NEWARK – Sometimes, the flow of what was expected to be a very close game all goes in one direction.
That’s what happened Saturday, as St. Elizabeth scored the first 17 points of the second half and ran away from Caesar Rodney 58-36 in the quarterfinals of the DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament at the Bob Carpenter Center
The seventh-seeded Vikings (15-7) sharpened their game in the second half and pulled away to advance to the semifinals against Caravel at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday. The second-seeded Riders struggled with Kylie Kornegay-Lucas in immediate foul trouble and ended their season at 21-2.
“We picked up on our defense and we kept our intensity up,” said St. E senior Alanna Speaks, who had 11 points and seven rebounds. “We told each other that we’re not going to let our guards down on this team like we did the first time.”
That was on Dec. 12, when CR erased a 10-point halftime deficit and edged the Vikings 50-48 in overtime. It was a far different story this time. Kornegay-Lucas, a sophomore who had scored 51 points in the Riders’ last two games, went to the bench with her second foul just 1:12 into the game. She came back to start the second quarter, but picked up her third foul just 2:06 later.
“Everything went sideways,” CR coach Bill Victory said. “My best player got in foul trouble. What could go wrong did go wrong.”
Still, the Vikings only led 27-22 following a harried first half that saw the teams combine for 24 turnovers.
“That was out-of-control basketball, in my opinion,” St. E coach Dan Cooney said. “We got too sloppy, and we needed to try to calm it down.”
Sarah Metz (11 points, 10 rebounds) missed a free throw after a layup, but Alexis Lee rebounded and fired out to Metz for a 3-pointer that pushed the Vikings up 32-22. Then Kornegay-Lucas picked up her fourth foul with 5:09 left in the third quarter.
“That sophomore is going to be something to reckon with in this state for the next two years,” Cooney said. “To get her in foul trouble that quick and get her off the court … it was a big, big part.”
St. E took full advantage. Speaks went for a layup, and Sha’Nia Davis turned a fast break into a three-point play. Then Lee hit a free throw, scored on the break and rebounded her own miss for another bucket. Speaks drove for another score to make it 44-22, and Kornegay-Lucas fouled out with 0.4 of a second left in the quarter.
“We had to remember to stay composed, go back to what we’re used to doing in practice and basically just don’t get out of control,” said Lee, who finished with 15 points and eight rebounds.
Alexis Reid (15 points) kept CR close with three 3-pointers in the first half. But the Riders couldn’t get the lid off the bucket in the third quarter.
“We’ll play well for a few games, and then all of a sudden we’ll hit this dead spot where we can’t play dead in a cowboy show,” Victory said. “Today was that day.”
Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ
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St. Elizabeth’s Alexis Bromwell (32) looses control of the ball while being defeated by Caesar Rodney’s Alexis Reid (5) in the quarterfinals of DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament at the University of Delaware.
St. Elizabeth’s Alexis Bromwell (32) reaches to block a shot by Caesar Rodney’s Alexis Reid (5) in the quarterfinals of DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament at the University of Delaware.
St. Elizabeth’s Alexis Bromwell (32) dribbles the ball down the court in the quarterfinals of DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament at the University of Delaware against Caesar Rodney.
St. Elizabeth’s Sarah Metz (21) tries to save the ball from going out of bounce in the quarterfinals of DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament at the University of Delaware against Caesar Rodney.
Caesar Rodney’s Malaka Gillette (12) comes up with a loose ball in the quarterfinals of DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament at the University of Delaware against St. Elizabeth.
St. Elizabeth’s Sarah Metz (21) looks for a pass to teammate Sha’Nia Davis (10) in the quarterfinals of DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament at the University of Delaware against Caesar Rodney.
Caesar Rodney’s Alissa Haith (21) with the ball in the quarterfinals of DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament at the University of Delaware against St. Elizabeth.
Caesar Rodney’s Zoe Scott (3) fights for a loose ball in the quarterfinals of DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament at the University of Delaware against St. Elizabeth.
Caesar Rodney’s Victoria Sebastian (2) dribbles the ball down the court while being pressured by St. Elizabeth’s Sarah Metz (21) in the quarterfinals of DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament at the University of Delaware.
Caesar Rodney’s Alissa Haith (21) brings the ball down the court in the quarterfinals of DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament at the University of Delaware against St. Elizabeth.
Caesar Rodney’s Alissa Haith (21) falls down on the court after being fouled by St. Elizabeth’s Dymond Collins (23) in the quarterfinals of DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament at the University of Delaware.
St. Elizabeth’s Juliann McCarron (22) reaches to stop a shot by Caesar Rodney’s Brionna Brooks (20) in the quarterfinals of DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament at the University of Delaware.
St. Elizabeth’s Sha’Nia Davis (10) looses control of the by while being guarded by Caesar Rodney’s Laynee Ford (42) in the quarterfinals of DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament at the University of Delaware.
St. Elizabeth’s Alexis Lee (40) momentarily looses control of the ball in their win against Caesar Rodney in the quarterfinals of DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament at the University of Delaware.
St. Elizabeth’s Sha’Nia Davis (10) goes up for a layup in their win over Caesar Rodney in the quarterfinals of DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament at the University of Delaware.
St. Elizabeth’s Alexis Bromwell (32) makes a long pass in their win against Caesar Rodney in the quarterfinals of DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament at the University of Delaware.
St. Elizabeth’s Alanna Speaks (30) passes the ball down the court in their win against Caesar Rodney in the quarterfinals of DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament at the University of Delaware.
St. Elizabeth’s Alanna Speaks (30) and Caesar Rodney’s Destiny Johnson (30) battle for a loose ball in the quarterfinals of DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament at the University of Delaware.
St. Elizabeth’s Sarah Metz (21) tries to save the ball from going out of bounce in the quarterfinals of DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament at the University of Delaware against Caesar Rodney.
St. Elizabeth’s Juliann McCarron (22) dribbles the ball down the court in their win against Caesar Rodney in the quarterfinals of DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament at the University of Delaware.
St. Elizabeth’s Alexis Bromwell (32) is fouled with .04 seconds to go in the third period in the quarterfinals of DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament at the University of Delaware against Caesar Rodney.
Caesar Rodney’s Kylie Kornegay-Lucas (15) comes down with a loose ball in the quarterfinals of DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament at the University of Delaware against St. Elizabeth.
