BRANDYWINE HUNDRED — One would expect a close game when a 17th seed meets a 16th seed, and that is exactly what transpired on March 3 when St. Elizabeth traveled to Concord for a first-round battle in the DIAA boys basketball state tournament. The Vikings scored 44 points in the second half, but they had some tense moments before getting the 72-64 win over the host Raiders.
St. Elizabeth’s reward is a second-round game at No. 1 Dover on Thursday at 6 p.m.
Like so many of the first-round round games in both the boys’ and girls’ tournaments, both teams showed some rust after up to three weeks between games. But once the offenses got going, the sellout crowd at Concord was treated to an entertaining, back-and-forth affair.
The Vikings took a 14-11 lead after one quarter when a half-court heave by Michael Jones banked off the backboard and through the hoop. Concord, however, needed little time to erase that deficit. Michael Brabson tied the game seconds into the second quarter, sparking a 10-0 Raiders run that put them ahead, 21-14. The Vikings stuck close by hitting from deep. After Concord drove to the hoop time and time again in the second quarter, they had a 30-28 lead at halftime.
Carmile Frederique gave the Vikings fans in attendance a sneak peek of the third quarter by opening the second half with a three-point shot that put St. E’s ahead. The Vikings, boosted by the return of Terrence Williams after he sat out much of the first half in foul trouble, started getting rebounds and sprinting down the court.
The Vikings’ lead got to 40-33 before Victor Davis answered, but another three-pointer from Jones erased that. Nafir Salters and Jaiden Rajis complemented the outside game with a strong performance in the paint, and St. Elizabeth was ahead by 11 going into the fourth.
The Vikings, led by Williams and Rajis down low, quickly grew that advantage to 16 points with approximately five minutes remaining. The Vikings began to lengthen their possessions, but Concord responded. The Raiders went on an 8-0 run, led by Carlin Hollis and Shawn Neurell, who had been a thorn in the Vikings’ side all night. Rajis ended the run with a twisting layup with 1:41 to go, but it was not over.
St. Elizabeth scored its last seven points from the foul line, and they had a 70-59 lead in the final 30 seconds. But Concord’s Michael Wright completed an old-fashioned three-point play with 18 seconds to go, then stole the inbounds pass and laid one in, cutting the deficit to six. The Vikings were able to add two more free throws, and Concord’s comeback bid fell just a few points short.
Four Vikings scored in double figures, led by Rajis, who had 20. He was joined by Jones, who had six three-pointers and finished with 17, Salters with 12, and Williams with 10. Tickets for the Vikings’ game in Dover are available at www.gofan.co/app/school/DIAA.
For the Raiders, Neurell had 20 to lead the way. Wright added 17, and Davis had 11. Concord finished the season 15-6.
Photos by Mike Lang.
