WILMINGTON — Central Dauphin (Pa.) used its height and experience to great advantage on Dec. 29, taking down Padua, 62-17, on the second day of the Viking Invitational at the St. E Center. The Rams will play St. Elizabeth on Thursday afternoon for the Frank Aiello Cup at the inaugural tournament.
The game was close early, as Padua stuck with the Rams. After Caroline Shiery scored the first three points for Central Dauphin, Pandas freshman Alexis Greenjack tied it with an old-fashioned three-point play. Alexis Buie put the Rams back on top after an offensive rebound, but Kylie Moor nailed a three with 4:05 left in the first to give Padua a 6-5 lead.
The next 13 points, however, belonged to the Rams, who hail from the Pennsylvania capital of Harrisburg. Shiery put them ahead on a runout at the 3:05 mark, and Marlie Dickerson generated the next bucket with a steal, and a give-and-go with Megan Cavoli that turned into a three-point play. The run ended with two single free throws, one each from Shiery and Samantha Widnick, before the Pandas got a mid-range jumper from Greenjack with 4:20 left in the half.
Shiery had a big day. The 6-3 senior found success repeatedly on a spin and left-handed scoop shot, and she teamed with Dickerson again and again on the offensive end. The Rams opened the third quarter by scoring the first 18 points. Shiery had seven of those, and Dickerson added five. Padua forward Esosa Ediae came off the bench to give the Pandas a spark late, scoring inside twice in the final 1:26, and she added another field goal in the fourth.
Shiery led the Rams with 17, while Dickerson added 15. A total of 10 players scored for Central Dauphin, who will meet St. Elizabeth for the Frank Aiello Cup in the championship game of the Viking Invitational on Thursday at 4:30 p.m.
Ediae had six and Greenjack five for the Pandas, who fell to 1-4. Padua is home against A.I. DuPont on Jan. 5 at 5 p.m.
All photos by Mike Lang.
