Cape punches ticket to DIAA boys’ basketball quarterfinals
For the first time since 2014 ,the Cape boys’ basketball team will play in the quarterfinals of the DIAA postseason tournament, after the No. 14 Vikings upset No. 3 Seaford 56-46 Feb. 27.
“Guys have just matured along the way in the season; you could see that tonight how we really executed in the third and fourth quarter offensively as much as we did defensively,” said Cape coach Steve Re. “We got Geordan [Downing] open on screens, we got Jameson [Tingle] on drives to the basket; we just were moving the ball very crisp. Steve [Sivels] was very under control; they just worked together very well tonight and that was a big key for us, to be able to execute when the pressure comes to us by being strong with the ball and staying in our stuff.”
Things started a bit slowly for Cape, but Oz Batson’s six points helped keep the Vikings within striking distance as Seaford claimed the first frame 20-11. A few strong finishes in the second quarter from Sivels, Tingle, and junior Braxton Figgs sparked the Vikings’ comeback. Senior Dame Robinson made his appearance known with two scores, giving Cape a lead each time.
“We worked on this all year, and this is the time to show where we are working,” Robinson told his teammates.
A pair of free throws from Downing offset the Seaford gains, and the opponents went into halftime knotted 27-27.
“Man, it felt so good,” Robinson said. “In the first half, we were down 20-11, and then to come back in that atmosphere was just insane.”
Sivels opened up the scoring for Cape to regain the lead in the third quarter but it soon became the Geordan Michael Downing show. It started with a pump fake that resulted in a better look for the sophomore after his first three-point attempt was blocked. Building his momentum and the team's, Downing struck while the iron was hot and forced a turnover.
“I put in keys to the game when we go over our game plan, and the key tonight was: Control your emotions and value the ball,” Re said. “You're gonna get punched in the face; that's what's going to happen in a game like this. Can you withstand it, and can you punch back? And we withstood it, and then we crawled back and tied it up by halftime. Then we came out in the third quarter, scored a couple times and right away, Geordan hits the three, and then he gets this dunk, and the whole game just changes.”
With Seaford’s Areon Purnell, a formidable shot-blocker, in his path, Downing prepared for flight and posterized the junior to the delight of his teammates and Cape fans, while also earning appreciation from the Blue Jays’ players and fans.
“I was going up either way, whoever was coming down,” Downing said. “That's just me; honestly, if I see an open lane, I'm just gonna go.”
Seaford took a necessary timeout before in-bounding and the place went absolutely nuts, especially the Vikings’ faithful and players who had swarmed Downing at mid-court.
“I was so happy; it was so crazy,” Downing said. “There were a lot of emotions going on during that quarter, and I'm just glad we won that quarter.”
Cape held a 45-40 advantage heading into the final quarter. Downing added five points in the fourth quarter to give him 17 in the second half and a team-high 19. Tingle scored four of his six second-half points to end the contest in second place with 11.
The Vikings’ intensity on the defensive side of the court, which led to Seaford scoring just seven points in the second, tightened up even more in the last frame, as they allowed just six points to pull off the 56-46 upset.
Seeing a team that plays as fast as Seaford pack the game in with 45 seconds left was a point of pride for Cape.
“It was just a great way to finish, to watch the team just stop – that makes you feel good when you know you play the right way,” Re said.
No. 14 Cape will take on No. 6 Sanford School at 7 p.m., Saturday, March 1, at Dover High School.
