Cape boys’ basketball scores comeback win over Smyrna
Seventeen minutes into its season opener at Smyrna, the Cape Henlopen boys’ basketball team had some growing up to do. The young, undersized Vikings found themselves in a 14-point third-quarter hole after a train wreck of a first half in which they were out-rebounded 29-10 and committed 12 turnovers.
Cape, which suited up eight players getting their first taste of varsity ball, might have been forgiven for calling it a day against the seasoned, physical Eagles. Instead, the boys became men.
Junior guard Kris Rushin poured in a career-high 21 points and keyed a furious second-half rally, as the Vikings stunned the defending Henlopen Conference champions 53-51.
“We just saw a young team learn how to win,” said head coach Steve Re after Cape used frenzied pressure defense to shut down Smyrna in the second half. “[In the first half,] we didn’t play well on either side of the ball, but the kids really fought through it. Our energy was so much better in the second half.”
Down 34-20 early in the third period, the Vikings outscored the Eagles 17-6 over the next five minutes, closing the gap to 40-37 when sophomore wing Ethan Pires canned his second three-pointer in a three-minute span.
Rushin and junior guard Sh’Kai Chandler scored four points each during the spurt, which freshman guard Kay’von Allen jumpstarted with a long three. Smyrna, frustrated by Cape’s suddenly stout defense, connected on just 2-of-17 third-quarter field goal tries and surrendered six turnovers in the frame.
The Cape onslaught continued in the fourth, as the Vikings notched the first seven points of the period and took a 44-41 lead on a straightaway 23-footer from sophomore guard Ja’Vaughn Burton with 4:06 on the clock. A few possessions later, Rushin danced through defenders and banked in a running and-one to widen the margin to 49-44. After a Smyrna lay-in, the Vikings played keep-away on the perimeter to drain more than a minute from the clock. When Rushin was finally fouled with 27 ticks left, he calmly sank a free throw to put the game out of reach.
Re had high praise for Rushin, a part-time starter last season who has matured into Cape’s alpha dog.
“I’ve been around Kris since he was in middle school, and it was great to see him just own the moment tonight,” Re said. “He kept the team organized, his attitude was phenomenal, and he just stayed with it. He stayed steady. Watching him play with that kind of poise was awesome.”
Rushin, who stuffed the scorebook with eight rebounds, four assists, and four steals, was all smiles after the comeback.
“The win feels good after we lost to Smyrna to start the season last year,” Rushin said. “This was a total team win – everybody got involved. For me, it was all about trusting my teammates, getting to the bucket, and just attacking.”
Pires and Burton made the most of their first varsity minutes. Pires scored 12 points, knocked down three three-pointers, and blocked five shots, while Burton came off the bench to tally eight points, eight steals, and a pair of threes. Chandler finished with seven points, all in the second half, while Allen chipped in with three and junior guard Collin Mallet netted two.
Junior guard Izaiah Credle scored 14 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for Smyrna, which also got 11 points and 10 boards from senior guard Ron Jackson.
Cape limited Smyrna to 18-for-67 shooting (27 percent), including an anemic 5-for-31 (16 percent) in the second half. The Vikings also forced 24 Eagle turnovers.
Smyrna used its superior size to own the glass all night, outrebounding Cape 56-24 and amassing 26 offensive boards.
The Vikings return to action Tuesday, Dec. 11, when they visit Polytech.
