Md.) 52 – Princeton-bound senior forward Zach Martini scored 17 of his 25 points in the first half and pulled down 11 rebounds as the Knights outlasted the Eagles. Gill St. Bernard’s, which also got 16 points from sophomore point guard Denver Anglin, ended the game on a decisive 9-2 run. Senior guard Yuri Covington kept National Christian close with 16 points.
Sanford (Del.) 53, Lake Clifton (Md.) 44 – The Warriors used double-doubles from senior wing Jyare Davis and junior big man Nnanna Njoku to pull away from the Lakers. Davis finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds, while his frontcourt mate tallied 11 points and 14 boards. Senior guard Jalen Morris buoyed Lake Clifton with 18 points and four three-pointers.
Albany Academy (N.Y.) 47, Eleanor Roosevelt (Md.) 46 – Junior guard Preston Graber drained a three-pointer with 12 seconds left to give the Cadets a come-from-behind win. Albany trailed 46-37 with two minutes left before scoring the last 10 points of the game. Graber knocked down a pair of three-pointers in the final 90 seconds. Senior forward Andre Jackson, a Connecticut commit, led the Cadets with 14 points and 12 rebounds, while Roosevelt got 19 points on 9-for-13 shooting from senior guard Joemel McNair.
