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Cape Henlopen High School's boys' basketball team wasn't firing on all cylinders entering the 1998 Slam Dunk to the Beach Holiday Invitational in Lewes.

But you wouldn't have known that from the way the Vikings burst out of the starting gate Saturday morning, Dec. 26, in the Mayor's Cup semifinal against Cardinal Gibbons of Baltimore.

Having lost its last two games prior to the tournament and falling behind early both times, Cape turned the tables against the Crusaders, building an early double-digit lead and cruising to an impressive 74-62 victory.

The win puts Cape in the Mayor's Cup championship game Wednesday, Dec. 30, at 9 a.m., against the winner of Monday's Sussex Central/St. John Neumann semifinal.

"We tried some different strategies (coming out). We upped the tempo with the team," Cape coach Ed Waples said. "I think the kids had more intensity today. They're beginning to play like they can and they've just got to keep working hard."

Using a strong defensive effort to spark its transition game, Cape built a 19-point second quarter lead and was never threatened the rest of the way. The Vikings (3-2) shot a blistering 67 percent from the field in the first half and 63 percent for the game.

"My biggest concern was not repeating what we did the last couple of games," Waples said, referring to the early double-digit deficits his team faced in losses to Sussex Tech and Sussex Central. "These guys have the potential. We're trying to get a chemistry together."

O.J. Wilson led Cape with 23 points on 10 of 13 shooting. The senior scored 18 of his points, including two 3-pointers, in the first half.

Darrell Davis added 19 points and Ricky Thompson 18 for the Vikings.

"We were trying to make a good impression for Slam Dunk to the Beach," Wilson said. "I was talking to my family members and they just told me to play ball like I did last year. I started off slow last year, too."

Added Waples: "We got him open, and I think before we weren't doing that. I think with the changes we made, we gave him a chance to get open and do some of the things he can do."

Cardinal Gibbons (3-8) raced to an early 8-2 first-quarter lead before Cape's aggressive defense forced a series of turnovers and sparked the fast break.

The Vikings reeled off 14 staight points as part of a 27-4 run that put them ahead 29-12 with 5:40 left in the first half. Cape would go into halftime with a 36-17 lead.

In addition to Wilson's hot shooting, Davis added seven first-half points, including a 3-pointer at the first-quarter buzzer. Cardinal Gibbons turned the ball over 12 times in the first two quarters and shot just 42 percent.

"When you have a team, I think you have to do what the team does best," Waples said of the fast-paced offense. "And we were searching for what these kids do best and I think they run better."

Cape kept up the pressure in the second half, extending its lead to as many as 22 points. Cardinal Gibbons never cut the Cape lead to single digits and only a late 12-4 run during garbage time kept the score cosmetically closer.

Thompson scored 16 points and Davis 12 in the second half. Cape also held a 28-24 edge in rebounding.

For Cardinal Gibbons, Dan Nues finished with 15 points while Colin McBride added 11 and Ellis Hopkins 10.