HAMPTON — Hampton took a huge step toward a first Peninsula District boys basketball championship since 2017 with a 65-40 win over Denbigh in their showdown for first place in front of a sellout crowd Thursday in the Crabbers’ gym.
The Crabbers (15-1, 10-1 district) gained several other benefits with their 15th consecutive victory. A big one was avenging the 49-44 loss in the Patriots’ gym in their season opener December — a loss the Crabbers felt was due to three starters still getting in shape after helping the football team reach the region final.
“We couldn’t wait to play them again and show everybody we’re the better team,” said guard Jawaun Tucker, one those football players. “We were pumped up — excited to show everybody what we can do.”
The Crabbers did two things very well in knocking the Patriots (12-3, 9-2) out of first place in the PD for the first time this season. Tucker (14 points), Joshua Rice (15 points) and the other Hampton guards drove to the basket for points early and often.
Meanwhile, the Crabbers’ big men, 6-foot-7 Gavin Kay and 6-4 Abraham Taft — also football players — kept the Patriots from getting the foothold in the paint they often got in the first meeting. They scored just six points apiece, well below their averages, but were nonetheless valuable.
“I thought our defense was stellar, keeping them out of the lane.” Crabbers’ coach Eric Brown said. “(Denbigh) does a good job of getting inside, but they took the (outside) shots we wanted them to take.
“They don’t have to have big nights on offense for us to win. It’s great when they do, but Abraham gets his hands on a ton of deflections, shots and rebounds, and, of course, Gavin is a shot changer.”
The Patriots were awful offensively in the first half, when the Crabbers raced out to a double-digit lead and never looked back. Denbigh made just 7 of 21 field-goal attempts and was 1 of 7 from the 3-point arc.
After making only 36% of their field-goal attempts in the first meeting at Denbigh, the Crabbers were 12 of 22 from the field in building a 31-19 halftime lead. Rice made two 3s as the Crabbers led by 10 points after a quarter, but he and his backcourt mates were even more effective attacking the basket from a variety of angles.
“(Rice) is so tough to guard, and he’s so steady and patient when he’s attacking,” Brown said. “(Point guard) Kam Jenrette (12 points) did a great job of playing with pace and keeping us grounded.
“Tucker played outstanding. He scored inside, hit his 3s and made his free throws. He just played an outstanding game on both ends of the floor, and he had a big dunk to galvanize the crowd when (the Patriots) tried to get something going.”
Despite 13 points from Callen Morrison and 11 from Kevin Parker, the Patriots could get little going as the Crabbers led by as many as 27 points in the second half. The victory means the Patriots could face that crowd again as Hampton moved farther ahead in their duel for the top seed — and host role for the semifinals and final — in the Class 4 Region A tournament.
“We’re going to be unstoppable the rest of the season,” Tucker said. “Hopefully it ends with a state championship.”
