New Kent and Hopewell squared off in some playoff action on Friday, but New Kent had to settle for second. They fell 73-65 to the Hopewell Blue Devils. It was the first time this season that the Trojans let down their fans at home.
Several Trojans players turned in solid performances despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Kris Leeper, who posted 13 points. Leeper continues to improve, besting his previous point total in each of the last three games he's played. Another player making a difference was Marty Wray, who scored 16 points.
Even though they lost, New Kent was working as a unit and finished the game with 18 assists. They posted seven more assists than Hopewell's also-impressive total of 11.
Hopewell got their win on the backs of several key players, but it was Stephon Cherry out in front who shot 53% from the field on his way to 22 points and eight rebounds. Those 22 points gave Cherry a new career-high. Nick Byrd was another key player, going 6-for-9 to rack up 19 points and five boards.
New Kent's defeat dropped their record down to 24-2. As for Hopewell, they are on a roll lately: they've won 15 of their last 16 matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 21-2 record this season.
New Kent has already played their next game, a 51-45 loss against Meridian on the 4th. As for Hopewell, they also wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next contest, a 68-39 victory against William Monroe on the 4th.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
