Cape girls’ basketball defeats Shipley School 51-41

Seniors Dania Cannon and Abbey Hearn each scored 22 points to lead the Vikings to a 51-41 victory over The Shipley School Jan. 4 at Cape. Cannon added eight rebounds and eight assists, while Hearn snagged seven rebounds and dished off five helpers.

“Those two were so good today, “ said Cape head coach Pat Woods. “They have worked very hard on their shooting and it showed today. I could tell during the shoot around. They had a high field goal percentage [Cannon 60 percent, Hearn 48 percent] and both gave us great leadership.”

The Lady Vikings move to 5-3 on the season.

Sophomore guard Mehkia Applewhite scored nine points, grabbed 10 rebounds and dished off three assists.

“Mehkia was a monster out there,” Woods said. “She was killer yesterday at practice, and I knew she was going to be killer today.”

“I was a little overwhelmed today,” said Applewhite, as she ripped the tape off of her dislocated thumb. “I sometimes think too much out there, but I think I can handle it.”

Lauryn Head and Ella Rishko each chipped in four points. They and Jhayden Holloman were instrumental in the Vikings’ defensive effort.

“I’m really happy that we got Ella, Jhayden and Lauryn into the rotation, which has been really good for us,” Woods said. “Jhayden sparked us today. Lauryn gave us big minutes. And our team saw that our bench can handle it out there.”

“It was stressful for me today,” said Rishko, who started due to an injury to Morgan Mahoney. “Morgan getting hurt was tragic, but I’ve worked really hard and the team has worked really hard to adjust to it, and we made the best of it. It’s a confidence booster for me. I feel good and I think the team is feeling comfortable with me.”

Shipley was led by Sanaa Redmond with 22 points.

“As a whole, we moved the ball well, defended well and maintained composure and poise,” Woods said. “It was a together effort.”

The Vikings return to action Tuesday, Jan. 7, against Sussex Central at home.