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Keep an eye on 3 top contenders and 4 sleeper teams in the DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament

brad myers, delaware news journal
·4 min read

The list of legitimate contenders to win the 24-team DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament is short.

The results from throughout the regular season have shown that much of the top talent is concentrated on just a few teams, and those teams have dominated all but each other.

Expect to see some lopsided scores through the first two or maybe three rounds. But when the tournament reaches the semifinals on March 6 at Bob Carpenter Center, the games should be close and the action will be intense.

Ursuline freshman Jezelle Banks (right) drives against Sanford senior Tyler Edwards during the Warriors' 81-76 overtime win on Feb. 15 at Sanford.
Ursuline freshman Jezelle Banks (right) drives against Sanford senior Tyler Edwards during the Warriors' 81-76 overtime win on Feb. 15 at Sanford.

Here is a team-by-team look at the most likely candidates to be standing tall at the end:

Sanford

Don’t be fooled by the No. 6 seed.

The Warriors (14-5) are the defending DIAA champs, and they finished the regular season ranked No. 1 statewide by Delaware Online.

Sanford is 13-0 against Delaware foes, with all of their losses coming to some of the best from Pennsylvania and New York.

Sanford's Jada Snow (left) ducks under Ursuline's Jazlynn Wesley during the Warriors' 81-76 overtime win on Feb. 15.
Sanford's Jada Snow (left) ducks under Ursuline's Jazlynn Wesley during the Warriors' 81-76 overtime win on Feb. 15.

The Warriors knocked off their two closest rivals – Ursuline (81-76 in overtime) and Caravel (48-46 on a bucket with seven seconds left) – within the last two weeks.

They have a balanced lineup, with Tyler Edwards, Jada Snow, Naomi Allen, Asia Adams and Ellie Carter-Soriano all capable of scoring at any time.

Caravel

The tournament’s top seed is 16-3, with the Buccaneers’ losses coming by a combined nine points.

Caravel rallied from an early 11-0 deficit to defeat Ursuline 67-63 on Feb. 8 in one of the most anticipated games of the year. The Bucs also fought back to tie Sanford late before losing in the final seconds.

Caravel's Cherish Bryant (front) moves against Ursuline's Chamira Marshall Brothers in the second half of the Bucs' 67-63 win at Caravel on Feb. 8.
Caravel's Cherish Bryant (front) moves against Ursuline's Chamira Marshall Brothers in the second half of the Bucs' 67-63 win at Caravel on Feb. 8.

Caravel is perhaps the state’s deepest team, with solid guard play from Anaya Price, Chasity Wilson, Cherish Bryant and Jasiyah Crawford and a formidable inside duo in Brycelyn Stryckning and Jordin Tate.

Ursuline

The second-seeded Raiders (14-6) lost to both Sanford and Caravel, but both games went down to the wire and no one would be surprised to see them reverse those results when it matters most.

Ursuline relies heavily on Jezelle Banks and Taylor Brown, two freshmen who are already being recruited by many of the nation’s top college programs.

Emma Anthony provides 3-point shooting, and Skylar Bolden, Chamira Marshall Brothers and Jazlynn Wesley are among the other key contributors.

BOYS CONTENDERS 10 to watch: Teams to follow as the 2024 DIAA Boys Basketball Tournament begins

St. Elizabeth

The third-seeded Vikings are 17-3, but their three losses show they may be a notch below the top contenders.

St. E fell to Ursuline by 19 points, lost to Caravel by 11 and lost to Sanford by 20. The tournament draw makes it likely that the Vikings will have to beat all three to raise the trophy.

Ursuline's Jezelle Banks (left) defends as St. Elizabeth's Ericka Huggins takes the ball across midcourt on Dec. 5 at Ursuline.
Ursuline's Jezelle Banks (left) defends as St. Elizabeth's Ericka Huggins takes the ball across midcourt on Dec. 5 at Ursuline.

Senior Ericka Huggins is among the state’s best, averaging 18.2 points and 11.4 rebounds per game. St. E also gets big contributions from ZaMylah Seda-Owens, Makayla Sullivan and Taniyah Reese.

Padua

The fourth-seeded Pandas are the most improved team in the state, jumping from 7-13 last season to 16-4 this year.

Padua lost to Ursuline 67-47 in its season opener. The Pandas improved as time went on, losing 61-41 to St. Elizabeth on Dec. 12 but staying within 48-44 of the Vikings on Jan. 27.

Saint Mark's Sophia Karch (left) can't get to a rebound before Padua's Abigail Grillo in the second half of Padua's 52-49 win in the SL24 Memorial Classic at the Chase Fieldhouse on Feb. 2.
Saint Mark's Sophia Karch (left) can't get to a rebound before Padua's Abigail Grillo in the second half of Padua's 52-49 win in the SL24 Memorial Classic at the Chase Fieldhouse on Feb. 2.

Junior Abigail Grillo is the leading scorer, followed by Grace Trerotola – the only senior among the top contributors. Kai Dwirantwi, Abigail Hayes and Lilianna DiMarco can also be offensive options.

A.I. du Pont

The Blue Hen Flight B and overall Blue Hen Conference champions have cranked out another solid season, going 16-5 to earn the No. 5 seed.

The Tigers can get up and down the floor, scoring more than 70 points eight times. They struggled against Ursuline (78-56) and Caravel (52-23), but stayed within 70-65 against Padua.

Howard's Glory Forbi-Mbunwe (10) and Aaliyah Johnson defend against A.I. du Pont's Sydney Hilliard in the Tigers' 64-54 win at A.I. du Pont on Jan. 26.
Howard's Glory Forbi-Mbunwe (10) and Aaliyah Johnson defend against A.I. du Pont's Sydney Hilliard in the Tigers' 64-54 win at A.I. du Pont on Jan. 26.

Sydney Hilliard leads A.I. in scoring, assists and steals. The Tigers also get big boosts from Amanii Brice, Ny’Aijah Jackson and Jourdyn Henderson.

Delmarva Christian

The seventh-seeded Royals can be a little difficult to gauge, since 11 of their games were against Maryland opponents in the ESIAC.

But an 18-1 record is impressive, and Delmarva Christian is 8-0 against Delaware foes. The Royals earned a first-round bye, and a second-round win over Dover or Charter of Wilmington on their home court Friday night would launch them into the quarterfinals.

Brandywine's A'Kiyah Nuriddin (left) controls the ball in front of Delmarva Christian's Ryley McCluskey (24) and Journey Handy in the Royals' 55-18 win at Brandywine on Dec. 20.
Brandywine's A'Kiyah Nuriddin (left) controls the ball in front of Delmarva Christian's Ryley McCluskey (24) and Journey Handy in the Royals' 55-18 win at Brandywine on Dec. 20.

Senior Journey Handy leads Delmarva Christian in points, rebounds and assists and was named ESIAC Player of the Year. Layni Dukes, Mia Elliott, Ryley McCluskey and Evelyn Bohinski also play big roles.

Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: 2024 DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament: Seven teams to watch