Norcom Wins Local Showdown

Since the schedule for the 8th Annual VirginiaPreps.com Basketball Classic Presented by Cox Sports for both sessions (and eventually what would be three sessions due to weather forcing re-scheduling), perhaps the most anticipated game on the slate in either Virginia Beach or Richmond was the Norcom vs. Cape Henry showdown.

It featured two teams that have combined to win six state titles over the past six years, playing for area bragging rights in many ways.

Norcom, the reigning two-time State Champions on the public school level that moved down from Group 4A to 3A this year, beat the reigning private school State Champion Dolphins from Cape Henry by a count of 64-49 after a slow start.

Cape Henry, which dropped its third game in two weeks to fall to 12-6 overall, led 8-0 out of the gate. However, the Greyhounds answered with a 10-0 run. A pair of three-pointers from seniors Malcolm Weathers and Mark Seaman to close the opening period put Cape Henry back on top, 18-15.

Junior point guard Malik Marrow, who sat the whole first quarter, scored on a lay-up to push the lead to 25-20. Over the final 1:10 of the half, Norcom went on a 7-0 run to turn a five-point deficit into a two-point advantage at the break.

Early on, Cape Henry was in control. That began to change towards the end of the second quarter, and things really turned during the third period.

Six different players - Travis Fields, Kevin 'K.J.' Davis, Travis Ingram, Tommie Pope, Darien Allison and Jalin Gordon - scored for Norcom in the third quarter, where they outscored Cape Henry 16-9. Though the Greyhounds didn't shoot it great from long distance in the second half (just 1-of-6), they were aggressive driving to the hole, resulting in 10-of-12 shooting from the foul line.

Defensively, Norcom came up with 13 steals on the night, five of which were by Ingram. They also swatted eight shots, four rejected by Davis. But where Norcom hurt them most was in points off turnovers, finishing with a commanding 26-2 advantage in that category.

Taking home MVP honors was Fields, the 4A State Player of the Year from a season ago. The senior point guard tallied a game-high 24 points on 10-of-21 shooting from the field, five rebounds and five assists.

The Dolphins were led by Seaman's 16 points. However, he had to score 12 of their 22 second half points as the everyone else on the floor cooled off considerably. Cape Henry went from shooting 55.6% from the field in the first half (10-of-18) to 32% over the final 16 minutes (8-for-25).

Going back to the Chance Harman Classic in Floyd, VA in early January, 6-foot-5 freshman Dajour Rucker has been impressive this season for Cape Henry. He transferred to the Dolphins after spending last year at Bayside and re-classified. Already, Hampton University has extended an offer his way.

Rucker's game has shown significant progress from this time a season ago, plus he's shed some of the unnecessary weight to help his mobility. Besides being able to score some and rebound in the post, Rucker was able to be effective away from the basket.

With college coaches schools such as Drexel, Old Dominion, Mount Olive and UNC-Pembroke among others, his skill-set for a Class of 2019 prospect was noticeable right off the bat. Rucker ended up with 13 points on 5-of-13 shooting and 1-of-4 from three-point range to go with seven rebounds, two assists and a couple of blocks.

In fact, in the first half, Rucker was Cape Henry's high scorer with nine points. Later in the game, he wasn't quite as much of a force, but he did play all 32 minutes and showed plenty of promise.

Though he was narrowly edged out by his teammate Fields for MVP honors, Davis continues to perform at a high level on the biggest of stages. The 6-foot-6 junior swingman affected the game in a variety of ways.

On 7-of-19 shooting from the field and 2-for-5 from three-point range, Davis concluded with 20 points, which was half of his total in a late January overtime win over Norfolk Collegiate. His 11 rebounds and four blocks were game-highs, plus he made three steals.

Since the Norfolk Collegiate game, Davis says he has seen, "drastic," changes made by opposing defenses, using aggressive box-and-one as well as triangle-and-two looks to try to deny him. His ability to impact the game when his shot isn't falling separates him from other small forwards and shooting guards around the state.

Coach Jeff Jones from ODU was in attendance and saw yet another stellar performance from the Class of 2017 wing who's high on the Monarchs' board with an offer from the Conference USA member. Davidson, East Carolina, Furman, Nebraska-Omaha and VCU are some of the other schools he's been hearing from lately.

Davis has indicated that he would like to stay close to home to play his College Basketball, but it'll ultimately be whichever program fits him best.

Above Video Highlight Courtesy of DaSean Webster (7CitiesHoopTape.com)

Postgame Audio with Norcom Coach Leon Goolsby
Postgame Audio with Norcom MVP Travis Fields
Postgame Audio with Norcom's K.J. Davis
Postgame Audio with Norcom's Travis Ingram

Box Score Link (HTML Version) Here
Box Score Link (PDF Version) Here
VirginiaPreps.com Classic Stat Page Here

We'll have a Replay of this VirginiaPreps.com Classic matchup coming soon on the web site for our premium members to view. You can also order a DVD for $8 by e-mailing us at hatfieldsports@gmail.com.

Matthew Hatfield serves as State Basketball Analyst for VirginiaPreps.com, part of the Rivals.com Network, and is a staff writer for Tar Heel Illustrated. Check out Hatfield’s Twitter page for more sports related updates, and you can also read his work in the Suffolk News Herald. To contact Matthew, please e-mail hatfieldsports2k4@yahoo.com, and don’t forget to listen to him every Saturday at 10AM on ESPN Radio 94.1, plus watch him on the Cox 11 Sports Report.