WILMINGTON — Archmere’s boys basketball team wasted no time getting started against Indian River at the SL24 Memorial Classic. The Auks hit four three-point shots in the first quarter en route to a 57-32 victory Feb. 5 at the Chase Fieldhouse.
Jon Dearing began the offensive onslaught with a pair of free throws, but the Auks started hitting from longer distance their next time down the court. Matt McCarthy drained a three, and after an Indians miss, Dearing found himself open in the left corner and also went for three. IR finally got some points on the board, but McCarthy and Dearing again hit consecutive triples as the Archmere lead increased to 14-6.
The Auks then went inside. Dearing found room along the baseline twice to drive in for layups, and Matt Dellose set up shop in the key for a mid-range jumper. The lead after a quarter was 20-6.
The second quarter began in much the same way as the first. Dellose struck again on a 12-footer, and Chris Albero added a long two-point shot. Finally, a pair of free throws extended the lead to 26-6 early in the period.
The Indians did not fold, however, and their shots started finding the net. They cut the deficit to 11 in short order as Andrew Burns made a three-pointer, and Brendon Bradford did the same on consecutive possessions. A turnover gave the ball back to the Auks, and Miles Kempski scored to push the advantage back to 13 before the buzzer.
There was not much scoring in the third, but Indian River was able to make a dent in the Auks’ lead thanks primarily to Rashad Hopkins. He went coast to coast twice after steals for layups, then took and inbounds pass behind the Archmere defense and scored again as time expired, cutting the Indians’ deficit to 11.
But the Auks found the range in the fourth, and the outcome was sealed. Albero contributed two driving, twisting layups. McCarthy and Max Ewing each added a three. The Archmere starters had a good time cheering on their backups in the final minutes, jumping off the bench when Aiden Cawley scored four late points, then doing the same after Philip Blessington got into the scoring column.
McCarthy led the way with 15 points, including a trio of three-point shots. Dearing had 12, all in the first quarter. Albero added 11. The Auks (8-3) host Odyssey Charter on Monday at 6:15 p.m.
For Indian River, Bradford had 13 points. The Indians fell to 8-9 and will meet Early College on Tuesday at 6 p.m. in Dover.
All photos by Jason Winchell.
