WORTON — Kent County’s junior varsity boys basketball team slipped to 4-7 after going 0-2 during the week, dashing any hope of matching last season’s win total.
No biggie, says head coach Irving Christy.
With six games remaining, and if the Trojans play at the high level they did Wednesday, Christy is cautiously optimistic that they will finish on the plus side of .500.
That in itself is worth celebrating given that four members of the 11-6 team of 2023-24 — Kent County’s first winning campaign since 2018-19 — are now playing varsity ball.
“We can be competitive when we run our offense and play ‘big boy’ defense,” Christy told The Evening Enterprise in an interview immediately after Wednesday’s game.
Kent County lost to Cambridge-South Dorchester, 50-47, but the main takeaway for Christy was how well the Trojans played as a team.
“Did you see the way they ran the offense?” he asked rhetorically.
Scoring was distributed among nine players, a credit to the playmaking point guard duo of Gabe Parr and De’Andre Sisco.
Sophomore Kalief Roberts put up a game-high 19 points, including all six of the Trojans’ first-quarter points.
Peter Sine scored eight points, all in the second half.
Dylan Hurtt added five points, and Sisco and Parr each contributed four.
Chase Dolgos, Austin Wilson, Tyrell Dean and Xavier Johnson made up the balance.
Trailing by a point after the first quarter, 7-6, the Trojans pulled ahead by a point at intermission, 24-23, with Roberts dropping in 14 first-half points.
Cambridge completed a traditional three-point play to move out in front, 28-26, with 3 minutes, 7 seconds elapsed in the second half.
On the ensuing possession, Sine’s putback of a teammate’s miss knotted the score at 28.
A minute after that, with 3:34 to play in the third quarter, the Trojans regained the lead when Sisco found Roberts at the back door.
The spread at quarter’s end was 35-30 as Kent County closed with a 9-2 run.
KCHS took its largest lead at 39-32 on a pair of Sine free throws with just under four minutes remaining.
Roberts buried a 3-pointer for a 42-37 lead with 2:23 to go.
Parr drew cheers from the hometown fans with a spin layup in the lane for a 44-40 lead at 1:48, and dished off to Sine for an easy two for a 46-43 lead with 1:10 to go.
KCHS was held to just one point the rest of the way, draining the last free throw attempt of a three-shot foul with 4.3 seconds showing on the clock.
Cambridge had regained the lead for good at 47-46 on a fast-break with 36 seconds remaining.
After the game, despite the final score, coach Christy said he was “very pleased” with the Trojans’ effort.
KCHS was “much more controlled” than the day before, Christy said, when Kent County lost to North Caroline, 39-27, after falling behind at the break, 22-5.
Kent County won the second half, 22-17.
Roberts scored all eight of his points after intermission.
Hurtt led the Trojans with 11 points.
KCHS will close out the season with five of its six games on the road.
The only remaining home game is Thursday, Feb. 6 against Kent Island. Tip-off is at 4 p.m.