NEWARK – Caravel Academy made sure Saturday to regard A.I. du Pont High less in the context of what happened nearly three months ago and more in regard to what occurred Thursday night.
The Bucs had beaten the Tigers by 19 back on Dec. 6, but A.I. was coming off a victory over Concord that was the biggest upset of the DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament’s second round.
Well aware of that, Caravel brought the proper defensive mindset to limit A.I. to 23.2 percent shooting from the field and scored a 54-40 victory in the day’s first quarterfinal at the Carpenter Center.
“It was a long time ago,” Caravel junior Kaylee Otlowski said of the Bucs’ 63-44 regular-season win over A.I. “We just had to play hard and play smart. We knew they’d gotten better since then but so had we.”
No. 3-seeded Caravel (16-6) advanced to Wednesday’s 6:30 p.m. semifinal in which it will face No. 7 St. Elizabeth (15-7), a 58-36 winner over Caesar Rodney. Caravel has reached two state title games (2013 and 2015) but is seeking its first title in the tournament’s 45-year history.
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Four Bucs scored in double figures – Otlowski (13 points), Maia Bryson (12), Sasha Marvel (11) and Karli Cauley (10). Marvel had nine rebounds, Cauley seven and Otlowski six.
But Caravel was mostly proud of its defensive effort.
“They have two really good point guards and we had to adjust our defense to them, make sure we didn’t foul, and play smart,” Bryson said. “It was straight-up defense.”
No. 11-seeded A.I. du Pont, which had surprised No. 6 Concord 63-59 Thursday, finished 16-7.
Freshman guard Ber’Nyah Ward-Mayo scored a game-high 18 points for A.I. Lauryn Griffin had nine points for the Tigers but was just 2-for-16 from the field. Al’kirah Wilson had nine rebounds.
“We’d been playing against Griffin for years and that kid can flat-out play,” Caravel coach Kristin Caldwell said. “Then you add the freshman, Mayo, so we know those two kids, you put them on any team, and they’re good players. And the first time around, the post player, Wilson, wasn’t back yet, so we knew she was another quality kid. So, yeah, 100 percent, never take anything for granted.
“We really wanted to make Griffin and Mayo earn their points. Both are very aggressive attacking the paint. I didn’t want to see a parade of them to the foul line all day because they’re aggressive and they’re athletic and they’re tricky.”
That meant playing shrewd defense, moving the feet to get into position, and not reaching haphazardly. A.I. did take 23 free throws, making 13, but was 13-for-56 from the field, including 1-for-12 on 3-pointers.
Caravel never trailed after Cauley’s 3-pointer made it 18-16 with 4:25 left in the second quarter. It was 27-20 at halftime and 43-29 entering the final period.
“Our defense has been what’s allowed to stay in every game and win this year,” Caldwell said.
Contact Kevin Tresolini at ktresolini@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter @kevintresolini.
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A.I. duPont’s Lauryn Griffin (2) jumps up for a shot over Caravel’s Grace Lange (13) during the first period of their game in the quarterfinals of DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament at the University of Delaware.
Caravel’s Grace Lange (13) drives through A.I. duPont’s defense for a shot in the quarterfinals of DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament at the University of Delaware.
A.I. duPont’s Lauryn Griffin (2) reaches to stop a shot by Caravel’s Kaylee Otlowski (21) in the quarterfinals of DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament at the University of Delaware.
Ball gets loose during the quarterfinals of DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament at the University of Delaware.
Caravel’s Karli Cauley (3) knocks the ball from A.I. duPont’s Adeline Runco (0) in the quarterfinals of DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament at the University of Delaware.
Caravel’s Kaylee Otlowski (21) drives to the basket near the baseline in their game against A.I. duPont in the quarterfinals of DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament at the University of Delaware.
A.I. duPont’s Al’kirah Wilson (15) grabs the ball before going out of bounce in the quarterfinals of DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament at the University of Delaware against Caravel.
Caravel’s Sasha Marvel (4) knocks the ball from A.I. duPont’s Al’kirah Wilson (15) in their game at the quarterfinals of DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament at the University of Delaware.
Caravel’s Maia Bryson (2) is guarded by A.I duPont’s defense during their game at the quarterfinals of DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament at the University of Delaware.
Ball gets loose under the basket in the quarterfinals of DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament at the University of Delaware.
A.I. duPont’s Alexandria Ferrell (1) gets her hand of a loose ball in the quarterfinals of DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament at the University of Delaware against Caravel.
A.I. duPont’s Lauryn Griffin (2) guards Caravel’s Kaylee Otlowski (21) as she goes for a shot in the quarterfinals of DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament at the University of Delaware.
Caravel’s Sasha Marvel (4), A.I. duPont’s Alexandria Ferrell (1) and teammate Sydney MacDonald (11) go for a loose ball in the quarterfinals of DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament at the University of Delaware.
Caravel’s Grace Lange (13) passes the ball over A.I. duPont’s Adeline Runco (0) in the quarterfinals of DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament at the University of Delaware.
Caravel’s Sasha Marvel (4) goes up for a shot in the quarterfinals of DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament at the University of Delaware against A.I. duPont.
Caravel’s Maia Bryson (2) holds on to the ball running the clock in the quarterfinals of DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament at the University of Delaware against A.I. duPont.
Caravel’s Terea Hunt (25) drives to the hoop in the quarterfinals of DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament at the University of Delaware against A.I. duPont.
A.I. duPont’s Ber’Nyah Ward-Mayo (3) jumps up for a shot in the quarterfinals of DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament at the University of Delaware against Caravel.
Caravel’s Grace Lange (13) reaches for the ball in the quarterfinals of DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament at the University of Delaware against A.I. duPont.
A.I. duPont’s Sydney MacDonald (11) drives to the hoop at Caravel’s Maia Bryson (2) defends in the quarterfinals of DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament at the University of Delaware.
A.I. duPont’s Al’kirah Wilson (15) goes for a shot in the quarterfinals of DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament at the University of Delaware against Caravel.
Caravel’s Karli Cauley (3) is fouled by Caravel’s Ondia Brown (1) in the quarterfinals of DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament at the University of Delaware.
A.I. duPont’s Ber’Nyah Ward-Mayo (3) dribbles down the court in the quarterfinals of DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament at the University of Delaware against Caravel.
