Fast start propels Cape girls’ basketball to season sweep of Sussex Tech

Amalia Fruchtman wasted no time giving the Cape girls’ basketball team a big lead in a rematch against Henlopen North foe Sussex Tech Jan. 28. 

Scoring 13 of her team-high 23 points in the opening frame, the junior helped the visitors build a 20-5 lead heading into the second quarter, which would eventually translate into a 59-21 win.

“The key to my fast start was my teammates,” Fruchtman said. “From the jump, we were all locked in and played super hard.”

She said tough defense and playmaking from her teammates led to good looks. The junior also made all five of her free throws.

“I practice free throws a lot to reward myself and my team after a hard-fought offensive effort,” Fruchtman said.

Jumping out to an early lead contrasted with the close first quarter played in the teams’ first meeting.

“We cannot coast,” Cape coach Pat Woods said. “We have the Xs and Os down pretty good; now it’s time for maximum consistent effort and focus.”

Despite some fierce battles in the paint, Cape expanded to a 32-12 halftime lead, increasing looks inside to Fruchtman and senior Havyn Greene, who notched a double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds.

“It was definitely a struggle, striving to succeed while being aggressive and getting pushed around, but I enjoy being able to get down-low paint touches,” Greene said.

Like the rest of her teammates, Greene was happy to get looks, but even happier when she generated quality chances for her teammates.

“They are very unselfish; we are at our best when we don’t care who gets the stats,” Woods said. “We only care about making the right play. We celebrate taking the right shot regardless of whether it goes in or not.”

To that end, senior Faith Re and junior Maya Ygnve tied for the team lead with four assists, while junior Jurnee White and senior Hayden Hudson’s three apiece were a big reason 18 of the Vikings’ 25 field goals came off assists.

Implementing a press defense frequently, whether full-court or a half-court trap, Cape scooped 18 steals. Re led with five, while Jurnee White finished second with four.

“We are always tweaking it, always adjusting, always fine-tuning,” Woods said. “We want to make sure we take advantage of opportunities and try to create those opportunities by defense.”