Sussex Academy boys’ basketball celebrates seniors with matinee
After falling behind by 13 points in the first quarter, the Sussex Academy boys’ basketball team lost 37-25 to Freire Charter School of Wilmington on Senior Day, Feb. 1.
Before the game, seniors Quentin Bowman, Jahmari Davis and Nate VanPelt were honored for their contributions to the Seahawks basketball program.
Bowman, credited for four years with the program, was announced with his dad Kevin first.
“Quentin knows he has a little special place with me,” said Seahawks coach Brad Leinbach. “He has so much potential; he's great to coach, he listens, everything you want. It's been a pleasure to have him in the program.”
VanPelt, a first-year player, enjoyed getting his moment to shine.
“I told him multiple times I wish he would have done it sooner – he's the quintessential teammate,” Leinbach said. “He's the guy who's here if the water needs filling up; if the boys are a little down, he claps his hands and makes some noise for them. He's very coachable. You don't have to tell him to do things twice; you try to give him some improvement, and he follows it.”
Davis has been part of the program for three years.
“Watching Jahmari grow has been awesome,” Leinbach said. “Jahmari first came out here in Vans and couldn't catch a basketball, and he, to his credit, worked really hard. His junior year, we relied on him heavily to get rebounds and do some things for us.”
During the contest, the Seahawks defense held tight, but the shots just weren’t falling for the home team. After trailing 13-0 following the first quarter, they won the second 8-5, holding the Dragons to two points before they sank a three-point buzzer beater.
Leinbach noted that while they weren’t converting field goals, that’s a bit out of their full control. He was glad his boys were making it tough for their opponents to score.
“We control our defense; we control our intensity and that side of the floor,” Leinbach said. “It's coming along nicely.”
Friere Charter built on its lead to go up 30-16 heading into the fourth and escaped Georgetown with a 37-25 victory in hand.
