Dover caps Indian River by six
The Indians River High School varsity basketball team may have come up short Tuesday night as they hosted the Dover Senators, but their performance left no doubt that they could play with the best in the state. Dover came to Indian River following a Friday-night victory over Caesar Rodney – a team that beat the Indians earlier this year. Despite the outlook of that record, however, IR battled strong, finishing only eight points shy in the final seconds.
Coastal Point • Jesse Pryor
Indian River center Jake Mitchell puts up a layup against Dover as Keion Sturgis and D’Andre Santiago look on. Mitchell scored 16 points despite the loss against Dover.
Dover started strong, but IR met the challenge, keeping the score tight through the first half, where they trailed by only three points. Senior center Jake Mitchell exploded in the second half, collecting eight of his 16 points in the fourth quarter alone. Shooting guard Deshawn Godwin and fellow junior Keion Sturgis each added 12 points apiece for the Indians, while point guard Tyree Oliver had nine of his own.
The Indians couldn’t, however, keep up with the Dover offense, led by junior Cory Crawford, who stacked up 27 points in the evening, sealing the team’s 10th consecutive win.
“This was a big conference game,” said Dover head coach Stephen Wilson. “We have an agenda to take the necessary steps to give us the best seat in the state tournament. We knew it would be a tough one [against Indian River] coming off of a big win last Friday. We’re comfortable right now. We have a lot of things we have to work on.”
Dover will face Smyrna and Polytech before the season’s over.
“We can compete with anyone in the state,” he added, “but right now, competing and beating them are two different things.”
As for the Indians, their post-season outlook may appear bleak, but head coach Marvin Phillips is pleased by their performance down the stretch.
“You have to remember,” he said, “this is our first year. It’s all a learning experience. Our guys are handling themselves well in pressure situations. They’re learning when to make plays and when not to. A lot of teams will throw different defenses at you, and we have to remember to attack it and keep the guy in front of us. They’re starting to understand that.”
Tuesday’s performance proved that the Indians can work well, even under pressure.
“We really came alive in the second half,” Phillips added. “We can play with anyone. They’re not giving up, and that’s all I want.”
Starting with a new team at a new school is never something easy to walk right into, but Phillips has made it manageable and even enjoyable.
“It’s a learning experience,” he said. “To be 8-12 in the first year here is a pretty impressive thing. I’m proud of them. Sometimes when you have a team that’s not going for the tournament, guys might give up. Our boys are still coming to practice and giving their all, and that’s all I can ask for.”
The Indians will close out their regular season this week, hosting Laurel this Friday, Feb. 20, and traveling to Delmar on Tuesday, Feb 23. Both games are scheduled for 7:15 p.m.
