By Andy Walter

DOVER — The Senators never planned on going three weeks without playing a game.

But COVID canceled a tournament and then a snowstorm hit.

The next thing Dover High’s boys’ basketball team knew, it hadn’t played a game in 21 days.

Finally, that streak will end Tuesday when the Senators (3-0 Henlopen North, 5-1 overall) travel to Smyrna (2-1 North, 2-2 overall) for a big North matchup. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m.

“They’re very excited to get playing again,” Dover coach Stephen Wilson said about his players. “Now that we know we’re playing Smyrna (Tuesday), we can focus on that. The guys just want to keep it rolling, quarter by quarter.”

The Eagles swept their two games with the Senators last season on their way to the Henlopen Conference title. Smyrna has played one game since the holiday break, beating Caesar Rodney, 61-51, last Tuesday.

Wilson said he tried to find different ways to keep his players focused during the unexpected layoff. Along with lifting weights and getting in better shape, the Senators were able to scrimmage and work on specific game situations.

“The first couple games that we had, they were some rough games,” he said. “We needed to get ourselves rejuvenated. We got a lot of stretching in.

“It’s been very productive for us. We weren’t just sitting around doing nothing, not having practice.”

At the same time, a stretch like this is never the same as a more normal, structured season.

“We didn’t have a regular practice schedule. We had to mix and match it a little bit,” said Wilson. “We have the wrestling team, the track team, so we had to a lot of sharing of the gym and the spaces that we have to make sure everybody gets their fair time.”

Of course, all these postponed games means that most teams will have busier schedules over the last couple months of the season.

Smyrna has 15 games between Tuesday and Feb. 23. Dover has 11 as things stand right now.

The two squads are slated to meet again in just two weeks, on Jan. 25 on the Senators’ home court.

“You really can’t think too far ahead,” said Wilson. “I just realized that we have three games this week because I was so focused on Tuesday's game. And I won’t even worry about next week until we get to Saturday.

“You’ve got to take it day by day with everything that’s going on. You might be playing, you might not be playing. We just have to prepare like we’re playing.”

Fan restrictions

Fans should probably check on each school’s fan restrictions due to COVID before going to a game these days.

Dover High, for instance, is allowing only two spectators per rostered player, home and visitor.

On the other hand, St. Georges isn’t allowing any visiting fans at its home games — at least temporarily. Appoquinimink is permitting four fans per athlete, home and visitor.

Most high school basketball games in the state can be seen online.

Battle of unbeatens

Seaford takes a 6-0 record into today’s Henlopen South girls’ matchup with 3-0 Lake Forest. The contest is slated for 4 p.m. in Felton.

The Blue Jays have already matched their win total for last year’s regular season. They finished last year on a roll and have now won 10 straight regular-season games.

Including the DIAA state tournament, Seaford is 11-1 in its last 12 games. After having its first meeting with Woodbridge postponed, the Blue Jays are now scheduled to end the regular season with back-to-back games against the defending Henlopen Conference champion Blue Raiders, on Feb. 15 and 18.

Seaford also faces a tough nonconference matchup when it hosts Caravel on Jan. 22.

Free throws

The boys’ basketball team from the The Cross Christian Academy, a prep school in Seaford, is 7-2 this season. Former Smyrna High standout Elijah Credle is among those playing for the Centurions. MaxPreps has The Cross ranked third in the state but, as a prep school, they’re not eligible for the DIAA state tournament. ... Former Dover High standout Jordan Allen has been signed by the Westchester Knicks, New York’s NBA G League team. He’s netted 36 points in his first two games. ... Seaford High is going to name its court after Ben Sirman, the former longtime coach and administrator. The ceremony will take place during the Blue Jays’ boys’ game with Laurel on Jan. 20.

Sports editor Andy Walter can be reached at 741-8227 or walter@newszap.com.

Follow Andy Walter on Twitter at @DSNSports.