Lady Indians win six straight behind Blake’s milestone mark

The first half of the basketball season brought some obstacles to the court for Indian River’s girls’ varsity team, but once past the midway point the Lady Indians seemed to have found their niche, collecting their sixth straight win, punctuated with a nail-biter against Sussex Central that came down to the final seconds.

Coastal Point • R. Chris Clark: Destiny Blake is congratulated by teammates before tipoff against Delmar, after she hit the 1,000-career-point mark in the Lady Indians' win over Stephen Decatur last week.Teamwork and leadership pieced together in perfect harmony, as senior captain Destiny Blake’s final five points in less than 30 seconds lifted Indian River over the Lady Golden Knights this past Tuesday, 52-49.

Sussex Central, which had struggled its way through the first half of the schedule, came out fighting, grabbing an early 10-point lead in the opening minutes. But the Lady Indians were resilient, leveling the score 16-16 by the end of the first quarter.

The Lady Knights persevered through the first half, taking advantage of Indian River’s miscued passes and crashing the boards for the rebound, though the Lady Indians held a three-point edge at halftime.

“Our team has had some battles in the beginning of the season,” said Lady Indians’ assistant coach Ashley Zurowski, “but we really pulled through [against Sussex Central] and came together as a team. We had to keep our heads in the game, and the girls did that.”

Sussex Central wasn’t going away, though, as the Lady Knights nudged ahead by six points at the conclusion of three, thanks to aggressive defense and timely offense.

At the start of the fourth quarter, Indian River came out determined to give Central a fight. They opened the final quarter with eight unanswered points to regain the lead, but the Lady Knights kept in stride. Several three-pointers from both sides kept the crowd in suspense through the second half, and Sussex Central held a three-point advantage as the final minute ticked down in the game.

“When we were behind by three points,” said Blake, “I knew I wanted to be the one with the ball in my hands. All I was thinking was, ‘Win this game.’”

And that’s precisely what she set out to do. With less than 25 seconds left in the game, Blake pulled up for a three-point shot as everyone in the gym held their breath. A careless Sussex Central foul sent Blake to the floor as her shot swooshed through the net. With the game tied and 20 seconds left to play, a headstrong Blake showed ice-cold poise as she sank her foul shot for a one-point lead.

Tight Indian River defense forced a Sussex Central turnover, and a last-ditch desperation foul put Blake at the free-throw line again, but she executed the routine shots perfectly, improving the Lady Indians to 11-5 on the season with their 52-49 victory.

In a dramatic game that saw a technical foul from both teams, three Sussex Central players fouling out and a bevy of arguable calls that had coaches from both benches on their feet, it was a task in itself not to let emotions get the best of the players.

“As a coach,” said Zurowski, “it’s all about how you react on the side. If you’re showing that you’re frustrated, the girls will get frustrated. It was important that they kept their heads in the game and rose above everything when it came down to it.”

But playing a clutch game and coming through when it counts is nothing new for fourth-year starter Destiny Blake. Only two games prior, Blake solidified her name in Indian River history, becoming only the fourth female basketball player to accumulate 1,000 points over her high school career. Entering the Stephen Decatur game on Thursday, Jan. 26, only 12 points away from the milestone, she scored 24, putting her well past the 1,000-point mark.

Blake was recognized during a brief ceremony before tip-off against Delmar last Friday, Jan. 27, where she once again came through, leading the Lady Indians with 15 points as the team picked up another win.

She was presented with a ball by Sabrina Shelton, mother of current Indian River basketball standouts Keiosha and Keeonya Shelton and herself the first female basketball player in the program’s history to reach the 1,000-point mark. The senior Shelton did so in 1979. Since then, only Tiffany Johnson (1994-1998), Juanita Dorsey (1980-1984) and now Blake (2008-2012) have accomplished that feat.

“I can honestly say I didn’t know Destiny’s full potential,” said Frye, who assumed the role of head coach for the girls’ varsity basketball team in Blake’s ninth-grade year. “Here she was, a short little freshman who didn’t even remember her sneakers at the first day of tryouts.

“At the time, I hadn’t given her a second thought. But to watch her play, develop and take on the leadership role that she has over four years, it has been outstanding. You see what she brings to the court and it’s simply amazing. Not too many players have her innate ability to read the court the way she sees it. In my opinion, she plays harder than anyone else I’ve ever seen, and she gives everything she has each time she’s on that court. As a coach, I’m very proud of what she’s accomplished.”

Blake finished with 15 points in Tuesday evening’s victory over Sussex Central, while Keiosha Shelton offered up 11 points of her own, and Shanekqua Holden netted 10. While the win over a Division I school could help the Lady Indians as the postseason standings begin to emerge, there are still plenty of tasks ahead before the regular season draws to a close.

Indian River will look to improve their winning streak to seven games this Friday, Feb. 3, as they host Polytech.

“We’re focusing right now on playing strong offense and defense,” said Zurowski. “We’ve got to make those shots when we get the chance and get the rebounds. We have a very strong 2-3 defense, and we’ve got to use that to our advantage, especially against teams like Polytech.”

Next week, the Lady Indians will host Woodbridge on Tuesday, Feb. 7, before their rematch the following week with Dover.

“We have to come out mentally prepared each game,” Zurowski added. “Right now, it’s a matter of execution. The girls know what they need to do. Now it comes down to who wants it most.”

With four games left on the schedule – three against opponents who got the better of the Lady Indians earlier this season – Indian River will have to bring their best to try to secure the Henlopen South title for a third straight year.

“As a team,” Blake added, “we’re constantly improving. Everyone has been stepping up and putting in the work. We just have to stay focused and concentrate on [committing fewer] fouls. We need to get more movement with our feet than with our hands.”