Cape boys basketball downs Dover 78-58

In last season’s matchup at Dover, the Cape Henlopen boys’ basketball team had to storm back from 13 points down in the final 3:30 and needed a last-nanosecond tip-in from Ian Robertson to eke out a 70-69 win.

This year, the Vikings’ star senior forward made sure victory was never in doubt.

Robertson scored 27 points on 9-of-11 shooting, and fellow senior big Randy Rickards tallied 23 points and 14 rebounds as Cape trounced the Senators 78-58 Jan. 9 in the state capital.

“We just moved the ball and knocked down shots,” said Robertson, who connected on all three of his three-point tries and went 6-for-6 at the free-throw line to log the most efficient shooting night by a Cape player in recent memory. “We were strong with the ball and didn’t have as many turnovers as we did last game. We had to be focused on the court and have a lot of energy after having a weird week of practice with no school for a while.”

The Vikings led for all but the first 45 seconds of this one, sprinting out to a 10-4 advantage on a Robertson three-point play midway through the first. After Dover closed the gap to a bucket early in the second frame, Cape answered with trifectas on three consecutive possessions – one each from Robertson, sophomore guard Sh’Kai Chandler and senior marksman Izaiah Dadzie – to re-establish control. The Vikings poured it on from there, as their lead ballooned to 37-23 late in the second after two lay-ins from Rickards and a corner three by Robertson.

The young, talented Senators got as close as seven points late in the third period, holding Cape to four points over the first six minutes of the frame. Rickards promptly responded with a three-point play on a put-back and a finger-roll in transition, giving his team a comfy 52-41 cushion going into the final eight minutes.

The Vikings left no doubt from there, as they opened the fourth with a 24-7 blitz highlighted by angry two-handed slams from Rickards and Robertson. Dadzie put an exclamation point on the run with a long three-ball from the corner, putting Cape up 76-48 with 2:30 left.

Head coach Steve Re was particularly pleased with his team’s ball movement and unselfishness.

“We really got the ball moving,” said Re, whose Vikings hit 26 of their 52 field goal tries (50 percent) and collected 13 assists. “When we move the ball, it makes us difficult to guard because we have multiple guys who can put it in the basket. Even though [Rickards and Robertson] get a lot of the attention, we still have capable shooters and playmakers.”

Dadzie finished with 15 points and knocked down a pair of three-pointers to bring his season total to 22, while Chandler notched nine points and three steals. Cape, which improved to 7-2 overall and 4-1 in the Henlopen North, also got three points and five steals from sophomore guard Skylar Johnson and a one-point, six-assist night from sophomore guard Kris Rushin.

For the second time in as many weeks, Re heaped praise on his fast-improving young guards.

“I thought they were terrific tonight,” Re said. “They did a great job with the minutes that they played. As they go along in their varsity careers and the game slows down for them, you’ll see their skill set start to show more.”

Rickards, meanwhile, focused his attention on Cape’s much-improved ball security. 

“We turned the ball over a lot against [Sussex] Tech, but we were strong with the ball today,” said Rickards after logging his fourth double-double in five games. “We made much better decisions.”

Sophomore guard Eden Davis led Dover (4-5, 2-4 Henlopen North) with 16 points, while fellow sophomores Elijah Allen and Javon Peace netted 15 and 13, respectively. Davis, who erupted for 34 points in last year’s thriller, drilled four three-pointers in the defeat. 

Dover, up against a long and well-organized Vikings defense, shot a paltry 37 percent from the floor and turned the ball over 19 times. The Senators didn’t do themselves any favors at the free-throw line, where they misfired on 11 of their 17 attempts.

Cape faces what might be its biggest challenge of the season Friday, Jan. 12, when it visits 8-1 Smyrna. The Eagles and Vikings are currently slotted first and second, respectively, in Delaware Sports Zone's state rankings. Smyrna handed Cape a season-opening 64-55 setback in Lewes last month.