DOVER — Jennifer Queen hasn’t been to every Dover High boys’ basketball game over the past 14 years.
But she’s probably been to more than most people.
And if Queen …
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DOVER — Jennifer Queen hasn’t been to every Dover High boys’ basketball game over the past 14 years.
But she’s probably been to more than most people.
And if Queen was there watching one of her four sons play for the Senators, chances are that her youngest one, Noah Allen, was there with her.
Noah was just a toddler when his oldest brother, Xavier Allen, first started playing for Dover in 2010.
“He has been my wing man since day one,” Queen said with a laugh. “He’s always been on the bench next to me or in the car next to me driving up to Rider University, going to West Chester. ... just everywhere we’ve traveled, he’s been the one sitting on the seat.”
Now that Noah is a senior, however, the Dover basketball chapter of the Allen brothers’ careers will end this weekend.
Noah and his Senator teammates face Middletown on Thursday at 6 p.m. at the Carpenter Center in Newark in the DIAA boys’ basketball semifinals. Dover (21-2) is the No. 2 seed while the Cavaliers (18-5) are No. 3.
The winner returns to the Carpenter Center on Saturday for the state championship game at 6 p.m.
However the story ends, it’s been a long, memorable run for Queen and her sons.
Jordan is still playing professionally in Mexico, where he just netted 48 points in a game on Sunday. Elijah is at West Chester, where he’s scored as many as 34 points in a game this winter.
Even Xavier, who was a wide receiver at Wesley College, is still playing football. Last week he was trying out for a U.S. flag-football team.
But while Noah realizes he’s not the standout athlete his brothers are, he can accomplish something they never did — win a state championship.
“They got their 1,000 points, they got Gatorade Player of the Year, all-conference — things like that,” said Noah. “But I can be the one to finish it off and bring home the state championship that we deserve.
“They’re saying, ‘Bring it home.’ They say I’m the last one, finish off the legacy right.”
Coming off the bench, Noah realizes his job is to keep the team’s energy up when he gets in the game.
“I feel my role is to come in and knock down shots as needed and defend,” he said.
The irony is that, back when he was a little kid watching his older brothers’ games, Noah said he never could sit still. He jokes that he was always getting reprimanded for something back in those days.
“I used to get in trouble every single game,” Noah said with a laugh.
“He’s a good kid,” said his mom. “He was more spirited than the other three. He really settled down around fifth grade.
“When Xavier was playing, (coach Stephen) Wilson would come over at halftime and tell him, ‘Stop giving your mom a hard time. You need to sit on this bench and watch the game.’”
Wilson, who is in his 16th season as Dover’s coach, has coached all four of the Allen brothers. It’s been a memorable experience for him.
“That’s my family,” said Wilson. “I’m not their dad but I’m their ‘basketball’ dad.”
She says people in town always seem to have nice things to say about them.
Of course, watching the big games can be difficult at times. She tries to stay philosophical about it.
“With it being his (Noah’s) senior year, it’s bittersweet,” said Queen. “Is this the last game or do they have one more? It can be very, very stressful. You just get so excited and into the games.
“I’ve always tried to remind them to enjoy it. You put all this work into it. If you’re frustrated and mad, there’s no point in doing it any more. You’ve just to have fun, be there for your team and the cookies will fall wherever they go.”
Queen said that Noah’s older brothers are trying not to put too much pressure on him right now.
But they also know it would be a great ending to the story if the Senators win the program’s first state championship in his last season.
“They’re like, ‘You could be the one,’” she said. “‘You’re the last one. You’ve got to do this for the team, you’ve got to do this for Coach, for the family.’ He’s like, ‘No pressure. I’m just going to do my part.’”.
Queen knows that all good things come to an end. But she’ll have lots of good memories of watching all her sons play basketball.
Since he’s the youngest, Noah has been there for all of it, too.
“My car is not going to know what to do with itself not going back and forth to Dover High,” Queen joked.
“It’s sad watching him be the senior this year and knowing it’s coming to an end. He’s definitely been along for the ride.”
Free throws
Dover is trying to make it to its sixth state championship game while Middletown is trying to reach its third. ... Delaware, of course, still plays for just one state champion in basketball. But with Henlopen Conference champion Dover facing Blue Hen Conference winner Middletown in one semifinal and St. Elizabeth taking on Salesianum in the other, it gives the Final Four the feel of having public and private school titles on the line. ... Wilson was the Cavs’ head coach in 2006-07.
Sports editor Andy Walter can be reached at awalter@iniusa.org. Follow on X at @DSNsports.