NEWARK — The play was called “green,” and on March 9, that color was magic for the Ursuline Raiders.
With 5.6 seconds to play in the DIAA girls state championship game, the Raiders had possession just behind the midcourt line with the game between them and Caravel tied, 48-48. Ursuline had Emma Anthony inbound the ball to Jazlynn Wesley at the free throw line, and she handed the ball off to a cutting Jezelle “GG” Banks. The freshman phenom took the ball up and was fouled, and with 1.9 seconds to go, she headed to the free throw line.
Banks missed the first free throw, and an audible gasp filled the arena. The unflappable Banks calmly sank the second shot, and when Caravel’s 50-foot prayer fell short, the Ursuline players, coaches, students and fans exhaled and celebrated the 49-48 win. It was the school’s 18th championship, their first since 2017.
Coach John Noonan said they run that play in practice using different players with a variety of formations, but the basics — the inbounds pass, the catch and handoff — are essentially the same. He wasn’t too worried when Banks missed the first free throw.
“She’s money, and she went to the free throw line and made one, and there you go,” Noonan said. “I had a grade school coach who always used to say, ‘Make the next one.’ So, I had full confidence. I wanted two for two obviously, but one for two works. We’ll take it.”
Wesley said they hoped to catch Caravel by surprise with that final play.
“No one was expecting it. We practice that at practice all the time. I thought I could achieve that and help my team by getting that pass,” she said.
Caravel opened up its biggest lead of the game, 24-18, after a driving bucket by Anaya Price and a field goal by Jasiyah Crawford. But Banks went to work, sinking a long three-pointer, then connecting from distance after a steal to tie it at 24. Wesley grabbed a rebound and sent the ball to Taylor Brown, who was fouled and made two free throws to give the Raiders a 26-24 lead. Price answered with a three, one of 12 lead changes in the game. It was tied at halftime.
The second half was close throughout. Crawford opened the scoring with a three, but Banks hit again from way beyond the arc. Two Banks free throws, followed by a Brown layup through two Buccaneers defenders, gave the Raiders their biggest lead of the afternoon, 35-31. But Caravel answered, beginning with an old-fashioned three-point play by former Ursuline player Jordin Tate. The Raiders held a one-point lead going into the fourth.
The quarter started with a lead change when Price scored on a layup following an offensive rebound. Banks drained another three, and the teams were off and running. A Brown steal led to an assist to Banks, pushing the lead to four, but a few minutes later, Price hit from three again to give Caravel a 46-45 lead with 2:45 to go. Banks tied the game with a free throw, but Chastity “Speedy” Wilson hit a jumper with 2:26 left for the Bucs’ final lead.
Olivia O’Hara, who started throughout the postseason after Sklyar Bolden was injured in the final game of the regular season, tied the score with a layup after taking a pass from Banks on the Raiders’ penultimate possession. Caravel burned more than a minute off the clock in an attempt to get the last shot. Banks foiled that plan with a steal with 9 seconds remaining, setting up the thrilling final sequence.
Banks said it was a bit nerve-wracking in the final minutes, but she wasn’t worried after missing that free throw.
“I was just like, ‘I’ve gotta make it. It’s all on me,’ and it’s the type of moment that we practice for. When they say foul shots count, they really do count,” she said.
The Raiders avenged a 67-63 loss to Caravel in early February, something that was in Banks’ mind. Ursuline’s semifinal win, over Sanford, also came against a team that had beaten the Raiders during the regular season.
“This game was definitely personal because we lost to both of these teams (Sanford and Caravel) in the regular season game, so we had beat them when it counted,” she said.
Noonan called the Buccaneers “a quality opponent. They’re so well coached. They’re super, super talented. They’re quick, they’re aggressive, maybe one of the best rebounding teams I’ve ever seen. They shot well today.
“At the same time, I’m proud of our girls and the way they compete. They really just do not quit. They believe in each other. They stuck together, and we told them, there’s going to be some adversity. Let’s handle it with composure and class. Let’s be a little bit wiser than our years, so to speak, and that’s exactly what happened today.”
Banks finished with 29 points and added a team-high seven rebounds and four steals. Brown added 16 points with four assists. O’Hara had the other four points. The Raiders finished the season with a record of 18-6.
For the Buccaneers, Price had 19 points, while Crawford had 12. Caravel finished the season 19-4.
Photos by Mike Lang.
