Rebuilt Skipjacks’ second-half rally falls short
WYE MILLS – The good news was the addition of explosive sophomore guard Jimmie Jenkins and 6-foot-4 sophomore forward Gamari Mayfield. The bad news was the loss of seven Skipjacks after posting of fall-semester grades, forcing Chesapeake College head men's basketball coach Joel Dearring to make major roster changes on the fly.
"Some of our players forgot the 'college' in college basketball," said Dearring after the rebuilt roster showed flashes of promise along with room for growth as a second-half rally fell short in Friday's 93-86 loss to Hagerstown Community College. "And at the end of the day it's the college part that is the most important."
Geran Pope, who has turned into a double-double machine for the Skipjacks, posted game highs with 22 points and 20 rebounds. Jenkins (19 points, seven assists, five rebounds) and Akanni Salako (11 points, four rebounds) joined Pope in double figures, but that wasn't enough to overcome 20 turnovers, a 4-for-10 night at the foul line, and a balanced Hagerstown attack that placed four players in double figures and two others with at least eight points.
"We were playing probably the third- or fourth-best team in Maryland JuCo," said Dearring of the Hawks (13-2 overall, 4-1 league). "We did a lot of good things, but we could have done some things better – taking charges, making layups, making free throws. And those are the parts of the game that have nothing to do with the other team."
Jenkins' return in particular was a feel-good story. The Washington, D.C. product, who hadn't played since the end of the 2010-11 season due to academic difficulties, had 19 points to go with seven assists and five rebounds.
"I was a little nervous before the game, but I was really excited to be back on the court," said Jenkins. "I had to try to find a groove out there; it had been a while since I'd played in a college game."
Mayfield – who hadn't even taken part in a team practice yet – scored three points in his season debut.
"It felt really great being on the court with the guys," said Mayfield.
Hagerstown led at the half, 46-39, and took a 73-61 lead on Christian Leach's 3-pointer with 10:03 left in the game. The Skipjacks, however, answered with an 8-0 run as Dwayne Curtis and Louis Simpson drained consecutive 3-pointers and Jenkins scored on a drive down the lane as the shot clock was expiring.
Chesapeake (7-5, 2-3) got within four points one last time as Jenkins and Simpson (nine points) each hit another 3-pointer in a 6-2 run that pulled the Skipjacks within 87-83 with 1:04 remaining. The Hawks sealed the win with a 5-0 spurt that included a dunk and a free throw from Jerel Carter.
Donte Thomas led Hagerstown with 19 points. Kervin Rameau (18 points), Antonio Jenifer (16), and Antwan Pittman (12) also hit double figures while Carter and Leach scored nine and eight points, respectively.
Chad Church and Justin May each had eight points for Chesapeake.
Both Jenkins and Dearring expect the Skipjacks to improve as they get more time together.
"There wasn't too much chemistry out there, but I see a lot of potential with a lot of hard work," said Jenkins. "We can go far with this group of guys."
"I believe once we come back from the (holiday) break, we'll be ready to play," said Dearring. "And a couple of the players (who are currently academically ineligible) are going to be attending winter session and we hope to have them back soon."
The Skipjacks are off until January 2nd, when they play at CCBC-Dundalk.