Boys basketball report: Norview bounces back with two key wins, King’s Fork beats Maury as big games highlight this week
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Two weeks ago, the Norview boys basketball team had a tough week that saw the Pilots lose twice, including a 67-42 loss to Catholic.
But the Pilots bounced back with a great week as they beat then-No. 8 Lake Taylor on Friday and followed that with a win over then-No. 10 Cape Henry on Saturday.
“We had a very good week. The two wins versus Cape Henry and Lake Taylor were very important,” said Norview coach Ricardo Foster, whose team also defeated Granby last week. “[Being] 9-4 looks a lot better than 7-6, knowing that we are only halfway through our district schedule. Right now, we are trying to collect as many wins as possible in order to stay relevant for the playoffs. [Class] 5 is very competitive here in the 757 and we are looking to gain any edge we can.”
Against Cape Henry, the Pilots were led by Jalen Milt and Keon Mitchell. Milt finished with 36 points, 11 rebounds and three steals. Mitchell, a freshman, had 15 points, four rebounds and three assists.
King’s Fork backing it up
King’s Fork coach Rick Hite is confident in his team.
Last week he said, “I’m not even afraid to say this: It’s going to be hard for anybody else to beat us.”
The top-ranked Bulldogs backed it up with a 51-42 win over then-No. 3 Maury. They did it by jumping out to a 23-4 lead in the first quarter.
“I thought we played sound basketball for most of the game,” Hite said. “And when we didn’t, [Maury] made us pay. That’s what a 5A champion does. They’re well-coached and made their runs. I think our kids weathered the storm, we got out and did what we were supposed to do, and we beat a really good basketball team.”
The Bulldogs (8-3) will face another challenge Tuesday when they play host to unbeaten and No. 3 Oscar Smith.
Hite said he relishes games against top area opponents.
“When I got here, we were trying to chase those teams,” he said. “Now we’re on the other end of it. We know teams are trying to knock us off.”
Coaching milestones
Peninsula Catholic coach Trevor Dorsey won his 100th career game last week when the Knights beat Nansemond-Suffolk Academy 51-48.
Nansemond River coach Ed Young is four games away from 500 career wins. Young is set to become just the 20th boys basketball coach in Virginia High School League history to get 500 victories, and just the third in Hampton Roads.
Jack Baker won 746 games over 41 seasons with Maury. His total ranks third in VHSL history. Walter Brower won 589 games over 33 seasons for Hampton, and Bill Cochrane won 557 games over 38 seasons with Kempsville, Green Run and Salem.
Games to see
It’s going to be a busy week for No. 13 Princess Anne. The Cavaliers (10-4) play Cox (9-3) on Tuesday, No. 10 Lake Taylor on Wednesday and No. 4 Landstown on Friday.
In the Tidewater Conference of Independent Schools, No. 7 Peninsula Catholic travels to No. 14 Cape Henry on Thursday. The Knights beat Cape Henry last year to snap a 19-game losing streak to the Dolphins.
And No. 15 Hampton plays No. 9 Woodside on Tuesday and No. 2 Menchville on Friday. After this week, the Crabbers’ schedule gets much easier as they face only two teams with a winning record.
Last week’s top performances
Norview senior Jalen Milt scored a game-high 36 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead the Pilots over Cape Henry.
Grassfield senior Toa Hollenbeck scored 36 points, including six 3-pointers, to lead the Grizzlies over First Colonial.
Phoebus senior Jordan Leaks scored 33 points in a win over Gloucester.
York senior Milyan Smith-Walker had 33 points and 11 rebounds in a win over Tabb.
Walsingham Academy junior Bryce Watlington scored 33 points to help Trojans beat Isle of Wight Academy.
Cape Henry sophomore Sebastian Whitfield scored 33 points in a loss to Norview.
Heritage senior CJ Holley scored 31 points in a win over Norcom.
First Colonial senior Romeo Steverson scored 31 points in a loss to Grassfield.
Tallwood senior Micah Eastman had 26 points, seven rebounds, six assists and five steals in a win over Deep Creek.
Peninsula Catholic junior EJ Joyner just missed a triple-double with 15 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds in a win over Fairfax Christian.
Larry Rubama, 757-575-6449, larry.rubama@pilotonline.com Follow @LHRubama on Twitter
