Capes Demetruis Price goes airborne for a basket as Cape Henlopen played Bishop McNamara in the Slam Dunk to the Beach held at Cape Henlopen High School.
Bishop McNamara’s Jamar Watson goes for the ball as Cape’s Jeremiah Smack fights back in the Slam Dunk to the Beach held at Cape Henlopen High School.
Capes Ryan Meade drives for a basket past Bishop McNamara’s Jelani Chapman in the Slam Dunk to the Beach held at Cape Henlopen High School.
Capes Demetrius Price gets 2 past Bishop McNamara’s Makhi Mitchell as Cape Henlopen played Bishop McNamara in the Slam Dunk to the Beach held at Cape Henlopen High School.
Capes Drew Mulcahy drives for 2 points as Cape Henlopen played Bishop McNamara in the Slam Dunk to the Beach held at Cape Henlopen High School.
LEWES – Cape Henlopen knew its opening opponent at the Slam Dunk to the Beach boys basketball showcase was going to be a handful on Sunday night.
But despite a good start, Vikings coach Stephen Re was disappointed in the way his team competed on its home floor in a 68-42 loss to Bishop McNamara of Forestville, Md.
“In the fourth quarter I had some young guys show me some bright stuff, but we’ve been kind of going backwards right now,” Re said. “… We don’t deal with adversity very well right now.”
Cape Henlopen (4-3) led for most of the first quarter. Sophomore Ian Robertson opened the game with a 3-pointer, and Demetrius Price drove for a baseline jumper to give the Vikings a 5-4 lead. Then Drew Mulcahy scored on a reverse layup and Robertson dropped two free throws to push Cape ahead 9-6.
But the Mustangs’ Johnathan McGriff ended the quarter with a 3-pointer and a 15-foot jumper to send Bishop McNamara to a 16-11 lead. Then it really got out of hand.
The Mustangs (6-3) scored 21 of the next 24 points, with a three-point play and fast-break layup by 6-foot-9 freshman center Makhi Mitchell making it 37-14 with 2:41 left in the first half.
“Eventually, their size and athleticism will wear you down,” Re said. “But it’s the mental competitive component that I was thoroughly disappointed with tonight.”
It turned into a highlight reel for Bishop McNamara in the second half. Mitchell (19 points) flushed four dunks, including an alley-oop slam off a pass from Jalen Hayes to push the Mustangs’ lead to 63-32 with 5:31 to play.
Bishop McNamara’s speedy backcourt pressured Cape into 27 turnovers.
“We don’t play well unless we’re having success,” Re said. “We have a hard time when success doesn’t occur.”
Mulcahy led the Vikings with 11 points, and 6-5 sophomore Randy Rickards added 10 points and seven rebounds. Cape will get back on the practice floor Monday, then wrap up the three-day Slam Dunk showcase against in-state opponent Appoquinimink at 9 p.m. Tuesday.
Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: BradMyersTNJ