Cape boys welcome Thompson with season-opening win
Junior guard Ja’Vaughn Burton scored 10 of his team-high 14 points in the first quarter as the Cape Henlopen boys’ basketball team kicked off the Shemik Thompson era with a 60-56 victory over visiting Polytech Dec. 6 in Lewes.
Thompson, a former all-state selection at Cape and Division I standout who was hired as the Vikings’ head coach in June, got his coaching career off on the right foot thanks to his team’s smothering defense. Cape forced 26 turnovers on the night and held Polytech to 36 percent second-half shooting to hold off the young, talented Panthers. The Vikings racked up 18 steals, six of them from Burton, and played at a frenzied pace from the opening tip. Cape’s mile-a-minute tempo helped it offset a woeful shooting night that saw the Vikings hit just 20 of their 68 field goal tries (29 percent).
Senior forward Sam Luciano-Solomon made the most of his very first start for Cape (1-0, 1-0 Henlopen North), posting career highs of 11 points and six rebounds, while senior point guard Kris Rushin tallied 11 points and seven boards. They were joined in double figures by senior wing Sh’Kai Chandler, who stuffed the scorebook with 10 points, six rebounds, four steals, three assists and two blocks.
The Vikings and Panthers traded leads for three periods before Cape created separation early in the final frame, taking a 55-46 lead on a corner three-pointer from Rushin with 6:36 left. The Vikings went cold from there, as Polytech closed the gap to 59-56 in the final seconds. On Cape’s final possession, Burton grabbed a huge offensive rebound after a missed free throw, drew a foul of his own, and knocked down one of two at the line to put the game out of reach.
Polytech (0-1, 0-1 Henlopen North) got a big-time performance from junior guard Demetrieus Fontnel, who went 7-for-8 from beyond the arc on the way to a game-high 23 points and almost singlehandedly kept the Panthers in the game.
Thompson’s homecoming was a happy one, but it was far from perfect.
“We didn’t execute as well as we should have, but for our first game, I’m gonna chalk it up to just nerves,” Thompson said. “We got the lead [late] and we’re shooting threes just because we’re open. We’re attacking the basket and getting triple-teamed instead of running through [our plays]. That was frustrating. We have to close out better.”
It wasn’t all doom and gloom for Thompson, who praised his team’s rebounding and energy.
“I told a couple of the guys that we needed them to rebound well,” Thompson said. “Sh’Kai and Sam gave us big minutes, especially with their rebounding. Another thing I told all of our guys was that whenever they’re in the game, they have to provide a spark. Ja’Vaughn started us off with a great spark, Nate [Sivels] gave us a spark, Kay’von [Jackson] on defense early on gave us a spark. Everyone contributed in small ways.”
Luciano-Solomon, who posted season totals of 17 points and 10 rebounds in a reserve role last season, approached those numbers in just one night.
“I was really just focused on rebounds,” said Luciano-Solomon, who limited Polytech’s 6-foot-5 Christian Cote to nine points on 4-for-11 shooting. “It’s all about boxing out for me. My role is just to grab rebounds, make things easier for everyone else, and keep the floor spaced. If I score, it’s a bonus.”
Cape returns to action Tuesday, Dec. 10, when the Vikings travel to Sussex Tech.
