Dialog reporter
HOCKESSIN – St. Thomas More’s girls basketball team got off to a slow start Jan. 13, but the Ravens overwhelmed Wilmington Christian in the middle quarters on their way to a 63-35 win. The victory gave them the championship of the Wilmington Christian midseason tournament.
The host Warriors had a 10-6 advantage with a less than a minute to go in the first quarter when St. Thomas More began to turn the tide. DahNaija Barnes hit a layup with 21 seconds to go, and Olivia Lynch tied it up with a pair of foul shots after the buzzer had sounded. That was just a taste of what was to come.
After failing to capitalize on their first few chances in the second, the Ravens cranked up the offense. Aniah Patterson got things started, rebounding a missed Wilmington Christian free throw and running the length of the floor for a layup. She then nailed a baseline three-point shot. Janae Carter got two of those points back for the Warriors on free throws, but the hosts would manage just one field goal and seven points in the second.
Lynch, meanwhile, scored five straight on a transition layup and a three-pointer. Patterson hit again from long distance, and Jessica Simmons hurt the Warriors inside with three short field goals. The lead was 33-17 at the half.
The offense continued throughout the third, with the Ravens’ pressure causing several Warriors turnovers, leading to easy buckets. Patterson and Barnes led the way with nine points each during the third, putting the game out of reach. St. Thomas More ended the third on a nine-point run, with Patterson scoring seven of them.
The run continued with another six points in the fourth, as Patterson scored the first four of the quarter and Barnes the other two. Rachel Iorii ended the streak for Wilmington Christian with a layup more than three minutes into the fourth. Her field goal started a 10-point run for the Warriors.
Patterson finished with 24 to lead all scorers, and Barnes added 15. The Ravens (8-1) are back in New Castle County on Monday to battle perennial power Sanford at 6 p.m. at A.I. duPont High School as part of a Martin Luther King Jr. Day tournament.
The Warriors (4-3) were led by Carter’s 14 points. They travel to MOT Charter on Thursday for a 5:15 p.m. start.
