Boys Basketball- CHC 60, St. John Paul the Great 56

The Dolphins hosted the first round of the VISAA State tournament on Tuesday night against St. John Paul the Great, and after trailing by as much as 10 points, the Dolphins stormed back behind a late fourth-quarter scoring run. In the opening quarter of the night, Cape Henry leaned on Dajour Rucker’s soft touch in the post as the senior standout grabbed a quick 10 points to give the Dolphins the 20-19 lead. The Wolves erased the one point lead and limited the Dolphins to 11 points in the second quarter to bring the halftime score to 31-39 in favor of St. John Paul the Great. The Wolves extended the lead in the third quarter, outscoring Cape Henry 13- 15 to bring the lead up to 10. The Dolphins were outscored 24-35 throughout the second and third quarters, but as the crowd grew for the fourth and final quarter, the Dolphins came alive. Cape Henry kicked off a 5-0 run to open the fourth quarter and cut the Wolves’ lead to six points with 4:57 left in regulation. After Cape Henry held St. John Paul the Great scoreless for the next three minutes, Dajour Rucker hit yet another clutch 3-pointer to tie the score, 54-54, with 2:12 left to play. St. John Paul the Great ate nearly a minute off the clock before attempting a shot on the ensuing possession and regained the lead to bring the score to 56-54 with just under a minute to play. Cape Henry marched up the court and captured the first lead since the opening frame as Christian Moore knocked down a deep 3-pointer with 49 seconds on the clock. As the Wolves frantically raced up the court, the Dolphins picked up a crucial stop on the defensive end of the floor and forced the Wolves to foul Dajour Rucker who pulled down the rebound on the missed attempt. Rucker converted two of two from the charity stripe, extending the lead to 59-56 with 18 seconds remaining. Cape Henry picked up a second straight stop and sent Rucker back to the line to seal the first-round win for Cape Henry. After knocking down one of two foul shots, the Dolphins completed the come-from-behind, 60-56 win in the opening round of the State tournament. Dajour Rucker carried the offensive scoring duties, netting 27 points in Tuesday’s victory. Christian Moore poured in a valuable 14 points, while George Cutler (9), Danny Banister (4), Bryson Spell (4), and Greg Melvin (2) rounded out the scoring efforts. Cape Henry (21-5) will travel to St. Stephens, St. Agnes for a 6:00 pm tipoff against the powerhouse state opponent.