YORK – For the first time in the past decade, the Gloucester Dukes were able to celebrate a BayPort tournament championship on center court at Tabb High School. The Dukes took advantage of a 19-4 third quarter spurt to defeat the Islanders of Poquoson 54-44 in the final game. Demariya Sills led the Dukes with 14 points, giving him 48 for the two-day event and earning him the tournament MVP award.
For Gloucester coach Gideon Mooring, the championship was part two of a master plan.
“We won the CNU tournament this fall by winning all four games. So, I told my team, that it had to carry over into the season, and that we would need to win our next tournament. This was it.”
GLOUCESTER 54, POQUOSON 44
The championship game started out without much spark or fanfare. Two short jumpers by J.D. Costulis gave Poquoson an early 6-2 lead, but a pair of three-pointers by Trey Fortner, the second with two seconds remaining in the period, closed a three-point deficit and put Gloucester ahead 11-9.
Sills, who scored 34 points in the opening contest against Tabb, was held scoreless for the game’s first ten minutes. However, the junior nailed a three-pointer for his first points of the game to keep Gloucester ahead 16-13. The Dukes managed to stay in the lead, but Poquoson closed the margin to four just before halftime on a Brody McDevitt basket and free throw.
For Gloucester, the fireworks were about to begin with the second half, as Mooring’s plan from the first half would start to see results.
They say that pressure busts pipes,” said the fourth-year Duke coach. “We wanted to stretch out their shooters, keep them out of their sweet spots, and make them dribble.”
Indeed, Costulis, who torched York for 30 points in the opener against York, had hot moments in the first half, but was held to a pair of free throws in the third quarter as Gloucester erupted. Sills started the proceedings with a basket and free throw, followed by a steal and basket from Xander Cooke. Grayson Womble followed with a three-pointer from the right wing. On the next Islander possession, Justin Simmons stole the ball and drove for another basket, capping a 10-0 run that pushed the Dukes lead to 14 at 35-21.
The lead stretched to 19 at the end of the third quarter, but Poquoson was not ready to hang up their shoes. A 16-2 run by the Islanders, fueled by points from all five players on the floor (Erb, Costulis, Tucker Schuhart, McDevitt, Nate Doggett) closed the lead to 46-41 with 3:28 remaining.
“They never gave up,” said Mooring.
However, Sills, who made all 14 of his free throws over the course of the tournament, buried his last two in the final minute to seal the victory.
Poquoson 9, 12, 4, 19 -- 44
Gloucester 11, 14, 19, 10 - 54
POQUOSON (5-5): Costulis 17, Erb 8, Schuhart 6, McDevitt 11, Doggett. Totals 16 8-10 44.
GLOUCESTER (4-7): Cooke 13, Sills 14, Durren 2, Simmons 4, Fortner 11, Womble 10. Totals 19 8-14 54.
3-point goals: Poquoson 4 (Erb 2, Costulis, Schuhart), Gloucester 8 (Fortner 3, Cooke 2, Womble 2, Sills).
TABB 69, YORK 47
In the consolation game, Tabb’s Nick Thomas and Javon Eleby combined for 30 points to lead the Tigers to a stress free 69-47 win over York.
Tabb led 14-7 after the first quarter and never looked back. Both teams were most prolific in the third quarter when they combined for 43 points. Tabb had 25, with Thomas scoring nine, while Eleby added two three-pointers. The Tigers opened the second half with an 8-3 run to extend their lead to 40-22 midway through the third quarter.
In all, 12 players scored for Coach Doug Baggett’s team, which raised its record to 6-4.
Jesse Kimrey led the Falcons with 17 points, while Rayvon Patrick chipped in 11.
York 7, 8, 18, 14 -- 47
Tabb 14, 12, 25, 18 -- 69
YORK (1-7): Patrick 11, Kimrey 17, Marteniez 6, Torrence 1, Eley 4, Dye 6, Dahl 2. Totals 15 14-21 47.
TABB (6-4): Thomas 16, Cooper 4, Jordan Eleby 9, Javon Eleby 14, Knapp 3, Olson 5, Smith 2, Jenkins 5, Mitchell 4, Cayanan 1, Sollom 3, Poole 3. Totals 26 8-17 69.
3-point goals: York 3 (Dye 2, Kimrey), Tabb 9 (Jor. Eleby 2, Thomas 2, Knapp, Jenkins, Mitchell, Sollom, Poole).
All-Tournament Team: York – Jesse Kimrey, Tabb – Nick Thomas, Poquoson – J. D. Costulis, Brody McDevitt, Gloucester – Xander Cooke, Demariya Sills (MVP).
Now in its fifth year, the tournament, sponsored by Bayport Credit Union, has been dedicated to the memory of Dale Lucado since his passing in February 2012. Lucado was a star and captain of the 1967 Newport News High School Typhoon football team. However, in 1971, he broke his neck while making a tackle in an alumni football game against Hampton High, and the injury made him a quadriplegic. In spite of his health situation, Lucado’s dedication to youth athletics and optimistic approach toward life made him an inspiration to many kids on the Peninsula. In Lucado’s name, all proceeds from the Bayport tournament are donated to the scholarship fund of the Boys and Girls Club.
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