WILMINGTON – The Wilmington Friends girls basketball team came into the Diamond State Classic at 0-2.

The Quakers left as the New Castle Insurance Cup champions on Wednesday after holding off Cape Henlopen 31-26 in the four-team bracket’s championship game at the St. E Center.

“It totally changes the spirit of this team,” Friends coach Carolyn Connors said. “It gives us a ton of confidence to go into the rest of the season, to know that we can compete with teams like Cape Henlopen and teams like St. Mark’s.”

Friends (2-2) got past St. Mark’s 52-43 in its tournament opener on Tuesday, as Natalie DePaulo scored 23 points. DePaulo was at it again Wednesday, finishing with 13 points and 18 huge rebounds on the way to the bracket’s MVP honors.

“It was tough,” DePaulo said. “They had a couple of really tall people. I just tried to work my strength inside, box out and get those loose balls.”

The Quakers got off to an incredible start. Margaret Sullivan drove for a layup, Jayna Jones scored on an inbounds play, DePaulo hit a free throw, Alice Irwin banked in an 18-footer and Sullivan dropped a 15-footer as Friends took an 11-0 lead.

“That was a big confidence booster for us, because we knew they were going to be tough coming in,” Connors said. “That was a really good start for us.”

Cape Henlopen (4-3) couldn’t get the lid off its basket until Niya Mosley made a jumper with 2:07 left in the first quarter. It was totally different than Tuesday, when the Vikings scored 14 points in the first 2:46 on the way to a 52-19 victory over Perryville (Maryland).

“The last two days was a perfect example of what we’ve been going through this season, our inconsistency,” Cape coach Lauren Carra said. “We had a high yesterday, and today was one of the lows.”

The Vikings trailed 18-4 with 4:22 left in the first half, but scored the next seven points and climbed within 18-11 on an NBA-range 3-pointer from Sydney Pedersen at the halftime buzzer.

Friends’ lead fluctuated between five and seven points for much of the second half, but Cape pulled within 28-26 on a free throw by Dania Cannon with 2:18 to play.

But the Vikings, who hit just 12 of 44 (27.3 percent) from the field, couldn’t score again. DePaulo scored off of Sullivan’s assist to put it away.

“It’s going back to the fundamentals,” Carra said of her team’s approach going forward. “It’s playing the game of basketball and knowing where you’re supposed to be and when you’re supposed to be there.”

Jones added nine points and six rebounds for Friends, while Mosley scored eight for Cape.

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

Cape Henlopen guard Alia Marshall (right) guards Margaret Sullivan of Wlimington Friends who lead late in the second half.

Cape Henlopen guard Alia Marshall drives to the basket and scores.

Wilmington Friends coach Carolyn Connors gestures to her players from courtside.

Cape Henlopen guard Alia Marshall (left) grabs the jersey of Wilmington Friends guard Alice Irwin as they set up for the inbound pass with seconds left in the game. Wimington Friends wins with a final score of 31-26.

Cape Henlopen guard Alia Marshall gets all kinds of contact as she drives to the basket in the second half.

Cape Henlopen coach Lauren Carra at courtside as they trail Wilmington Friends in the second half.

Cape Henlopen guard Dania Cannon watches her opponent as they take on Wilmington Friends in the Diamond State Classic at St. Elizabeths School.

Cape Henlopen guard Alia Marshall drives for two in the first half.

Wilmington Friends center Jayna Jones (center) battles for the rebound.

Cape Henlopen guard Alia Marshall dribbles around a defender and scores.

Cape Henlopen guard Dania Cannon (right) drives around Wilmington Friends’ Natalie DePaulo and sinks the basket for two.

Wilmington Friends center, Jayna Jones gets immediate pressure after getting the ball.

Cape Henlopen guard Alia Marshall gets around several defenders in the first half.

Wilmington Friends forward Natalie DePaulo (center) is sandwiched between two Cape Henlopen players, Alia Marshall (left) and Melanie McCloy in the Diamond State Classic at St. Elizabeths School.

Cape Henlopen stand arm and arm during the singing of the National Anthem as they take on Wilmington Friends in the Diamond State Classic at St. Elizabeths School.

Wilmington Friends guard, Margaret Sullivan drives to the basket for the first points of the game against Cape Henlopen.

Cape Henlopen guard Carly Truitt (right) makes contact with Wilmington Friends center Jayna Jones who passes the ball off in the first half.