Cape girls’ basketball knocks off Riders 49-8
The Cape girls’ basketball squad ran past the Riders 49-8 Dec. 12 to stay undefeated in Henlopen Conference play.
Senior Abbey Hearn led the Vikings with 14 points, hitting 4-for-4 from behind the three-point line and picking up a deuce to shoot 63 percent from the field. She also snagged four rebounds and smacked away one CR shot attempt. Dania Cannon picked up 10 points and helped her teammates with eight assists, also grabbing six steals while snagging four rebounds. Senior Carlin Quinn shot 63 percent from the field to register 10 points to go along with seven rebounds. Mehkia Applewhite scored four buckets and had 11 rebounds.
After shutting out the Riders in the first period, Cape ended the first half by sitting back in zone, taking a 34-4 lead into the halftime break. The stingy defense allowed just four more points in the second half while adding 15 points mostly from substitutes off the bench. At one point in the game, four sophomores and a junior were on the court for the Vikings.
“We were just settling the ball and running our plays,” said sophomore guard Ella Rishko, who saw 13 quality minutes for the Lady Vikings. “It really helped us out. Everyone contributed tonight. Coach was just telling us to slow it down and work it around, and execute our plays.”
“We communicated well tonight,” said sophomore Lauryn Head, who saw 14 minutes on the court. “We ran through our plays and worked on our multiple defenses. It’s great to get contributions from everyone on the team.”
“We talk about it all the time: Let’s focus, let’s run through and make sure we can execute everything we need to execute, and do it at a high level no matter what,” said Cape coach Pat Woods. “That’s the message. We’re working on stuff we need to be able to do against [great teams]. The girls were poised and under control tonight. They are thinking the game better. ”
The Vikings took on No. 21-ranked American Heritage from Florida at the She Got Game Classic in Springfield, Va., Dec. 14, when they took the powerful Patriots to overtime before falling 62-58.
Cannon led the Vikings’ scoring with 21 points, three from behind the three-point line, seven rebounds and eight assists, and took her leadership role to a higher level in the game.
“I wanted to make sure I kept the younger girls positive,” said Cannon. “Ella [Rishko] played her heart out. I think [American Heritage] thought they were going to come in and blow us out. We played hard to prove that we were ready for them.”
Hearn tallied 15 points, grabbed two rebounds and dished off three assists. Morgan Mahoney had eight points, including two threes. Applewhite scored five points and garnered six rebounds before suffering a thumb injury. Carlin Quinn scored seven points, three blocks and three steals.
“We played amazing,” said Quinn. “It was such a good game. We don’t usually see girls that are that tall, but we played great and held our own.”
American Heritage had twin towers, each standing 6-foot-3.
“It was definitely a challenge against the two tall girls,” Hearn said. “We went to a zone and had to play physical the whole game to control the play in the paint. Dania picked us up and did everything we needed from her, and Ella [Rishko] played great defense.”
“We knew going into the game that it was going to be tough,” Woods said. “But we were confident we could get it done. We needed to break their pressure, get the first rebound and execute on offense. We did all those things and had a shot to win the game ... three times, but the ball bounced the other way.
“Losses are valuable if you learn from them. We learned how to effectively communicate, stay locked in the entire game and deal with adversity.
“To be on a court surrounded by dozens of college coaches, with an ever-changing start time, no locker room time, with whistles and buzzers constantly going off on other courts, a key player dislocating her thumb and leaving for the hospital ... there was a lot going on and we never flinched. It was a great experience for us and we look forward to the next one,” Woods concluded.
Cape will return to the hardwood Saturday, Dec. 28, for the Diamond State Classic at St. Elizabeth High School.
