Sussex Tech advances in state tournament with 80-60 win over Bucs
Sussex Tech junior Devon Reynolds scored 28 points to lead the No. 9 Ravens past 24th-seeded Milford 80-60 Feb. 26 in the first round of the DIAA State Tournament on Tech’s home court. Tech will travel to Salesianum Thursday, Feb. 28, for a second-round matchup with Sallies. The Ravens defeated the Sals 54-53 on Feb. 16.
Skylar Johnson added 18 points, while Ricky Kane knocked down 15. Daniel Shockley put up 19 for the Bucs, and his teammate Terrell Gibbs added 10.
“We came out with a lot of energy,” said Reynolds. “And we just knocked some shots down. We wanted to come out with a lot of intensity, and that’s what we did. We are a better team with Ricky [Kane] out there. We just have to keep up the good work.”
Kane is returning to the lineup after a shoulder injury.
“I felt real good out there,” said Kane. “I was just trying to get it back. I just started lifting my arm the last two days. I just try to contribute to the team and get the win. Against Sallies, we’re just going to use the same game plan – just come in and play ball, play as a team, play together and get the win. The crowd really motivated us.”
“Nobody’s beating us,” said a smiling Johnson. “Anybody score when we are 15 up? Nobody’s getting us. We’ve just got to play hard against Sallies. We’ve got to lock down No. 15 [Rasheen Caulk] and don’t let [Jack] Brown get off, and we’re straight.”
“It’s always great to have Ricky with us,” said Tech head coach Damon Ayers. “He brings so much to the table. He can pass, dribble and can score with the best of them, and he knows how to get his teammates involved. He’s the piece that we’ve been missing for the 14 games he was out. He’s a tremendous leader on the court.”
Ayers said the game plan was to get out to a good start, control the tempo, and make sure they had some intensity and energy.
