Appoquinimink’s Myles Cale, seen here against Glasgow, scored 20 points along with teammate Travis Holmes as the Jaguars defeated Newark in DIAA playoff action.
Size and speed win playoff games, and Appoquinimink showcased plenty of both on Friday night.
The 10th-seeded Jaguars built a modest lead in the second half and never let it go, upsetting No. 7 Newark 65-56 in their second-round DIAA Tournament game. Every time the Yellow Jackets cut into that lead, Appoquinimink had an answer.
“We came in with a defensive game plan and we executed it to perfection,” Jaguar head coach Brian Hoffses said. “We knew what we needed to do out there to slow them down, and we were able to do that. We like to get out and run.”
The Jaguars (15-7) outrebounded the hosts 40-26 and created numerous fast-break opportunities, allowing senior Myles Cale to wow the visiting crowd with a few dunks.
Newark senior point guard Kineph Turner fired early from long range, allowing his team to take a 16-12 lead after one quarter of play.
The Jaguars wrestled the lead away in the second quarter while relying on the hot hand of top reserve, Travis Holmes, who drained three treys in the period and scored 15 of his 20 points. His long pass down court to Max Somelofske for two gave Appoquinimink a 31-27 lead at the halftime buzzer.
“Travis Holmes has been doing that all year,” Hoffses said. “He’s our sixth man and he embodies what that role should be. He’s embraced that role and he’s been excelling at that role, providing that spark.”
A Cale slam highlighted the Jaguars’ 9-1 run in the third quarter to make it a 43-34 game. Newark (16-4) struggled to get around its bigger opponents under the basket, settling for longer shots that failed to fall.
“The last time we played them – a 69-61 win for Newark on Feb. 7 – they pretty much played zone the whole time, but they kind of shocked us (with man-to-man defense) because we didn’t really have a lot of teams play man-to-man against us this year,” Newark head coach Shannon McCants said. “We just couldn’t get going and it seemed like we just played catch-up.”
Appoquinimink carried a nine-point lead into the fourth quarter and managed to pass its way out of the Jackets’ zone trap. A layup from Newark’s Chaz Knox cut the lead to 55-50 with 2:38 remaining, but a steal and Cale’s third uncontested slam of the game and two free throws from Darrell Jenkins pushed the lead back to nine.
“It’s wonderful to show off for the fans,” Cale said. “They love me, they come to see me so I’ve got to give it back to them.
“We were just saying in the locker room that we were going to come out with energy, we were going to rebound and get back on ‘D’ and play together.”
The Jaguars cemented their win with free throws down the stretch, while Newark went just 1-for-7 at the line in the fourth.
“They wanted it more than us tonight,” McCants said. “We had a great season. I know it hurts a lot of our seniors. They really wanted to try and get to the Bob this year, and we had high expectations.”
Cale and Holmes each finished with 20 points to lead Appoquinimink, while Jenkins had 10 points.
Turner scored a team-high 19 points for the Yellow Jackets, and Knox also reached double figures with 13.
The Jaguars will look to wow more opponents as they move on to the DIAA quarterfinals, a goal they fell just short of reaching a year ago.
“This feels nice but at the same time, we’re still hungry,” Hoffses said. “We’re gonna get right back to work tomorrow to get ready for Sunday.”