Caravel, Ursuline prevail in DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament semifinals, to meet Saturday
Caravel and Ursuline will play for the DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament title after wins in a semifinal double-header Wednesday night at the Carpenter Center.
As Ursuline did in the first game, Caravel took charge with an impressive third-quarter run to down Alexis I. du Pont 66-27 in the second game.
Ursuline rallied past and then held off defending champion Sanford 37-34 in the opener.
Saturday's 2 p.m. final back at the Carpenter Center will be a rematch for top-seeded Caravel (19-3) and No. 2 Ursuline (17-6). Caravel won in its gym 67-63 over the Raiders on Feb. 8.
Caravel won its first state title in 2022 in its sixth trip to the championship game. Ursuline has now reached 26 championship games and won 17.
Third-quarter spurt sparks Caravel
The Bucs ended the third period having scored 18 straight points to take charge 42-20 entering the fourth quarter. They led 24-17 at the half and it was 24-20 before the Bucs went on their 18-0 spurt.
Chasity Wilson had 30 points for Caravel and Cherish Bryant added 11 points and 11 rebounds. The Bucs forced 24 Tiger turnovers and enjoyed a 52-24 rebound advantage that fed their fast break.
No. 5 A.I. du Pont finished 17-6. Sydney Hilliard had 18 points for A.I. du Pont, just the third Blue Hen Conference school in the past 15 years to reach the semifinals, joining Appoquinimink in 2012 and Concord in 2016. The Tigers were trying to be the first Blue Hen school to make the finals since 2009 champ Delcastle.
Ursuline rallies to win first game
The DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament semifinals began with a thriller as Ursuline rallied from nine points down in the third quarter, then held off Sanford in the final period for a 37-34 win.
Down 29-22 entering the final period, Sanford pulled within 33-32 on Tyler Edwards' basket with 1:04 left before Jazlynn Wesley scored down low for Ursuline.
Jada Snow's two foul shots then got Sanford back within 35-34 with :25 left but Jezelle Banks answered with two foul shots for Ursuline.
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After Sanford missed a 3-pointer, Banks missed two foul shots. But a late Sanford 3-point try was blocked by Banks to preserve the 37-34 outcome for Ursuline.
Banks scored 19 points and Wesley had 10 points, 11 rebounds five blocked shots for Ursuline. Snow also had a double-double for Sanford with 11 points and 15 rebounds, with Edwards also scoring 11.
No. 6-seeded Sanford (16-6) was hurt by 28.3-percent shooting and 14 turnovers despite outrebounding Ursuline 40-29. Sanford had downed Ursuline 58-46 in last year's title game and had won 12 straight entering this encounter, including an 81-76 overtime triumph over Ursuline on Feb. 15 in the Sanford gym.
Raiders get hot
For 20 minutes Ursuline could hardly make a shot. Then the Raiders couldn't miss.
In a dramatic change in momentum, Ursuline took a 29-22 lead into the fourth quarter by closing the third period on a 16-0 run.
Ursuline scored on seven straight possessions and was keyed by several steals and a blocked shot. Banks had eight points in the quarter, as Ursuline trailed 22-13 with less than five minutes left.
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Sanford led Ursuline 19-11 at halftime. Snow's eight points and 10 rebounds were tops for Sanford, which had success getting the basketball inside but also repeatedly thwarted Ursuline with its defensive pressure.
Ursuline made just 3 of 20 first-half field-goal tries while forcing several shots when Sanford defenders and double teams intervened. Banks had seven of the Ursuline points but was just 2-for-11 from the field.
Contact Kevin Tresolini at ktresolini@delawareonline.com and follow on Twitter @kevintresolini. Support local journalism by subscribing to delawareonline.com and our DE Game Day newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Ursuline-Sanford, Caravel-A.I du Pont duel in DIAA girls hoops semis
