LEWES – The last time the Caesar Rodney girls basketball team came to Cape Henlopen, things didn’t go very well.
The Riders were determined to erase that bad memory, and they did it easily with a 75-38 victory over Laurel in the Henlopen Conference championship game on Friday night.
CR (20-1), the Henlopen North champion, lost 54-42 at Cape on Jan. 27 for its only setback of the season. The Riders had a much better experience this time, jumping out to a 29-7 lead after one quarter against the South champion Bulldogs (17-4).
“We said we wanted to come out strong, not come out with our heads not up,” CR junior Alexis Reid said. “Coach Vic told us we’re coming back to the scene of the crime, because this was where we had our only loss of the season. So to come out and play like we just did and win like we just did, it feels good.”
The Riders scored the first seven points, with Kylie Kornegay-Lucas sandwiching an offensive rebound and steal and layup around Reid’s 3-pointer.
CR really got it going two minutes later, ripping off 12 straight points. Kornegay-Lucas drove for a layup, Reid hit a free throw, Brionna Brooks bombed a 3-pointer and banked in a layup, and Reid dropped a 12-footer and two free throws for a 22-4 lead.
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“That kind of set the tone for us,” Riders coach Bill Victory said. “If we don’t get off to a good start, then we kind of wet the bed and it goes sideways real quick. … We got off to a good start, and I was happy about that.”
CR also did an admirable job defensively against Laurel guard Logan Handy. The sophomore finished with 28 points, but hit only 11 of 33 shots from the field.
“Our shots were definitely falling early in the game,” Reid said. “… We played really good defense. We knew [Handy] was going to be the one that was going to take all the shots, so we just tried our best to guard her.”
The Riders’ full-court press gave the Bulldogs fits, pushing the pace and creating multiple turnovers that led to instant offense. Kornegay-Lucas drove for two layups and Brooks scored another in close to make it 42-22 at the half.
“We just stayed real intense, and just recognized what had to be done,” Victory said. “We knew eventually, they were going to have to play at our pace. We knew one of them could, but we didn’t think a group of them could.”
All 13 Riders saw action, with Kornegay-Lucas leading the way with 26 points on 12-of-20 shooting. Reid added 15 and Brooks scored 14 for CR, which earned the No. 2 seed in the Delaware Girls Basketball Tournament when the pairings were announced earlier Friday. The Riders will play host to the Dover-Howard winner in a second-round game at 7 p.m. Thursday.
Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ.
Caesar Rodney poses for a photo with their trophy after defeating Laurel 75-38 in the Henlopen Conference championship game at Cape Henlopen High School.
Caesar Rodney’s Jillian Baker (31) drives to the hoop in the Henlopen Conference championship game at Cape Henlopen High School against Laurel.
Caesar Rodney’s Laynee Ford (42) keeps the ball from Laurel’s TyAnna Handy (23) and Zion Bell (24) in the fourth period in the Henlopen Conference championship game at Cape Henlopen High School.
Laurel’s Jayla Harmon (31) and Caesar Rodney’s Malaka Gillette (12) fight for possession of the ball in the Henlopen Conference championship game at Cape Henlopen High School.
Caesar Rodney’s Malaka Gillette (12) drives to the hoop from the baseline in the Henlopen Conference championship game at Cape Henlopen High School against Laurel.
Caesar Rodney’s Kylie Kornegay-Lucas (15) drives to the hoop in the Henlopen Conference championship game at Cape Henlopen High School against Laurel.
Caesar Rodney’s Kylie Kornegay-Lucas (15) steals the ball from Laurel’s Logan Handy (22) in the Henlopen Conference championship game at Cape Henlopen High School.
Laurel’s Nyra Giles (40) comes down with the ball in the Henlopen Conference championship game at Cape Henlopen High School against Caesar Rodney.
Caesar Rodney’s Kylie Kornegay-Lucas (15) goes up to block a shot attempt by Laurel’s Jayla Harmon (31) in the Henlopen Conference championship game at Cape Henlopen High School.
Caesar Rodney’s Brionna Brooks (20) goes up for a shot in the Henlopen Conference championship game at Cape Henlopen High School against Laurel.
Caesar Rodney’s Kylie Kornegay-Lucas (15) reaches to block a shot attempt by Laurel’s Logan Handy (22) in the Henlopen Conference championship game at Cape Henlopen High School.
Caesar Rodney’s Kylie Kornegay-Lucas (15) goes up for a shot in the Henlopen Conference championship game at Cape Henlopen High School against Laurel.
Laurel’s TyAnna Handy (23) defends against Caesar Rodney’s Alexis Reid (5) in the Henlopen Conference championship game at Cape Henlopen High School.
Caesar Rodney’s Alexis Reid (5) drives to the hoop around Laurel’s Samaria Risper (32) in the Henlopen Conference championship game at Cape Henlopen High School.
Laurel’s Nyra Giles (40) reaches for the ball in the Henlopen Conference championship game at Cape Henlopen High School against Caesar Rodney.
Caesar Rodney’s Kylie Kornegay-Lucas (15) drives to the hoop in the Henlopen Conference championship game at Cape Henlopen High School against Laurel.
Caesar Rodney’s Brionna Brooks (20) looks for a pass in the Henlopen Conference championship game at Cape Henlopen High School against Laurel.
Laurel’s Logan Handy (22) keeps the ball from Caesar Rodney’s Kylie Kornegay-Lucas (15) in the Henlopen Conference championship game at Cape Henlopen High School.
Laurel’s Logan Handy (22) tries to block a shot attempt by Caesar Rodney’s Zoe Scott (3) in the first period in the Henlopen Conference championship game at Cape Henlopen High School.
Laurel’s Logan Handy (22) dribbles down the court in the Henlopen Conference championship game at Cape Henlopen High School against Caesar Rodney.
Laurel’s Logan Handy (22) dribbles down the court in the first period in the Henlopen Conference championship game at Cape Henlopen High School against Caesar Rodney.
Caesar Rodney’s Alexis Reid (5) passes the ball past Laurel’s TyAnna Handy (23) during the first period in the Henlopen Conference championship game at Cape Henlopen High School.
Laurel’s Nyra Giles (40) goes for a loose ball in the Henlopen Conference championship game at Cape Henlopen High School against Caesar Rodney.