HURLOCK — Having three players earn honorable mention in all-star voting by the Bayside Conference’s head girls basketball coaches and another selected for the conference’s North-South senior game helps to take the sting out of the Trojans’ early exit from the playoff tournament, according to Tyray Johnson.
“Even though we did not make it back to the finals [of the Class 1A East Region I tournament], it still shows some of the success we did have within our group,” said Kent County High School’s fifth-year head coach, though he was unable to completely shake the disappointment of being one and done.
North Dorchester battled back from a seven-point deficit to eliminate visiting KCHS, 56-47, on March 3 in the rubber match after the schools split the regular season’s home-and-away series.
Playing a box-and-one defense on Remedy Wongus, Kent County’s girls held the Eagles’ star junior to 14 points — which was a key component of their game plan.
But they hadn’t figured on Diamond Newbill scorching the nets for a game high of 20 points or Si’mir Holland contributing 14 points.
Nor had the Trojans considered what would happen if their sharpshooter, senior guard Jayla Sisco, had an off night.
Sisco picked up two fouls in the first quarter and a third just a minute into the second quarter, sending her to the bench for the rest of the half.
Less than two minutes into the third quarter, Sisco went to the bench again having been whistled for a fourth foul.
Ultimately, Sisco would foul out.
She finished with 12 points, with most of those coming before intermission.
Junior point guard Talicia Wright also scored 12 points.
Freshman Aaliyah Waits added nine points, junior Jane Cleary contributed seven, junior Saniyah Jones tossed in five points and freshman Devynn Wiggins made up the balance.
The Trojans came out like the proverbial house on fire, scoring 21 first-quarter points with Sisco and Wright knocking down threes on the way to a combined 11 points and Cleary contributing four points.
By halftime, however, North Dorchester had deadlocked at 30-all.
Kent regained the lead after three quarters, 41-35, but struggled down the stretch.
North Dorchester closed the game on a 21-6 run, led by Newbill’s 14 fourth-quarter points.
KCHS finishes 8-12, matching last year’s win total, which coach Johnson celebrated given the changes in personnel during the season and the relative inexperience of the team.
He also was very pleased to announce that Wright, Cleary and Waits received honorable mention in all-star voting, and that Sisco would be playing in the conference’s North-South senior game March 17 at Pocomoke High School.
NOTES: North Dorchester (11-10) was defeated by top seed and two-time defending champ Perryville, 57-30, in the region final March 5.
North Dorchester was the No. 2 seed and Kent County was the No. 3 seed.
Perryville (13-6), North Dorchester and KCHS received first-round byes to advance to the 1A East Region I semifinals.
