Winning streak hits four

Virginia Peninsula Community College used a strong second half to run its winning streak to four with a 71-61 victory over Washington Adventist's junior varsity team Jan. 15.

VPCC scored the first 11 points of the game before giving up the next 16. Strong 3-point shooting, the Gators had as many 3-pointers at halftime (4) as 2-pointers, and an 8-for-9 effort from the free-throw line kept them in the game the first 20 minutes. Their first two-point field goal came at the 7:43 mark, and they trailed 36-28 at the half.

Asa Fehrenbach (Lafayette High School/Williamsburg) had 12 of his 14 points in the first half, including a pair of 3-pointers. Keshaun Johnson (Nansemond River/Suffolk) was 6 for 6 from the line in the first half.

In the second half, Sincere Moore (Matoaca/Chesterfield), who had scored 21 or more points in three consecutive games but didn't score in the first half, had 16. Chris Hayes (Nansemond River/Suffolk) added all eight of his also in the final 20 minutes. Moore's 3-pointer with just under 8 minutes to play gave the Gators a 56-51 lead. He had a chance for a 4-point play but missed the free throw. The Gators stretched it to 63-53 with about 3 minutes to go and made just enough free throws down the stretch for the win.

Johnson finished with eight points, and Jayden Sepulveda (Landstown/Virginia Beach) had nine, including two 3-pointers.

The Gators play at Patrick & Henry on Jan. 18. After that, the Gators are off until Jan. 26, when they travel to Takoma Park, Md., for a rematch with Washington Adventist. Two more road games follow, at Paul D. Camp on Jan. 29 and at Chowan University on Feb. 3. They close the regular season with three consecutive home games – Feb. 8 vs. Sandhills Community College, Feb. 12 against Camp and Feb. 15 against Patrick & Henry Community College.

For more information on VPCC, visit www.vpcc.edu. For more information on VPCC athletics, visit www.vpccgators.com.