Boys Basketball- CHC 62, NSA 51

The Dolphins needed a full eight minutes to find their legs in the conference matchup with the Saints from Nansemond Suffolk Academy on Tuesday night. Cape Henry opened the night on a 6-0 run before multiple turnovers from the Dolphins gave the Saints a 9-8 lead to close out the first quarter. With the second quarter underway, the Dolphins’ height and length allowed the boys to find a rhythm in the paint. Cape Henry moved the ball around the perimeter and found the holes in the post where Dajour Rucker and Greg Melvin quickly gave the Dolphins the lead, and the boys carried a 25-16 lead into the break. In the second half, the perimeter game took the backseat to post play as Danny Banister and Dajour Rucker exploited the holes in the Saints’ post defense. The Dolphins led 37-29 after three quarters, and the Dolphins needed to solidify the defensive end of the court to pull out the conference victory. The Saints brought the score within five points in the fourth quarter, but timely steals on the defensive end forced the Saints to foul late. George Cutler and Dajour combined to knock down 7 of 11 free throws to give the Dolphins a 62-51 win over NSA. Dajour Rucker led all scorers with 30 points and grabbed double-digit rebounds in the process. Danny Banister pitched in for 12 points, with Greg Melvin and Christian Moore each providing eight points for the Dolphins. Rounding out the scoring efforts, George Cutler hit four free throws late in the night for a total of four points. Cape Henry (17-4, 8-0) will take on Norfolk Academy in Norfolk on Friday, February 8 beginning at 7:00 pm.